A heavy reliance on chance, luck and magic is not usually a desirable feature in a beer, where precision can be the difference between a world-class drop or a drain pour. But when it comes to the spontaneously-fermented kind, at least some of that is required to make something truly exceptional.
Garage Project has just released its fourth iteration of its spontaneously fermented Belgian-style ale Chance, Luck & Magic. Ever since the inaugural 2020 blend was released, this expertly crafted drop has captured the interest of beer lovers the world over, and gained more fuss with each annual release.
In fact, CLM is possibly the country’s most decorated beer. At the New Zealand Beer Awards the original bottling alone has won four consecutive gold medals, two trophies for Champion European Ale, and in 2022 it took out the Champion Beer crown. It has also twice won a silver medal at the prestigious World Beer Cup. In Australia, the 2021 release was crowned Champion International Beer at this year’s AIBAs. And that is by no means a full list of the awards the first three releases have won.
The release of Chance, Luck & Magic 23 means there are now four beers in the series, and Garage Project marked the launch with the fanfare appropriate for a beer of this calibre. Not only did they hold parties at their Wild Workshop site in Wellington and Kingsland Taproom in Auckland, but offered an exclusive VIP experience for ticket holders, which included a vertical tasting of all four releases. Garage Project co-founder, Pete Gillespie, and Wild Workshop head brewer, Dave Bell, said they have been meaning to do a vertical tasting between them for a while, but had never managed to make it happen. The release of CLM 23 provided them — and a lucky few ticket holders — the perfect opportunity.
Chance, Luck & Magic 23 is the first five-year blend in the series. Gillespie said the five-year mix was not a conscious decision; he and Bell went into the selection process with the aim of just pulling together the best blend.
This time around, that was deemed to be a mix of 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 barrels, which consisted of both acacia and fresh oak. Gillespie said the process was conducted over three days, with he and Bell writing notes on each barrel they tasted — a tick for those they definitely wanted to use, a cross for those that they wanted to leave for now, and then selecting options that might work with the must-have choices. Gillespie said they are looking not only for quirky or unique flavours, but also for more neutral barrels that will offer complexity without competing or clashing characteristics.
Before even getting to the blending stage, the beer has gone through quite the process; it requires a 15-hour brew day including a traditional — and traditionally difficult — turbid mash, which results in a milky wort with specific sugars and enzymes that are required for lambic beers. That liquid is then cooled overnight in a koelschip next to open windows to capture the wild yeasts in the air, before it is put into barrels for an indeterminate amount of time.
Chance, Luck & Magic 23 boasts a big fruity aroma, with notes of apricot and peach Fruit Bursts (RIP). The flavour is big and juicy, with hints of brown sugar and baked pastries before the sour, vinegary note comes through. Gillespie recognises more of the hop in this release than any of its predecessors.
The 23 release is also smoother and less spritzy in the mouth than what Bell was hoping for — he said the brewery’s sugar manufacturer changed its liquid sugar from a potency of 92 percent to 72 percent, and they had used it in about five different beers before they realised.
Tasting the four releases next to one another, not to mention with the two men behind the magic leading the way, was an incredible experience. The 23 presented sweeter and more fulsome than the other releases, with the malt characters shining through more than the others. The 22 had beautiful plum and grape aromas with the sourness well-integrated though not dominant. The 21 smelled more wine-like than the others, boasting earthy flavours before the dry, sour kick on the finish. The 20 offers complexity through its different layers of sourness, balanced with a delightful floral character.
Each release tastes so different right now, with the original bottling giving a glimpse into how the newer brews could change with time. But it is hard to say, really, with the beers’ fate decided — at least in part — by a little more chance, luck and magic.