Beer Blotter

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Note: if this is your first time reading The Homebrewer’s Brain, please check this article for a background on what we are doing here.

I’m a really big fan of saisons and due to that fact I end up brewing them often. Sometimes, believe it or not, I brew what I want to drink.
I think part of my fandom, other than the obvious flavor factor, has to do with my great fascination with farmhouse breweries. I love the history of them – brewing beer for the farm workers to drink after a long, grueling day laboring in the fields. I am also enamored with the concept of growing ingredients on brewery property to be used in the beers brewed there. It’s exciting to me to have that much of a hand in what goes into the beer. I am working toward making this sort of lifestyle a reality for myself.
But, history notwithstanding, it’s the yeast and the yeast alone that makes a saison a saison. So I guess, more specifically, you could say that I love saison yeast. I think it’s so brilliant because it has a unique quality to it that makes it distinctly Belgian (or French) but it’s more subtle than your traditional abbey style yeast that’s often just packed with esters and phenols. Saisons are very distinctive. You know you’re having a saison the very moment you take a sip, no matter what the liquid looks like, but they’re never overpowering and always very drinkable and refreshing.
With that being said, it seems to make the most sense to start with a yeast and work backwards. I’m a Wyeast guy, so taking a look at what they have to offer reveals four options. Wyeast 3711 French Saison, Wyeast 3724 Belgian Saison, Wyeast 3726 Farmhouse Ale (Private Collection, available seasonally), and Wyeast 3725 Bier De Garde (Private Collection, available seasonally). 3725 just so happens to be available as I’m writing this article (Apr-Jun 2012) and I’ve never used it before so I have chosen to give it a try. I have come to learn that it was cultured from Brasserie Fantome in Belgium, which makes insanely unique saisons, so I’m really excited to try it. Bier De Garde is, obviously, a different style from saison, but shares the “farmhouse” connotation so I’m not too concerned, especially since Wyeast suggests a fermentation temperature range of 70-84 degrees (which is very much unlike a traditional Bier De Garde which is lagered).
From here I’m going to develop the grain bill. I’ve decided that I want to make this saison black or dark brown in color, perhaps around 24 SRM. I’ve wanted to use Midnight Wheat to darken up a beer style that isn’t traditionally dark for a while now. I have heard that it imparts a great depth of color without lending a roasty character. I also want to put Rye in the beer to add to the traditional spicy flavor element found in many examples of the style (most often from yeast derived phenols). Because many saisons yeasts tend to produce an extremely dry (and therefore often thin) finish, I want to add a few grains that will impart some unfermentables to increase the mouthfeel . Since I now have Rye and Midnight Wheat I thought it would be fun to do Crystal Rye and White Wheat so that I have two different types of each grain. Admittedly, this concept is somewhat inspired by a black saison brewed by New Holland Brewing from Holland, MI.

Photo cred - guysdrinkingbeer.com/

I’ll use European Pilsner as a base and a half pound of rice hulls to prevent a stuck mash due to the extensive use of wheat and rye (both grains do not have a husk). My false bottom generally does a good job at filtering but one can never be too safe. I’ll go lightest on the Crystal Rye to minimize the caramel flavor and use just enough Midnight Wheat to gain my desired color. I’ll try to keep my base grain at about 70% of the grain bill, but I’m really not too concerned with astringency since wheat and rye are acceptable as base grains themselves.
I must admit that I was pretty stumped at first with regards to the hops in this recipe. I was unsure if the standard bitterness numbers for the style would stand up to the added malt complexity. I decided that there was no harm in attempting to contact Brian Strumke of Stillwater Artisanal and picking his brain on the matter. His Existent Black Saison is definitely an inspiration for this beer. To my surprise, or maybe not, Brian responded to my query and suggested that I go with something in the 30-35 range but no higher. I heeded his advice with a bit of conservatism and chose to go with 28. I had some Hallertauer hops in the fridge that had to be used so I chose to pitch them in at 60 minutes for bittering. I also had some Sorachi Ace that I was holding onto for a saison. I have never brewed with the hop but I have sampled quite a few commercial brews that use it and I have always been very impressed. I chose to put some in at 20 and 5 minutes to get a good blend of flavor and aroma without over doing it.
I have made it habit to filter my water for the brew the day before and let it sit out so that the chlorine has time to dissipate. I think it has helped the flavor of my beer quite a bit. After all, water is the most substantial ingredient in beer. Another practice that I feel has been crucial to the success of my recent brews is doing a starter the night before and leaving it stirring on a stir plate the entire time to make sure it’s well oxygenated. To make sure that nothing unsavory gets into the starter I put a musting cap on the top of my Erlenmeyer flask with an air filter in place of the airlock. I currently have an oxygenation system on my wish list which would allow me to have more control of the oxygenation.
I think that about covers it. Let’s hope it turns out as good as I project it to be.

The Cellar Dweller meets Cellar Door.

