Four Winters

The Last Four Winters in Wisconsin

I hope you allow me a more personal write up, as this is a very personal beer. This beer is a landmark for me and this whole Funk Factory experiment. It is the beer I set out all those years ago to see if it could be made in Wisconsin. This is the first three vintage blend, "Méthode Traditionnelle - 3 Year", geuze-inspired beer to come out of Funk Factory.

7 years ago I started with a single barrel in my basement, which led to-
6 years ago I started working with O'so and began a barrel program, which grew into-
4 years ago I started filling barrels in our own space.

This has led to four fruitful seasons of driving the mobile coolship around growing friendships, a business, and our barrel stock.  We built a taproom, discovered new beer styles, and traveled the world.  But back home, I have been waiting for this beer. Patient. Our name "Geuzeria" is meant to indicate we are not a brewery, but a blendery.  As such, any unfruited blends we do are close to the heart of Funk Factory, but Four Winters is our namesake beer, our magnum opus pursuit, and I am so proud to finally release it.

This has not been an easy journey and I wasn't always sure we would reach this goal.  There was a season when I was working until 2am prepping barrels, and then wake up dry heaving in fear of the financial burden I put my wife/newborn under.  It really has been a roller coaster, and still is.  Where you get to meet your idols one day, and another day have those you idolize put you down.

Today, I step back and see what Funk Factory is, and I am proud of what we've done and where we're at.  We have stayed disciplined and hyper-meticulous in our focus of a Geuzeria, which you may have seen with other startups over the years, is no easy task.  I want to emphasize "we".  This project is no longer me alone late at night, or me and my wife painting the walls on the weekend.  We have an amazing staff now to share the heavy lifting and they have all taken over areas of blendery.  This is no longer just my mission of beer with intense focus, but a mission we have all taken on.  None of our beers would take their elaborate shape without all of us.

So, The Last Four Winters in Wisconsin is quite literally that.  Four winters ago I filled the first barrels in our warehouse.  Every winter after we have filled more and more barrels.  Last winter we did our first three vintage blend, and then have bottle conditioned it for a full year.  I am immensely proud of this beer, not only for how it turned out, but also for what it represents.  This beer, and particularly this batch, will always be a very very special beer to me.  It contains the memories, struggles, and ultimate success of this wonderful basement experiment.

Thank you for your continued and enthusiastic support-

Levi Funk

Reflection

The podcast is silly and lighthearted conversation tipping into insanity at times.  But the premise of Malt Couture is that Alex Kidd, a prominent beer figure, is explaining beer and current happenings to two comedians without any knowledge of beer whatsoever.  While I love to hear Alex Kidd praise our beer, this podcast has stuck with me because of the comments of one of its novice-to-beer members; Michael.

A few weeks ago they drank and discussed our beer, De Bij.  Alex explained what the beer is, what spontaneous fermentation is, what Méthode Traditionnelle is, etc.  Then this was the conversation they had after:

Michael: It's great, I mean, now that you bring up the actual Belgian beer, I want to know what something like these, the other pedigrees, the actual Belgian beers taste like just to get a reference point because, like, I feel like, you know, even just taking this for what it is, it's great.  You know, and like I want to know this style, you know, this "geuze", is it allowed to call itself a geuze? 

Alex: We can call it on this program, but I can guarantee you somebody [will be mad]. 

Michael: This liquid, taken for itself, is fantastic. I mean, it's just one of those things that, now I'm sort of thinking back to myself "am I stupid for liking this knowing that there is something else out there that may be technically better?"  Ya know, no, because it's good. It's good for what it is and there are other styles that attempt to do this and don't get anywhere near it, you know, because they don't really care about origin of it and the heritage of it.

This is what we set out to do.  To create something that pointed people back to traditional Belgian lambic.  It was really cool (and somewhat vindicating if I'm honest) to hear someone wanting to seek out and learn more about this Belgian style because of our beer.  It is my, and everyone who joined Méthode Traditionnelle, hope that the term "lambic" still means something in 20 years.

Framzwart 2017

Framzwart is our Méthode Traditionnelle (MT) blend aged on 2 lbs/gal of black raspberries from a local Wisconsin berry farm. It was blended using some of the most well-rounded and earthy barrels in our stock to complement the vinous, tannic, and slightly herbaceous characteristics of the black raspberries. The fruit has a naturally rich color which turned the beer deep inky shades of purple and black. After a three month-long fruit maceration and eleven additional months of conditioning in the bottle, we’re excited to finally share this inaugural release of Framzwart, which is built upon the experiences gleaned from previous “Fram” releases, but is also something unmistakably distinct.

