A little Saison tasting :)

Got together with some friends for the long-awaited and much discussed Saison blowout tasting.  Lots of tasty interpretations of the best beer style on earth.  Standouts for me were the Saison Dupont Dry-Hopping, Hill Farmstead Anna & Florence, Au Baron Cuvée des Jonquilles and Fantôme Saison of course!!

Here's a mostly complete list:

• Au Baron Cuvée des Jonquilles
• Southampton Saison Faucille
• Fantôme Hiver (Winter) – 2008
• Boulevard Saison with Brett – Batch 1
• Blaugies Bière Darbyste
• The Commons Oat Saison
• Fantôme Saison – 2008
• Saison Dupont Dry Hopping (magnum)
• Saison Dupont
• Logsdon Seizoen
• Logsdon Seizoen Bretta
• Fantôme Chocolat
• Fantôme Brise-BonBons!
• Hill Farmstead Anna
• Hill Farmstead Flora
• Hill Farmstead Florence 
• Blaugies La Moneuse
• Fantôme La Dalmatienne
• Pelican Saison du Pelican
• Upright Flora Rustica
• Lebbe l’Amalthée
• Saison de Pipaix
• Géants Saison Voisin
• Southampton Cuvee des Fleurs
• Fantôme BBB Dark White

Sasquatch Results!!!

Competition Results

41 Entries from 34 Brewers Judged by 20 Judges

BOS Beer Selection:

A blend of Jerome Seipp's "Bigfoot's Brown Thumb", an Imperial Brown Sahti and Ben Bottoms' and Brandon Van Curen's "Sas-squashed", a Brown Ale with Smoked Squash

Honorable Mention: Peter Charbonnier and Jin Zotioukai's Samsquant#1 (CDA with alder smoked malt)

Read through all of the descriptions of the submitted beers

Thanks to everyone for participating.  We'll summarize our judge's notes on the styles soon!

Rest of the Photos

What this means: Jerome, Brandon and I will have to formulate a recipe that combines the elements and flavors of both beers.  Next we get to brew the beer "scaled-up" to 1 barrel (30 gallons).  Then throughout the National Homebrewers Conference, Sasquatch himself will serve the beer to conference attendees. We will be recognized at the conference as the originator of the "Sasquatchian Ale" style and have the honor of serving their beer to renowned members of the American Homebrewers Association.

I've always wanted to do the "scale-up" process that comes with being one of Puget Sound Pro-Am winners, so I'm mostly excited for that part.  And it's going to be a lot of fun to do this with Brandon and Jerome (who also part of Wayward Brewers and rental space).  Plus so many people at the conference will get to try a beer that I brewed!!

 

The Fraternal Order of Wayward Brewers' First Annual Autumnal Kegger

On Saturday October 22nd we held the first annual Autumnal Kegger down at the brewspace. A great chance to clear some kegs and have people check out the space. We all invited our friends, cooked up some BBQ and put 14+ of our finest homebrews on draft for everyone to enjoy. It was a great turnout and excellent evening all around. Can't wait to do it all again in the spring!!

Unfortunately not too many photos were taken as I was too busy drinking, giving short tours, drinking, talking, drinking, eating, drinking and well, drinking some more. If anyone who was in attendance has any additional photos, send them over so I can post them.

Getting the jockey boxes ready

My 4 kegs for the party

The taplist of Fraternal goodies

Mmmmmm, draft beer rules :)

A symphony of Draft and CO2 lines

Our neighbor Dave's eclectic window in the night light

Beer Updates

Don't have my detailed tasting notes with me right now, but I'm really happy with the Saison, Belgian Blonde and Berry Wheat. The Belgian Triple is very strong and not really to style, but tastes pretty good.

I've only opened one 12 oz. of the Peach/Mango Wheat and it was WAY over carbonated. Ended up with only 1/3 of the beer after all the foaming and quick pour into a glass. Flavor-wise it didn't taste infected or anything, but I think the problem stems from the filtering problems during siphoning/bottling and maybe too much residual sugar left in the fruit. The Berry Wheat on the other hand (bottled with same amount of sugar) has a really nice carbonation level. More reports to come as I open more bottles.

Here are photos of the Belgian Blonde and Saison - both very tasty!

