Wild Beer
Color: Any color is acceptable. Versions made with fruits or other flavorings may take on corresponding hues.
Clarity: Clear or hazy due to yeast, chill haze or hop haze
Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Generally, these beers are highly-attenuated resulting in very low to low malt character. Maltier versions should display good overall balance with other flavor components.
Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Very low to high
Perceived Bitterness: Very low to low
Fermentation Characteristics: Aromas may vary significantly due to fermentation attributes contributed by various known and unknown microorganisms. The overall balance should be complex and balanced. Wild beers are spontaneously fermented with microorganisms that the brewer has introduced from the ambient air/environment in the vicinity of the brewery in which the beer is brewed. Wild Beers may not be fermented with any cultured strains of yeast or bacteria. Wild Beers may or may not be perceived as acidic. They may include a highly-variable spectrum of flavors and aromas derived from the wild microorganisms with which they are fermented. The overall balance of flavors, aromas, appearance and body are important factors in assessing these beers.
Body: Very low to medium
Additional Notes:
Spontaneously fermented beers with fruit, spice or other ingredients should be categorized as Wild Beers. Within the framework of these guidelines, beers which could be classified in other classic or traditional categories such as Belgian-Style Lambic, Gueuze, Fruit Lambic, etc., should be classified in those categories rather than as Wild Beers.
When using these guidelines as the basis for evaluating entries at competitions, brewers may be asked to provide supplemental information about entries in this category to allow for accurate evaluation of diverse entries. Such information might include the underlying beer style(s) upon which the entry is based, or other information unique to the entry such as ingredients or processing which influence perceived sensory outcomes. Competition organizers may create subcategories which reflect groups of entries based on color, microflora, fruit, spices or other ingredients, wood aging, etc.
- Color SRM (EBC): Varies with style
- ABV: Varies with style %
- IBU: Varies with style
- AE - Apparent Extract: Varies with style
- OG - Original Gravity: Varies with style