Note: Framzwart is made using black raspberries grown here in Wisconsin and is a separate beer than Framzwartje. “Je” is a dimunitive suffix in Dutch intended to reflect the size of the smaller wild black cap raspberries collected by our friends at Forager Brewery in Minnesota for use in Framzwartje.

Yield: 1,684 750mL bottles, 405 375mL bottles, 100 magnums
“2017” indicates the year the beer was blended and the fruit harvest season.

Broken Dishes

Broken Dishes is the second installment in our “Barn Quilt” small blend series, and is a fusion of 55% Bière de Coupage Reserve (Bière de Coupage aged for an additional six months in a freshly dumped red wine barrel), 32% Meerts aged on peaches, and 13% Gewurztraminer juice refermented in spontaneous beer. The result is remarkably reminiscent of white sangria and bursts with white wine and tart stone fruit layered over a crisp, but complex, base.

Yield: 369 750mL bottles, 3 30L kegs, 1 20L keg

Faro

Faro is one of the lesser-known branches on the lambic family tree, but it’s an important one nonetheless. The word “Faro” was originally used to reference a lighter version of lambic, and first appears in Brussels around the first quarter of the 18th century. By the mid-1800s, Faro was being made by blending second runnings (Meerts) and lambic to create a lower ABV product. The production of Faro has since evolved, and what we see labeled as Faro today is typically a lower ABV lambic-based beer that’s been sweetened. Because of this sugar addition, modern Faro is not a shelf stable product and is only bottled using artificial sweeteners or pasteurization. If served out of a cask in a bar or taproom, it is frequently dosed with Belgian candi sugar and served before refermentation can occur.

Our own wort production, fermentation, and blending is guided by the lambic brewing tradition, so it’s that history that we typically look to and draw inspiration from when making new beers. With a maturing stock of Meerts and spontaneously fermented barrels, we see blending the two as a logical progression and one we’re in a unique position to pursue. Our take on Faro is primarily inspired by the older 1800's methodology and brings together Meerts and 2 and 3 year-old Méthode Traditionnelle (M.T.) barrels in a 50/50 proportion. Although the selected M.T. barrels exhibit sweet oak and apple cider characteristics, there is no added artificial sweetener or unfermented sugar in this beer. As a nod to contemporary Faro production, we used amber Belgian candi syrup to bottle condition, but this sugar has been allowed to fully referment in the bottle to produce carbonation, a hint of color, and subtle dried fruit and caramelized flavors.

ABV: 5.0%
Yield: 772 750mL bottles, 14 kegs

De Bij

After blending “Four Winters” in the fall of 2017 (our upcoming MT3 blend), we selected three additional barrel, one per year from the same coolship batches as were selected for Four Winters, to blend together to form the base of De Bij. The beer was then refermented with 5 lbs/bbl of apple blossom honey (from Staude’s Apple Blossom Acres in Watertown, WI), before being conditioned in the bottle with more of the same honey for nine months prior to release.

The result embodies the typical complexity of a three-year blend, but also provides a crisp fruity funk and delicate floral honey notes that linger pleasantly on the palate.


Yield: 100 magnums, 426 750mL, 205 375mL

Honey Conditioned Meerts

After three months of fermentation in our 40hL French oak foeders, we conditioned our base Meerts in the bottle with apple blossom honey from Staude’s Apple Blossom Acres in Watertown, WI, which contributes subtle floral and fruity characteristics to the beer.


Note: More will be coming in November.

Yield: 168 bottles, 1 keg

Oude Suiker

For the first release in our “Oude Suiker” series (spirit barrel-aged spontaneous beer), we began with an exceptionally expressive Méthode Traditionnelle barrel that had aged for 30 months. The beer was then transferred into five freshly dumped 10-gallon brandy barrels from Old Sugar Distillery and allowed to rest for an additional year. The small format barrels afforded their contents increased contact with the spirit-soaked oak, which infused notes of vanilla and caramel into the already mature base. Over the course of a year, evaporation in the barrels further concentrated those flavors and intensified the complexity of the beer, giving way to an immensely decadent spontaneous beer.


Yield: 111 750mL, 145 375mL

Release Details: 750mL bottles will be sold to Magnum Club only, and 145 taproom bottles will be available for on-premise consumption beginning the release weekend.

Plum Meerts

After three months of fermentation in our 40hL French oak foeders, we refermented Meerts on over 2 lbs/gal of purple and red plums for an additional six weeks prior to packaging.

