With Lorenz Humbel, the cherry brandy guru from the canton of Aargau, we talked about the sensory significance of different yeasts for fruit brandies. The words “spontaneous fermentation” came up several times. These words have appeared more frequently in the vocabulary of oenophile hipsters in recent years, but rarely in connection with spirits.
What sounds new and exciting was the standard not so long ago. Nowadays, cultivated yeast is generally used in alcoholic fermentation. Fermentation is more stable, controlled and efficient. Unexpected results, as with some spontaneous fermentation, are largely avoided, but one loses differentiation and identity. Uniform taste is the result.
Lorenz Humbel poured samples of his varietal cherry eau-de-vie, its mash was fermented with different yeast strains. The varying complexity of taste depending on the yeast culture was surprising. The distillate from the spontaneously fermented mash from the Basler Langstieler cherry put us in euphoria. After extensive tasting it was clear: we wanted to introduce this spirit in the Freimeisterkollektiv.[:]
Nose
Berry notes | Marzipan | Pineapple
Taste
Chocolate | Cinnamon | Butterscotch
Finish
Cherry | Bitter Almond
Ingredients
Sweet Cherry – Prunus Avium (Basler Langstieler) | Water | Natural Yeasts
Preparation
In the wine production special cultivated yeasts are offered for many grapes. This gave Lorenz Hubel the idea to initiate a research project for fruit brandy yeast, together with the research institute Geisenheim in the Rheingau.
In addition, in a series of tests for natural yeast cultures, he determined how to create optimal conditions for spontaneously fermented mash. If you refrain from instilling the mash with pure-bred yeast, you have to work very carefully. All conditions must be fulfilled perfectly to guarantee an excellent product, emphasizes Lorenz Humbel.
Output should always be an excellent harvest. 2014 was a perfect year for cherries. It is important that it does not rain heavily during flowering and that it remains dry at harvest time. The harvested cherries must be processed quickly, the oxygen supply should be stopped immediately so that no vinegar forms.
Another measure against vinegar formation is the acidification of the mash. Humbel lowers the pH with lactic acid. The fermentation takes place in a cool cellar. Once the fermentation starts and CO2 is produced, the mash is protected. Distilling takes place immediately after complete fermentation. After distilling the spontaneously fermented mash the cherry brandy must be stored for a longer period of time, as the esterification takes longer. Patience and effort is awarded with an exciting product containing a different complexity.
The result of this research and previous experience is the BASLER LANGSTIELER, WILD 503.
Stetten, Aargau
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Lorenz Humbel
Distiller | Stetten, Aargau, Switzerland
Lorenz’s grandfather, Max Humbel, founded the distillery in Stetten in the canton of Aargau in 1918 as a supplement to his farming business, when he – like many Swiss farmers of the time – found himself in dire straits. When Lorenz Humbel took over the distillery from his father, the Swiss spirits market had just been liberalized. Until then, 80 percent of the distilled spirits consumed in Switzerland came from within the country. In the meantime, the ratio has reversed. The traditional distillery had to respond to this change. Humbel made the right decision by focusing on cherry eau-de-vie. He consistently focused on quality and expanded his range of certified organic spirits. While searching for suitable cherries, he came across a book from 1937 entitled Die Kirschsorten der deutschen Schweiz (The Cherry Varieties of the German-speaking part of Switzerland). In it, the author and botanist Dr. Fritz Kobel classified over 300 different cherry varieties. Inspired by this publication, Lorenz Humbel began distilling single-variety cherry brandies in 1995. Today, Humbel has already mashed and distilled well over 20 different cherry varieties, and is still searching for cherries that expand the aroma spectrum of his outstanding brandies.
