It’s not juicy peaches, orange carrots and crunchy lettuce that Chris Betts seeks from the farmland surrounding Transient Artisan Ales in Bridgman, MI. It’s the invisible microbes drifting on the wind from vineyards, orchards and fields that the brewmaster uses to ferment his wild or spontaneous beer.
“Wild beer was originally the way beer was made,” says Betts, who grew up northwest of Chicago.
His longtime fascination with home brewing eventually led him to brew professionally and experiment with spontaneous beer. “Before beer was made with [commercial] yeast, before people even knew how fermentation worked, they thought you just put the ingredients out and ale was created. It was magic to them,” he says.
Before Betts opened Transient in May 2016, he was transient himself. He rented brewing space in three breweries, shared brewing equipment and made beer under the Transient Artisan Ales label. This allowed him to establish his brand and reputation and gain experience. Betts also worked as a brewer at Witch’s Hat Brewery in South Lyon, MI, before opening his own space.
Betts works with wild bacteria as often as possible, but his results can be unpredictable. That’s one reason most of Transient’s beers are brewed the standard way—using yeast from commercial labs and strains that they’ve developed over time, which lend signature flavors to pale ales, pilsners, lagers, stouts and more.
Betts says the wild beers they release every couple of months are the most intriguing because their complex flavor profiles can be sour, earthy and fruity.
“For us, those are the most interesting,” says Betts, who released the three-year-fermented blueberry Anachronism this winter. This wild ale is slightly sour, slightly sweet, with a hint of charred oak and aromas of blueberry and currants. “They have so much depth of flavor.”
But it’s a gamble. Betts never knows which wild yeasts will land in Transient’s large open tanks and which will multiply and thrive after being transferred into oak barrels.
“Fifty to 75% of spontaneous beer might not be good,” says Betts, noting that it might take a year or more for his wild beer to age. Compare that to regular beer, which has a 95 to 99% success rate and ferments in weeks. That’s why wild beer isn’t common.
This spring, Transient plans to release its first blend, a mix of three spontaneous beers: one fermented for three years, another for two years and still another for one year.
No two batches of Betts’ brews taste the same. It’s all part of his transient philosophy.
“We don’t want to have a flagship beer,” he says.
He typically does just a run or two of his brews, and after he sells out, it’s on to the next. “If our customers like one of our IPAs, they’ll probably like our other IPAs,” he says.
Transient ales are available in cans and on tap. Their website and Facebook page share the latest releases and growler availability. There’s no food, but you can bring your own or pick up something at a nearby restaurant.
The beers on tap change weekly. If you really like one, you’d better get it to go. Or you can just go with the flow—or the yeasts—and try what’s new.
Transient Artisan Ales
4229 Lake St.
Bridgman, MI
transientartisanales.com
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