The term "living beer" can be either high praise or a slap in the
face for a brewer. If the things that are "living" in the beer are
microorganisms that ought not to be there, then it is bad news for a
beer and its brewer.
Live beer, however, generally refers to the presence of noble yeasts
left over from the brewing process. Beers that have been bottled
unpasteurized and unfiltered, with a significant amount of live yeast,
are called "bottle-conditioned" beers. The purpose of bottling beers in
such a manner is to give them the potential to age and develop more
complexity. Yeast inhibits oxidation and contributes complex flavors as
it breaks down slowly in the bottle. Many Belgian ales are traditionally
bottle conditioned through a secondary fermentation in the bottle, in a
process similar to that which produces champagne.
An unpasteurized beer bottled with its yeast will not age in the
manner of a conventionally processed beer. With age, bottle-conditioned
beers develop a rounded, smoother mouthfeel, and over the course of
years, often take on winey, vinous flavors.
Bottle conditioning is an economical means for small-scale craft
brewers to bottle ales without the need for costly pasteurization or
filtration equipment. How long one cellars bottle-conditioned beers is a
matter of personal taste and will also depend on the specific character
of the beer in question.
[courtesy of http://www.tastings.com/bti/about_bti.html ]
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