Tasting Notes - Brett Beers

Tasting notes of both brett beers side by side with the regular versions on May 19, 2010:

1. Rêve de Wallonia

• clear dark orange with good pop upon opening
• steady carbonation and thin egg white head lingering
• fizzy green apples with a sharp lemon peel and musky grains
• pale malt, stale lemons
• texture is thin and silky with a mild leathery or thin syrupy feel
• stale lemons and malt; mild earthy tones and slightly “dirty”
• anything but popping with freshness
• stale fruits, caramel and light orange
• very interesting side by side with the brett version
• quite dry with stale fruits in the finish
• husky and earthy with stale lemons
  

2. Rêve de Wallonia w/ Brett

• quick carbonation that would have gushed over if I didn’t pour into a glass
• same dark orange appearance with more spotty head that fades quickly once out of the bottle
• slight yellowish hue to it
• obvious pineapple brett, leather and zesty lemons
• more fruity notes here and zesty spice as opposed to the more husky and musky notes of the regular version
• lots more bitterness too which is kind of surprising
• orange peels with slight sour zing and silky, leathery texture
• really like the nose but quite bitter to me
• texture is thin with sticky dry finish
• much of the husky-ness is gone and certainly tastes a little cleaner and drier
  

3. Saison de Deux Médecine

• mild gusher as expected
• light gold with soapy white head fading slowly; steady bubbles
• lemons, pepper, dried yarrow, a little ginger
• fresh, floral nose
• mildly medicinal flavors from the yarrow
• light, lemony texture
• light and dry with very clean mouthfeel
• much crisper and cleaner than the Wallonia
• much more of what I expected going in too
• get the ginger with nice floral and dried flowers
• quite nice overall and very happy with this except for that fact that as I only bottled ~ 2 gallons of finished product, it’s almost all gone!!
• would like it to be a little more complex or yeasty though
• aside from the carbonation, I’m very happy with this batch
  

4. Saison de Deux Médecine w/ Brett

• slight hiss upon opening with slight white head fading quickly
• more vibrant gold in color with next to no bubbles
• pineapple brett, lemons and ginger on the nose
• very clean again with little to none of the bitterness found in the Wallonia w/ brett
• crisp, light fruits and most of the medicinal qualities gone away
• less of a leathery texture than expected
• beer is very clean to begin with, so I think that helps the brett shine more and pop with freshness and fruity flavors
• dried flowers, oranges and ginger – yummy!!!
  

First sample - Saison de Deux Médecine w/ Brett

February 17, 2010 - After 143 in the secondary, I pulled my first sample the Saison de Deux Médecine w/ Brett and did a side by side with the a bottle of the regular version. Honestly, I was just excited that it wasn't disgusting!! The surface of the beer in the carboy has a spotty light white, almost puss looking foam on top, but tasted great. Still a way off from bottling though.

1. Saison de Deux Médecine w/ Brett

• Pulled sample, so no carbonation
• Clear light gold w/ fruity brett and zing on the nose
• Yarrow seems covered up a bit
• Dry with mild sweetness and sticky mouthfeel
• Zing with leathery brett and mild fruit
  

2. Saison de Deux Médecine

• Over-carbonated like the other bottles
• Slight haze and dull yellow
• Lemony yarrow with ginger and citrus flavors
• Chalky and smooth
• Lots of ginger in this bottle

Old Tasting Notes #4

Old tastings notes from January 9, 2010 - look, I just made it to 2010!!

Rêve de Wallonia

• clear light copper with huge 3” eggy white head
• musky, floral nose with fruit, lemons and a yeasty bite to it
• drinks smooth with a raw earthy, lemony tone to it
• creamy mouthfeel with nice, dry spice in the finish
• lots of yeasty texture this time and husky flavors and very dry finish
• raw lemons and sugary
• much drier than I remember and more fruity too
  

Heavy Things

• clear light brown with thin white head
• plenty of carbonation
• caramel, apples dry malts and brown sugar
• seems like slight oxidation to me even though quite young
• green apples too that seem a little off to me (old malt?)
• dates and nuts with a very slight fruity twang
• texture is thin with raw malts, sugar and caramel
• will have to revisit soon as it seems slightly off
• brewed with old malts that sat in my apartment for 4+ months
  

Old Tasting Notes #3

Old tasting notes from November 30, 2009:

