If you follow this blog that probably means at least two things. One, you like (craft) beer. Two, you like wild beer. That also probably means you’ve heard of the Mikkeler Beer Celebration Copenhagen (MBCC) that takes place every year in May. Part of the event is the homebrewers competition. In January, homebrewers from around the globe can submit their beers to Copenhagen to compete in two categories, Best Beer and Best Czech Lager. The winners of the competition then get the chance to pour their beer at MBCC! This year over 70 beers were submitted, and at the official judging event that took place on the 1st of February, the winners were announced.
One of the two winners in the category Best Beer was Pedra Beer from Spain with an amazing Wild Ale. Obviously, I wanted to know more about this, so I reached out to them for a quick Q&A.
Could you introduce yourself and Pedra Beer?
Behind Pedra Beer Co. There are Alejandra and Javi, a couple who, before discovering and joining the craft movement, were already curious about different beers. Back in 2014, we decided to take a beer brewing course and since then we started brewing with small equipment. Little by little, the desire to continue learning pushed us to begin studying the process of making wild ale, which led us to begin a beautiful and fun path of learning, a process of many hours of reading, of conversations… and of course, many nights sharing lambics, gueze, saisons… with friends. So after also taking an organic wine-making course and taking a trip to Belgium, we decided to dare to try it… So, currently, we focus more on making mixed fermentation beers, but when summer comes we also brew a batch of ale (and even lager) so we can enjoy it with our friends at a party in the countryside.
Could you tell a bit more about the Wild Ale, a lambic-style beer, that won the competition? How and when did you make it?
The wild ale that we sent to the competition is a blend of 4-year-old beers that have been bottled for 1 year and 5 months. We were inspired by the lambic style, trying to pay our small tribute to a type of tradition that we fell in love with from the first moment. not only because of the funky flavor but also because of the manufacturing process.
Was this the first time participating in the MBCC Homebrew Competition?
Yes, it’s our first year, and we still can’t believe it… we are excited to be able to share with you what we do, but above all, we would love to attend the festival so we can continue learning and of course, have a good time with all of you.
What will you bring to MBCC for all of us to taste in May?
We will share aged wild ales, fruit wild ales (with sour cherry, loquat), different blends (some aged for four years), and also some saison. Everything we share with you at the festival will be bottled, many of which have been aging for years.
Anything else you want to share with my readers?
We hope to continue learning from people like you, lovers of the wild side of beer. Long live the wild things.
Thanks, Alejandra and Javi for answering my questions, I can’t wait to try your brews at MBCC this year!