Speakers
Henk Raaff from Lubberhuizen & Raaff
Lubberhuizen & Raaff is a Dutch distillery, located in an old fire station in Varik. The distillery is the only one in the Netherlands that ferments freshly picked, fully ripe fruit from the Betuwe. They distill the fruit very carefully and professionally, bottling the Eau de Vie after ageing it in carboys or barrels. Lubberhuizen & Raaff produce around 3000 bottles of Eau de Vie a year. Their distillery has won numerous awards, such as the ‘Edelbrand des Jahres.’ It is the first time that a Dutch distillery has been granted this honour.
Geurt van Rennes
Besides viticulture Geurt van Rennes is also passionate about distilling Eau de Vie. He learned the trade from the best distillers. The craft, however, is slowly disappearing, after having been part of the Dutch culture for hundreds of years. Van Rennis decided to share his knowledge and started a distiller training program in 2015, which is currently the only education program for this in the Netherlands. At the Zuursalon he will enlightens us on the technical sides of winemaking/fermentation, for example with calvados (it is an Eau de Vie!). He will also explain the distillation in a chemical way.
Jan-Martin Caminada
Jan-Martin is an interior builder with extensive knowledge about silver soldering. He will bring some examples of his work, which he will present together with Zuur curator and host Leslie Dronkers.
Biospirits
Biospirits is a biological distillery that only uses organically grown and certified raw materials. Biospirits produce Eau de Vie as well as whiskeys. They are most proud of their computer-controlled fractionation, which can burn the maximum possible alcohol content in this atmosphere. We will discuss in the Zuursalon why there are so little biological distilleries, despite the booming liquor business.
Eau de Vie
Eau de Vie refers to a clear, colourless distillate which is made from fruits, rather than grapes. It’s flavour and ingredients differ from region to region. The Hungarian Palinka for instance is mostly made from plums, while Italian Grappa comes from distilled skins, pulp, seeds, and stems left over from winemaking, after the grapes have been pressed. The French Calvados, however, is made from apples, and the Poire Williams from Williams Pear.
Zuursalon
The human-microbial superorganism is a vast ecological system, subject to the same rules of resistance, resilience, and balance as any other ecosystem on the planet. The sooner you learn to tend your microbial garden, the sooner you will understand how human ecology and your health is nothing more than understanding our history and place in the larger biosphere.
Information
Zuursalon: Eau de Vie
Tastings and talks
Sunday February 7 17:00
Tickets: Pre-sale €10,- / Door: €12,50
Please note that the Zuursalon will be held in Dutch!