EP043 | Roundtable Discussion — Everything Oud Bruin, Flanders Red, and Flemish Sours

Photos by Cliff Lucas This editorially independent podcast has been supported by VISITFLANDERS as part of the “Straight Talk” series of podcasts.  Bruin is a reddish-brown beer of mixed fermentation which presents as malty, fruity, aged, and somewhat acidic. It’s traditionally associated with the provinces of West Flanders and East Flanders, particularly the region around the Leiestreek and the city of Oudenaarde.  The malt profile can range from caramel to toasted and the acidity of commercial examples can stretch from a soft tartness to winey, vinous character. They can be dry and tannic, or balanced out with a full-bodied sweetness. Commentators commonly distinguish between foeder-aged Flanders Red and stainless-steel aged Oud Bruin, while some breweries themselves have sought protection under different names such as South-West Flemish Red-Brown. However, these distinctions are not regularly used on the ground in Belgium and the more you delve into production methods, the more you realise how grey the lines between all those definitions are. A few weeks ago, I sat down with three of the most influential figures in the world of Oud Bruin. *   Marc Coesens is Site Manager and Head of Production at Brouwerij Liefmans, a brewery now part of the Duvel Moortgat group well-known for its production of Liefmans Oud Bruin and the now iconic Goudenband. I asked Marc to be there to represent the Oudenaarde tradition of Oud Bruin. * Rudi Ghequire is Site Manager at Brouwerij Rodenbach, an institution of a brewery located in Roeselare described by others during this podcast discussion as the “mothership” when it comes to Oud Bruin. I asked Rudi to be there to represent the tradition of South-West Flanders, and in particular, the process of mixed fermentation products blended from beer coming out of upright standing oak foeders.