What makes many of these Belgian beers so unique is that they are "alive." Before capping/corking the bottle, more yeast is added. This continues to work on the beer and you can actually "age" it like a fine wine. All American beers that I know of are filtered and pasteurized to "death."

On this next idea, please correct me if I'm wrong. I believe that the German purity law prohibits this secondary yeast, along with other techniques that Belgians use in their brewing.

GFP: I think it is not additional yeast added to the bottle. Sometimes there is a second fermentation in the kettle. There will still be billions of live healthy cells floating around at bottling unless the beer is pasturized and filtered. The issue with Belgian styles is the use of adjuncts like rock sugar, flavorings and the like. As I understand it, the German purity law forbids these adjuncts. Only grain, water, yeast and hops allowed. The yeast you see in live beers is from the original fermenting with some priming sugar added at bottling (for home brewers at least)to carbonate the beer in the bottle instead of carbonating at bottling. Big brewers bottle with CO2 gas. To get around the purity law, you can draw off and reserve the original CO2 that occurs during fermentation and reuse it during bottling to avoid having to "bottle condition" the beer. As an aside, most porters and stouts in the UK are very low alcohol. Guiness in particular is usually around 3.5 or so. They make a srtonger version for the American market. Beer is taxed in the UK on alcohol content and cars on engine displacement so the common varieties of both are usually somewhat weak. LOL.

Hey cjohle-
I just noticed you live in Austin. There's a homebrew club called The Austin Zealots. They have a monthly meeting and a weekly roaming happy hour every Thursday at a different brewpub. The next one will be at North by Northwest in the arboretum area. I've made a couple of the happy hours. They're a pretty cool, laid-back group of people.

I just popped the top on my first batch brewed with my brother. It's a chocolate porter. We both like it. If you'd like to try it, be at NxNW on Thursday at around 5ish. I'll bring a few bottles.

I make a lot of beer and drink it as well. You are right as a priming sugar works on left over yeast and is called bottle conditioning. Almost all small micro breweries in the USA do this as well and it leaves a bit of stuff in the bottom of the bottle as it settles out. I don't velieve they add more yeast. These are also known as a live draft, I believe all home brew is made this way, at least in my house. Think I'll go start some now.

Small world. I was in Rose Barracks '98-'00. HHC 1/63 AR. (with duty at the law center - I was JAG Corps )

I also live in Austin - actually Kyle but I work for the VA in South Austin...

JAG Corps? Assigned to an Armor Battalion? How bizarre.

I was in 2/63. I'm in the National Guard now. It's time to reenlist or get out. I just don't think I could deal with a life devoid of TANKS!!!!! OMG I LOVE TANKS.

Try

www.1516-online.de

Here you can find everything about german beer. All Beweries (about 1400) every beer name and brand.

Burkhard