Saison de Deux Médecine

• slightly over-carbonated with slow gush if not poured quickly
• muddy yellow with fizzt white head
• mainly yarrow with some sweetness of honey, dry malt and a touch of ginger/orange peel; really nice nose overall
• not overly earthy, but plenty of yarrow
• more sweetness could help here I think against the yarrow
• not much spice, but get some ginger
• yeast flavors are not present, which is a disappointment
• maybe a less “neutral” Belgian yeast next time?
• maybe the yarrow trumps the yeast?
• not exactly what I was going for, but far from the disaster I had feared at times
  

The Curtain Wit

• clear, light orange with bubbly white head to the edges
• ginger, coriander, oranges and a husky sweetness
• thin texture and fruity mouthfeel
• very balanced and drinkable
• a little bready too with lemons and grass
• nice, sticky fruity texture
  

Rêve de Wallonia

• light orange with slight haze; pale gold against the light; white head to the edges
• husky nose with lemons and faint spice
• drinks quite dry and a little flavorless at first
• mild yeasty texture with dry spice, some sweet malt and sugar
• lots of body and sweetness
• certainly not the typical saison that I was going for (Dupont)
• yeast notes are mild and finish is not as dry
• husky is an overall characteristic that I think is from the fermentation struggles and some of the specialty malts
• I want more grassy notes
• Two Medicine is a much more cohesive and rounded beer to me
  

Heavy Things

• nicely carbonated with thin tan head and ruby red color
• nutty caramel, fruity sweet aromas
• not as rich or meaty or sweet as I’d like
• thin body with sweet, dry malt; some candy flavors with dried fruit and brown sugar
• need more body for sure (as with all my beers)
• maybe too fruity and would like some slight smoke
• has a “cheap” candy sweetness to it

Old Tasting Notes #2

Old tasting notes from September 27, 2009

Saison de Deux Médecine

• slight gusher upon opening…doh!! First time I’ve had that problem
• hopefully an over-carbonation issue and not an infection of some kind
• this was different in terms of bottling b/c I estimated sugar based on 5 gallons and then adjusted to 2.5 gallons, but the finished product here was just over 2 gallons, so too much sugar seems like an issue here
• but wonder if dried wildflowers have strange impact on carbonation?
• anyway, back to the beer!
• dark gold, mostly clear with trace white head once in a glass
• floral, kind of dirty with ginger, obvious yarrow aromas
• lots of roots, yarrow stems, earthy
• very smooth and almost silky mouthfeel; vegetal finish and aftertaste
• not much Belgian yeast flavor or influence is one of my first impressions
• lots of yarrow and comes off a little “dirty” or dusty to me
  

The Curtain Wit

• clear light orange with trace white head
• aromas of honey, mild orange peel, ginger and coriander
• coriander comes out most on first sip
• light texture, smooth drinking with minor ginger zing
• not cloudy as I expected and maybe a tad darker as well
• dry, fruity finish yet not quite as flavorful as I had hoped
• some orange and light ginger; soft mouthfeel
• clean, tasty and super drinkable

Old Tasting Notes #1

Old Tasting Notes from August 16, 2009

Russian Lullaby

• 1” foamy white head
• clear, light orange against the light; kind of dark to me
• apples, yeast, sweet grassy lemons
• definitely seems a little sweet to me and quite dry in the finish
• medium body and texture, which is better than most of my brews
• maybe not as sharp or yeasty as I’d like
• has a fruity, granny smith apple thing going on
  
• dry, stale fruit as it warms, sticky sweet mouthfeel; bone dry finish
• carbonation is thick and creamy
• one of my best beers yet and one I need to brew again for sure
  

Liquid Karma

• clear cola brown with thin off-white head
• cookies and sweet coffee with creamy chocolate, nuts
• very little roast character to me even though this recipe was ramped up a bit
• not really what I was expecting or hoping for compared to what I viewed as a very successful first attempt
• needs more body, roast, dark chocolate and coffee – basically more of everything
• will have to revisit this style sometime and try to improve

Misc. Tasting Notes #2

More tasting notes from May:

May 3, 2009

Russian Lullaby - plenty of carbonation and fluffy white head to the edges; clear and much more so than yesterday with Colin; a little darker too with mid-level gold now; bananas, mild cloves, plenty of bubblegum; soft, yeasty sweet texture; drinks smooth and thin; quite dry with plenty of sweetness (more than I remember); fruit and mild syrup quality to it; seems quite different from the bottle yesterday and I'm not as happy with this one


