We are very excited to announce that Village 2022 will be available online and for take-away/collection from 12pm (AEST) on Thursday 6 April 2023.
Our two year blend. One of our most anticipated releases and I would say for good reason. Village is our now annual release of an ale made by DJ and myself using methods learned in Belgium.
If this is your first time hearing of this beer, Village is an ale made with certified organic heritage malted barley, raw wheat and aged hops, all wholly grown in Australia. Brewed in Katoomba using an intensive turbid mash, extended three hour boil and cooled in copper coolship overnight exposed to the environs of the Blue Mountains world heritage site. Fermented and aged in oak without addition of yeast or bacteria. This 2022 blend is composed of four, 500 litre puncheons with three two years of age and a single of one year of age.
DJ and I have been planning to make these types of beers together since before either of our breweries opened and he went to the lengths to ensure that his brewhouse was customised in order to be able to turbid mash. Our first attempts at these non-inoculated ferments were in the winter of 2020. Our first release last year was comprised of three barrels which were each one year old... this year is a two-year blend, containing beers from the 2020 season and the 2021 brewing season. Next year we hope to release a three year blend with beers from the '20, '21 and '22 seasons, mirroring the tradition for lambic beers still practiced around Brussels. Make no doubt these ales are the inspirations for Village.
DJ and I actually were fortunate to travel to Brussels together last year and visit a number of lambic breweries. We had a great day visiting Pierre Tilquin at his blendery where we got rather technical tasting barrels and talking about the composition of these beers. He was very generous with his time and knowledge. We blended this two-year blend following that visit and I think there is certainly some evidence of that knowledge in the blend.
We aim to release a single Village beer each year blended from the variety of our aged stock as an ongoing manifestation of the friendship we share with Harriet and DJ. We will continue to blend older and older components to make blends. The image below shows how the label will reflect this over time.
If you care to compare '22 with the '21, the structure is immediate. It clearly carries a whole lot more depth, texture and acid while retaining elements of youth. I do my best to try and not be super direct at times, by there's no use in hiding it... Village '22 slaps... I'm immensely happy with the result. This is a beer which could be enjoyed now for sure, we have done the work, but also, really, you should put one or two bottles down for another time in the next 20 years.
Luke's tasting notes - Unmistakable aromas on the nose. Cheesy aged hop and fresh citrus, ripe stone fruits and almost red fruits twirl in a heady cocktail of aromas. A shell of oak encapsulates the nose, present yet restrained. Structurally an intense palate. There’s peach and apricot backed by more tropical notes. Well defined both by bitterness and oak. The palate comes together as the fruit stretches out, softer textures emerge and the bitterness becomes moreish. It’s complex, engaging and commands your attention.
Village 2022 was bottled in 750ml and 1500ml bottles under cork and crown seal. Like all our beers, Village 2022 is best enjoyed when decanted off a settled natural yeast sediment at cellar temperatures (10-12°C).
Enjoy.
