A new history

Photo courtesy, Francis Joncas, Microbrewery Pit Caribou
Francis Joncas, owner of the microbrewery Pit caribou in Percé, in the Gaspé peninsula, using a large tray cooler in which the must is inoculated by natural yeasts that are present in the air..

Sophie Side

Sunday, 30 July, 2017 00:01

UPDATE
Sunday, 30 July, 2017 00:01

Look at this article

A page of the history of Québec’s brewing just write. The brewers of home we can now produce the beer using the fermentation process, the oldest in the world, the spontaneous fermentation, up to now prohibited.

This great change that will enable even the province apart in the world, the brewers quebec owe it to Francis Joncas, owner of the microbrewery Pit Caribou, located in Percé, in the Gaspé peninsula.

Due to a grey area in the law, the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux (RACJ) forbade the brewers to have recourse to the spontaneous fermentation, a method that consists of letting the natural yeasts present in the air inoculate the precious liquid, instead of using yeast purchased.

After you have started to take steps in concert with the Center for research on biotechnologies marines in Rimouski, Mr. Joncas has finally got the green light from the RACJ this week : he and his peers can now use this process, as the standards of the canadian food inspection agency (CFIA) are met.

“I have the impression of having participated a little in the history of Québec’s brewing,” enthuses Francis Joncas at the other end of the wire while brewing beer.

“This is a big change that just happened in Quebec. You can’t have a beer with more “terroir” that it, as the flavours will depend on the local flora that thou hast, ” says the passionate.

“There are people who would kill to have these beers, it is the madness of the world “, he continues.

Rare, even globally

This type of beer, traditionally blonde, is a niche product. For the expert in beers, Martin Thibault, it is a good news for the brewing industry in quebec.

Photo Courtesy, Francis Joncas, Microbrewery Pit Caribou

“This is a really rare and interesting in terms of taste, because from the lambics in Belgium, and a handful of breweries in the United States and in South America, there are not many people on the planet who does that “, he says.

“These products are in very high demand, not because the beers are necessarily better, but because it is unique. “

A tartness

In terms of flavours, the specialist explains that the spontaneous fermentation gives the beer quite dry and refreshing. “Usually, it gives a dry, lemony and tart, with subtle notes of campaign,” says Martin Thibault.

Still, these are not all of the microbreweries who are tempted to embark on the venture, believes the expert.

“It is a long-term work that requires a lot of rigor, expose it. It is more difficult, as work, because we can not predict what mother Nature will give us in our wort, ” says Mr. Thibault, stating that these beers are often the result of over a year of work.

In Percé, Francis Joncas says it is ready to launch in the autumn this should be the first beer produced by spontaneous fermentation commercially in Québec.

“I’ve done the past year sleeping in my oak barrels for a year, a little stash… It is out very well. I’m going to be able to bottle it in the fall, ” says the brewer.

Guides

• The spontaneous fermentation, the oldest method of fermentation in the world
• Before ending up in the fermenter, the wort spends a night in a tray cooler.

“This is where mother Nature comes into play,” says Francis Joncas. The yeasts and the lactic acid bacteria already present in the air to inoculate the wort. They don’t need to add yeast then. “