Yield: 574 bottles, 6 kegs

Frampaars Vintage 2017

This release represents the third iteration of Frampaars, our Méthode Traditionnelle (MT) blend aged on 2 lbs/gal of purple raspberries from a local Wisconsin berry farm. The spontaneous barrels used in this blend were mostly 2x 3-years old, 2x 2-year old, and 1x 1 year old. While blending, we aimed to build the complex flavor profile that’s become a signature of previous Frampaars releases, but also sought out funky barrels to compliment the jamminess of the fruit. The result is a conceptual continuation of prior batches that shares their vibrant fruit-forward nature and funky complexity, but also builds upon their successes by employing the blending experience gleaned from making this beer annually.

Yield: 836 bottles
“2017” indicates the year the beer was blended and the fruit harvest season.

Arnold Palmer Meerts

After three months of fermentation in our 40hL French oak foeders, we steeped Meerts on Macha’s Nilgiri iced tea blend, lemon myrtle, and plenty of fresh lemon zest to capture the flavors of the iced tea-lemonade drink known as an “Arnold Palmer.” The Nilgiri blend Macha chose for us is renowned for its exceptional clarity and intense flavor and aromatics, and although it still ended up turning the beer hazy, it made for a perfect counterpart in this collaboration.

Yield: 599 bottles, 13 kegs

Abrikoos En Hop

For Abrikoos en Hop, we selected a single two-year old spontaneous MT barrel and fermented it on apricots for eight weeks before a light dry-hopping with Nelson Sauvin hops. It bursts with notes of stone fruit, tropical aromas, and herbaceous white wine flavors. This beer was inspired by one of the entries in our Staff Draft competition during Madison Craft Beer Week.

Yield: 139 bottles

Foeder Saison - Dry Hopped

One of our 40hL foeders (“Foeder Black”) was initially utilized as a Meerts foeder, but in October of 2017, it was converted into a fermentation vessel for beers that fill in the gaps between our Meerts and Méthode Traditionnelle programs. The 2018 “Foeder Saison” series represents the first beers to emerge from that switch, and this beer is the only unfruited and/or unblended product to be bottled from the first fill. It has a delicate mouthfeel from the use of white wheat and flaked oats, as well as a refreshing acidity and complexity from the saison strains and cultured microbes that accompanied the wild yeast already present in the walls of the foeder.

After six months of fermentation, this beer was dry-hopped with Amarillo which accentuates the fruity and earthy characteristics present in the base beer.

Yield: 564 bottles, 9 kegs

Mango-Pink Guava Meerts

After three months of fermentation in our 40hL French oak foeders, we refermented Meerts on over 2 lbs/gal of mangoes and pink guava for an additional six weeks prior to packaging.

Yield: 600 bottles, 12 kegs

Braambes en Vlier

This Forager Brewing collaboration began life as the spontaneous beer used in Glory in the Morning, a three barrel blend of different vintages of Méthode Traditionnelle (MT) beer. Prior to packaging Glory in the Morning, roughly 50 gallons was split off and transferred to a punchdown barrel where it was refermented on 2 lbs/gal of wild blackberries and a small portion of wild elderberries, both harvested in the woods of Minnesota by our friends from Forager Brewing Co. The barrel was punched down twice daily to re-submerge the fruit cap that floats to the top due to the CO2 produced during the refermentation, with the goal of increasing fruit contact with the beer. The result is a three-year spontaneous blend bursting with fruity, tannic, and subtly spicy flavors from Forager’s fruit contribution.

172 x 375mL taproom bottles will be available for on-premise consumption.

Framrood Vintage 2017

This release represents the third iteration of Framrood, our Méthode Traditionnelle (MT) blend aged on 2 lbs/gal of red raspberries from a local Wisconsin berry farm. The spontaneous barrels used in this blend were mostly 2-years old, but we also chose several 1-year old barrels, as well as a single 3-year old barrel. While blending, we aimed to build the complex flavor profile that’s become a signature of previous Framrood releases, but also sought out barrels with mellow acidity and oaky characteristics to balance the natural acid content of the fruit. The result is a conceptual continuation of prior batches that shares their vibrant fruit-forward nature and funky complexity, but also builds upon their successes by employing the blending experience gleaned from making this beer annually.

Yield: 1,667 bottles
“2017” indicates the year the beer was blended and the fruit harvest season.

Foeder Saison - Black Raspberry

One of our 40hL foeders (“Foeder Black”) was initially utilized as a Meerts foeder, but in October of 2017, it was converted into a fermentation vessel for beers that fill in the gaps between our Meerts and Méthode Traditionnelle programs. The 2018 “Foeder Saison” series represents the first beers to emerge from that switch, and this beer is the first fruited variant to be bottled from that fill. It has a delicate mouthfeel from the use of white wheat and flaked oats, as well as a refreshing acidity and complexity from the saison strains and cultured microbes that accompanied the wild yeast already present in the walls of the foeder.

