As LA Beer Week rolls along, it’s prominence to craft beer culture grows as international beer icons start making appearances in L.A. To be specific, we are talking about Bruno Reinders, the man behind the Belgium Lambic brew, Mort Subite. We had a chance to sit down with Bruno, so we sent Drink Eat Travel host Jace Milstead over to talk shop about his brew, his life, and how he ranks beers in his book. [info]
The History
Mort Subite, from Alken-Maes, has roots going back 400 years, but was conceived in a merger between two small breweries, Alken and Maes, which accounts for the name. After purchasing a number of small breweries, they were then acquired by British company Scottish and Newcastle, which was in turn bought by Carlsberg/Heineken. When asked about concerns with maintaining the spirit of Mort Subite under the big corporation, Bruno boasts, “I am very proud to work for Heineken,” following with, “Heineken says, ‘you make a quality product, and from then off, we can start to sell it.'”
Who is Bruno?
Bruno’s twenty six years started from the bottom after performing his duty in the military and finishing brewery school. He has done everything from deliveries to blends and attributes the expertise gained from hands-on experience as critical to his success in Lambic brewing, “you cannot learn Lambic brewing in a university. You have to know your knowledge and theory in the brewery.” Since 2001, Bruno has been the man responsible for the brewery.
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What’s is a Lambic Beer?
You probably don’t know the term unless you’re a beer geek, but it is characterized through the process of “spontaneous fermentation.” This means that yeast is not added when brewing, but is actually created by pumping air into the brew to induce fermentation. The start of fermentation as well as the final product varies as it is not a hard science. The difficulty here is blending to maintain consistency, which Bruno considers a “puzzle” whose proficiency can only come from experience. He feels that, “brewing, in our case, is art.”
What’s The Best Type Of Beer?
The question of the best kind of beer was brought up to Bruno. Specifically, does he consider a certain type of beer better than all? Bruno feels that a great beer has it’s place in the moment. What is the occasion? Where is the setting? These are important to showcasing the greatness of a beer, “the moment you drink your beer, you actually make a choice.” There are many great beers out there, but they shine in the moment that they are enjoyed.
See The Whole Interview
Bruno Reinders is passionate about what he creates. Watch him go in depth and beyond about the topics covered with Jace Milstead, in the full interview.
Video produced by Jace Milstead and Stan Lee
Special thanks to Ryan Sweeney