An in-bottle refermented abbey beer.

Tongerlo bursts with life due to the yeast that is being added just before corking up the bottle. It triggers a natural process that results in Tongerlo´s lively character.

But why this second fermentation?

Just like any other beer, Tongerlo undergoes a first fermentation using top yeasts that add a fruity character to Tongerlo's different varieties. The first fermentation produces lots of carbonic acid that eventually dissolves with part of the flavours. That is why Tongerlo goes through a second fermentation process to broaden and to enrich the taste palette.

The addition of sugar and highly cultured yeast isolates before fixing the capsule activates the refermentation process. After that, the yeast cells grow on oxygen and make the sugar referment. That leads to a slight increase in alcohol and carbonic acid. The elimination of oxygen in the bottle blesses the beer with a longer shelf life.

The flavours that come into being during this refermentation process will not dissolve and will remain part of the beer's general taste. That makes a refermented beer's flavour profile much richer and far more intense.