WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BRETT AND "REGULAR" BEERS?
Brett beers refer to beers fermented with Brettanomyces yeast, while most regular beers are fermented with Saccharomyces yeast. A lot of the flavour you taste in craft beers like ours is derived from the yeast itself. So among the usual Sacch yeast, different strains can create widely different beers. In a similar way, Brett is just another kind of yeast that creates a different flavour in the beer.
There are many types of Brett yeasts that create a wide range of flavours as well, but generally most strains used for brewing exhibit various fruity characters like cherry pie (as may be found in Blood Cut), sometimes mildly tart, as well as funky characters often described as “barn yard”, “leathery, or “horsey” (you almost have to taste it to understand!)
Brett can be added as a primary fermenter (100% Brett beer, like Blood Cut), or added in secondary after fermentation by a Sacch yeast. Each method will create a different character in the beer
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BRETT AND SOUR BEERS?
Some people associate Brett beers with sour beers because many classic examples of Brett beers also happen to be sours (Cantillon, a Belgian beer, for example).
Sour beers are caused by bacterial action, whereas Brett and Sacch are yeasts. Most commonly Lactobacillus and Pediococcus bacteria are the cause of souring beers.
A sour beer can be created from a beer fermented with Brett or Sacch (or both!) by adding these bacteria at some point in the process and giving it time to sour.
Brett beers that don’t have these bacteria added may have a mild tartness but nothing close to the sourness of a beer that includes the bacteria as well.
WHAT IS A FOEDER, AND HOW THE HECK DO YOU PRONOUNCE IT?
A foeder is basically a very large wood barrel. Low Life’s vessels are made of neutral oak, and are from the USA. They are lightly toasted and heavily steamed before use to limit wood flavors.
The reason to use wood is so once we ferment a beer in the foeder, the organisms will nestle into the porous wood, so when a fresh batch is added those little guys get to work.
Apparently the accepted pronunciation is “foo-der”.
ARE ALL OF YOUR BEERS GOOD FOR AGING?
Some are, our Brett beers with low or no hops will age very nicely. In fact we have been experimenting with beers from 2019 and have found major differences in these beers from their original release dates. Some examples are Tempestraii, Nay Nay, and Majik. Please ask when purchasing a beer if it is good to age if you are interested in doing so.
LOW LIFE BEERS ARE BREWED AND AGED IN WOOD, WHY DON'T THEY TASTE VERY WOODY?
The foeders are designed to only impart a small amount of wood character to the beer, due to their surface area to volume ratio compared to barrels, as well as the manufacture of the wood includes a steaming that reduces some of the wood character imparted
WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?
398 Daly St. North, just behind the JMaxx on Pembina Hwy if heading North on Pembina. If heading South, look out for the Garwood Grill and we will be on the opposite side of Pembina tucked in behind the Boyd Autobody and Jmaxx.
ARE YOU KID FRIENDLY?
Yes, absolutely. We have high chairs and a change table located in the washroom. We are parents ourselves and love being able to bring the little ones with us when going out.
ARE YOU DOG FRIENDLY?
Yes, but sadly only on the patio.
DO YOU MAKE WINE?
Yes, we do. We work directly with organic growers in Ontario who grow our grapes. The utmost care is taken when shipping the grapes to Manitoba where we process and ferment onsite. Some call this being an Urban Winery. Our wines are made low intervention with little or no sulfites, natural yeast, and unfiltered. This part of our business is growing, and we are very excited about it.
YOU HAVE REGULAR BEER TOO, RIGHT?
Of course, come by and try a Small Pale Ale or a Crispy Pilsner.
CAN I PURCHASE BEER ONLINE?
Yes, go to our website and select the beers you would like, and click on the pick up or delivery options.
DO YOU OFFER TOURS?
Sure, but setting up a private tasting would be even better. Contact us for details.
CAN I RENT YOUR SPACE?
Absolutely, contact us for details.
IS THERE A MAILING LIST I CAN JOIN SO I CAN STAY UP TO DATE?
We would love that, click here.
DO YOU OFFER FOOD?
No full meals but we do offer light snacks that are chosen to pair with our wines and beers.
DO YOU HAVE NON-ALCOHOLIC OPTIONS?
Yes, we have non-alcoholic beer, Kombucha, Acid League non-alcoholic wines and sparkling water.