May 22, 2009

Hop 99 - Today I needed to decide on what style to submit this into the Pro-Am as an IPA/Imperial IPA just wouldn't fly; pours dark amber with foamy white head; stale hops, lemons and grass; drinks crisp and sweet with sticky hops and candy malts; fruity esters and very sweet; there is no American Strong Ale category, so I put this one in Old Ale


May 24, 2009

Russian Lullaby - solid pop and pours a fluffy white head; pale gold against the light with faint bubbles; aromas of stale malt, hay, dry flowers and spicy yeast; a little syrupy, dry and sweet; flavors of stale grains, lemons and very mild spice; quite sweet (more than expected) and a little thin, but I think it's drinking very well

Liquid Karma #2 - dark brown with minimal tan head; aromas of coffee, cookies, toffee; drinks dry with chocolate, coffee and mild bitterness; this is the best it has tasted so far; fizzy body and lots of smooth coffee; I'm thinking a smoked coffee porter would be a good combo

Bamboozled - jet black with nice tan head; chocolate, roast, mild smoke; dry, rich and sharp; body is lacking as usual and this finished super dry; perhaps my fav homebrew yet and drinking these three great brews together was very gratifying

Misc. Tasting Notes #1

Well, keeping this current hasn't worked out like I thought, so here are some various tasting notes from back in March and April:

March 11, 2009

Bamboozled - beautiful pour with foamy tan head and perfect carbonation; body is thin and jet black; aromas of smoke, roast and mild meaty-ness; drink very dry; flavors of chocolate malt and smoke; could have a little more smoke as well as some sweetness too; this is becoming one of my favs yet though

Kinza Imperial Wit - minor carbonation; pours clear and amber; obviously quite dark for the style (wheat malt?); lots of coriander, slight spice and yeasty character; fruity and fresh finish; the body is a little syrupy and i think too much dominated by the coriander; decent though and well liked by others


March 20, 2009

Liquid Karma No. 2 - slight pop and pours thin, clear cola brown; only been bottled for 12 days; faint white head around the dges; crisp, smooth fresh coffee aromas and flavors; slight roast and sweetness; super thin though and hope that improves over time in the bottle; lots of potential, but wish there was more body, sweetness and texture


April 8, 2009

Liquid Karma No. 2 - been bottled about 30 days now; dark brown and foamy tan head emerges; nose is killer with rich coffee, vanilla and cookies; seems that flavors still need time to meld together (i hope!!)


April 25, 2009

Hop 99 - quite curious how this one would turn out; pours clear, light amber with faomy off white head; sugary, super sweet and quite bitter; mild butterscotch; certainly the most body i've had yet in a beer; sweet, hoppy and sticky; seems to be moving towards a butter bomb, so will have to get the opinion of others soon

Liquid Karma No. 2 - foamy thick tan head up to 1/2"; sweet coffee, oats and chocolate; becoming more creamy than before with mild richness and chocolate flavors; thinness is a little disappointing and coffee not quite as strong, but certainly improving as it sits

First Taste - Midland Pale Ale

May 2008

Side by side tasting of my Midland Pale Ale (on the left) and Mikkeller's All Others Pale.

I didn't take any notes on this and while the Midland Pale was a solid brew, it was expectedly crushed by the Mikkeller is every way besides appearance. Something to shoot for!!

First Taste - Clean Sweep IPA

Date - December 8, 2007

After patiently letting my first batch carbonate it was time to taste the finished product. Sounded like a beer, looked like a beer and sure enough tasted like a beer! Crisp, clean, sweet and hoppy. Lovely nose from the dry hopping. I didn't take much notes beyond that, but for being my first beer I was very pleased. The only complaint, which would continue for most beers, was that the thin body and overall lacking texture.

From what I had read, clarity is sometimes had to come by but mine was crystal clear. That was one of the reasons I went with the glass secondary and let it rest longer so that everything drops out. Another concern during the was the possibility of bottle bombs, but that never came to be (and hasn't yet).

For research purposes, I decided it would be best to have my IPA against a lineup of commercial brews - Stone IPA, Lazy Boy IPA and Left Hand Warrior IPA. Mine stood up very well against these three.

Hey now, homebrewing rocks!!!!!



Carbonation....check!



Clear.....check!



IPA lineup (mine of the far left)