After six months of fermentation, this beer was transferred onto 4 lbs/gal of the spent fruit used to make Framzwart (release coming December ‘18).  It is a misnomer to call the fruit "spent" as it imparted plenty of flavor, tannins, and color.  Additionally, the fruit carried over a portion of the Framzwart Méthode Traditionnelle beer adding additional depth to the already sophisticated saison.

Yield: 564 bottles, 9 kegs

Bière de Coupage

“Bière de Coupage” is a phrase that first shows up in French brewing texts from the 1800’s, and is used to describe the process of blending old and young beer together. Over the years, this method of making beer has taken many forms and has been utilized for a variety of reasons. One of the oldest notable examples comes from England and Ireland, where porter brewers would age a portion of their product in oak tanks until it developed vinous characteristics and reblend it back into fresh porter to add complexity. Another common example is the blending of darker sour ales around the Flanders region to control the acetic acid content and flavor profile. Perhaps the most well-known is the blending of old and young lambic in Belgium to deliver a consistent product and balance the complementary flavors present in different vintages of beer.

In recent years, “Bière de Coupage” has become synonymous with a style of beer as much as the historical method, and is most typically used to describe a blend of young, hoppy saison with older spontaneous beer. Because most lactic acid bacteria (particularly lactobacillus) is sensitive to the presence of hops in beer and will not produce acid when the IBUs are too high, the bitterness derived from hops and the complex flavors and acid profile from a mixed culture are rarely found together. One way around this is to blend a hopped beer (typically a saison) with a more mature sour beer (often a spontaneous one). This is exactly what we’ve done with our Bière de Coupage, and what others in America (Jester King, Perennial, Zebulon, American Solera/Evil Twin, Amos Browne, etc.) have been experimenting with over the past few years.

We are pleased to be part of the resurgence of this method, and are particularly excited about this one particular style of beer that it’s able to produce (and thankful we now have the barrel stock and foeder capacity to attempt it). For the blending, we began with 250 gal of our Foeder Saison and added to it a blend of four barrels of 1 year-old 100% spontaneous MT (Méthode Traditionnelle) beer, and a small portion of 3 year-old MT beer. The result has a fresh liveliness, brightness, and mild supporting bitterness from the young foeder beer, and a mature acid profile, musty oakiness, minerality, and overall flavor complexity from the old spontaneous beer. Despite being unfruited, we also get big notes of under ripe peaches, stone fruit, and a grassy earthiness. It should continue to develop for years in the bottle, and we hope you enjoy this beer as much as we do!


Yield: 1,278 bottles, 15 kegs

Release: June 8th 2018

Foeder Saison - Boysenberry

One of our 40hL foeders (“Foeder Black”) was initially utilized as a Meerts foeder, but in October of 2017, it was converted into a fermentation vessel for beers that fill in the gaps between our Meerts and Méthode Traditionnelle programs. The 2018 “Foeder Saison” series represents the first beers to emerge from that switch, and this beer is the first fruited variant to be bottled from that fill. It has a delicate mouthfeel from the use of white wheat and flaked oats, as well as a refreshing acidity and complexity from the saison strains and cultured microbes that accompanied the wild yeast already present in the walls of the foeder.

After six months of fermentation, this beer was refermented on 1.75 lbs/gal of boysenberries, which is a cross between the red raspberry, blackberry, loganberry, and dewberry. The fruit itself is from the Pacific Northwest and has an extremely well-rounded flavor profile that bursts with vibrant jammy-berry characteristics. These qualities make it one of my favorite fruits to use in sour beer, and certainly come through in full force in this release.

Yield: 624 bottles, 14 kegs

Release: June 8th 2018

2018 Beer Schedule

There are a lot of beers conditioning in bottles at Funk Factory and some special projects in barrels or foeders soon to be bottled.  Releases are subject to change as beer are ready when they tell us, but this shows you what we have in the works and when we plan to release them.

We will be putting up further description of each beer, and I'm sure there will be other beers added.

For those of you who have followed this blog, you know how true it is when I say "this has been a long time coming".  We are finally at a point where we have a mature and revolving stock of Méthode Traditionnelle barrels and will release a 3 year blend!  We filled 116 MT barrels this year (7,000 gallons).  We used ~60 from previous years to blend, fruit, cut (more on that to come), or rest in spirit barrels.