Labietis and Elizabete Balčus Turn Spontaneous Fermentation Beer into Musical Instruments, Unveiling the 2025 Wilding Collection

Latvia’s oldest independent craft brewery, Labietis, together with musician and performance
artist Elizabete Balčus, announces the 2025 spontaneous fermentation beer collection. Using
beer as a musical instrument, they have created a unique visual story in which Balčus takes on
the role of a Wilding fairy. The video work was created by cinematographer Mārcis Ābele, who
joined the European Film Academy in 2026.

Wilding is Labietis’ signature spontaneous fermentation beer series, created using local berries,
mushrooms, vegetables and wild yeasts which are captured near the brewery every autumn
using the traditional coolship method. Inspired by Latvia’s northern climate and its deep
connection with nature, Labietis explores local ingredients and wild fermentation to create beers
that reflect the character of the Baltic landscape.

“We have never really wondered whether we are crossing any boundaries. We simply do what
feels interesting to us, without thinking too much about what the public might say. Surprising
people is not our main goal — what matters most is that we find the process interesting
ourselves. This time, we literally dug into the ground, and the result was a chanterelle beer,”
says Labietis brewery co-owner Reinis Pļaviņš.

The aroma of Chanterelle Wilding introduces notes of lichen and gentle wild yeast phenols. On
the palate, chanterelles reveal their natural character — mossy, earthy and autumnally fungal —
while the finish offers a subtle smoky character from the wild yeast.

While mushrooms are rarely used in beer production, Labietis chose chanterelles — one of
Latvia’s most treasured wild forest ingredients — as the foundation for this spontaneous
fermentation beer. The chanterelles were sourced from local mushroom pickers, turning a
traditional Latvian forest ingredient into an unexpected expression of wild fermentation.
The 2025 Wilding collection includes six new beers: Chanterelle Wilding, Cucumber Wilding,
Watermelon Wilding, Grape Wilding, Lingonberry Wilding and Hawthorn Wilding. This limited
spontaneous fermentation collection is available in 0.375 l glass bottles. Chanterelle Wilding has
an alcohol content of 6.7% ABV.

The collaboration with musician and performance artist Elizabete Balčus was born organically.
Elizabete is a frequent visitor to Labietis’ taproom at Riga Central Market, where one day she
was unexpectedly offered a taste of Chanterelle Wilding before its official release. Her genuine
excitement inspired the Labietis team to take the idea further and create a visual story in which
Balčus becomes a Wilding fairy.

At the centre of the campaign is a video performance where Elizabete Balčus uses beer as a
musical instrument, creating a meeting point between sound and flavour. The video was created

by cinematographer Mārcis Ābele, who joined the European Film Academy in 2026. Ābele is
also the cinematographer behind the internationally recognized animated film Dog of God.
The 2025 Wilding collection is available on the Labietis website: [www.labietis.lv].
About Labietis

Labietis is Latvia’s oldest independent craft brewery, founded in 2013. The brewery is known for
bold experimentation, using local plants, berries, honey, mushrooms and other natural
ingredients in brewing, as well as creating spontaneous fermentation beers using wild yeasts.