Enjoyed on 9/7/2011

Brewery: Stillwater Artisanal Ales

Location: Baltimore, MD

Beer: Cellar Door

Web: http://stillwaterales.blogspot.com/

Presentation: 750 ml brown bottle, capped and foiled.

ABV: 6.6%

Hops: Sterling, Citra

Malt: German Wheat, Pale

Adjuncts: Sage

From the Bottle:

over the ages the term ’cellar door’ has numerously been referred to as the most beautiful term in the English language. upon setting out to create the first summer addition to the Stateside line up of ales; the feeling that almost instantly came to me was that of beauty & cleansing. many summer offerings tend to lack the complexity of their bigger, colder season counterparts; so my goal was to craft an ale of extreme balance with a delicate complexity that allows for contemplation while also providing quaffable refreshment. starting with a base of German wheat & pale malts this crisp slightly hazy foundation was then accented with a blend of Sterling & Citra hops providing a intricate blend of herbal grass & tangerine citrus flavors and aroma. to pull this all together and to complete the ’cleansing’ aspect of my vision i gently finished the ale off with a touch of white sage, lending a mild earthy spice character to the blend. of course let’s not forget our house saison yeast that brought all the elements together leaving a dry yet intricate finish.

Beer Advocate: A- (4.13)

Rate Beer: 97 (3.69)

Music Accompaniment:

Timperial’s Notes:

Background.

At this point I am actually becoming a little bit embarrassed.  I promise that this will by my last mention of Stillwater for a while.  I just really want to enjoy this one and share my thoughts.  It is, after all, their highest rated beer to date (that isn’t a one off).  According to the label copy, this beer is meant for contemplation and can have a cleansing effect.  I’m into that.  Also, citra in a saison?  Should be interesting…

I feel that the use of sage here is worth expanding on briefly.  Spices, in the traditional, culinary sense of the word, often seem to have a very interesting history to them.  I feel as though there should always be (and there probably, more often than not, is) a good reason for a brewer to use them.  A reason beyond simple experimentation.

Some research on sage produces the following (from www.apinchof.com):

Sage has been used as a medicinal herb far longer than it has been a culinary herb.  It was indispensable in the Dark Ages. The ancient Greeks and Romans administered sage for everything from snakebite to promoting longevity.  Sage was steeped in hot water, as for tea, before tea became known.  Introduced to American palettes in the 1800’s, medicinal usage of sage declined as the culinary use increased.

Sage is also described as being bitter, which is an obvious similarity to the most common spice of beer – hops.

Appearance.

Cellar Door looks like a bottle conditioned saison to the t.  It’s golden in color with a massive crown of white foam.  The head is impossible not to stir up on the pour and dominates the confines of the glass.  The white slowly fades to gold but with the intense effervescence, it will not fade completely. There is some mild lacing left on the glass but I didn’t expect too much sticky sweetness.  The clarity is bright and beautiful.  No points could be lost in this section.

Odor.

If this was a cartoon, I would unconsciously levitate from my bed and float through the air like I was doing the worm, following the wavy, visible fumes of this beer straight to the source.  It’s impossible not to smile when sinking your nose into the opening of the glass.  There is wheat, grass, spicy herbals, sweet citrus, pepper, earth, barnyard…all sorts of fragrant pleasures.  The complexity is confounding.

It takes some warmth for the hops to really come out.  The citras do indeed bring a tangerine like quality to the aroma, which, when paired with the sage and sweetness, brings thoughts of some sort of desert dish involving a summer-time fruit custard topped with creme fraiche and a sage leaf.  Maybe I’m walking down this visual path because of the connotations found in the commercial description, but I’m ok with that – it’s a fine path to traverse.

Flavor.

Despite the depth of elements at play in the aroma, I find the flavor to be somewhat forthright in it’s graininess.  That, however,  comes after the primordial sensations that are felt on the tongue.  I find myself slightly hesitant to call it a flavor per se but it is in fact sensed with the tongue.  It’s both sweet and sour.  There is plenty of residual sugars here and they interact with the tartness with stammering effects.  Granted, when I say tart and/or sour, you must know that it’s, when compared to a true Flemish sour, extremely mild, but it’s unmistakably tart, which is awesome.  There is also bitterness at play.  My taste buds are confused.

After some deeper assessment, the graininess I spoke of is probably mostly confined to the aftertaste.  The flavor is a bit bitey with strong carbonation stinging the mouth and acidic citrus and sour apple barraging all corners.  I find a bit of bubblegum in warmer temperatures, as well as pepper, but little booziness.  Classic saison grassiness is present and this may jumble up the mind on the topic of sage, though with an exhale through the nose, I swear I discover it more finitely.

Aftertaste.

There seems to be a definitive moment after the swallow that all that lunacy described above just washes away and barley and wheat are all that remain.  It has a grounding effect that is not lost on me.  The sage is present too, I must admit, but other than the dryness, this could be the aftertaste of something very much not beer.  Culinary indeed, but I get a sense that my breath might conjure questions on what food I ate rather than what beverage I drank.  There also seems to be a chalky, yeast flavor and slight residual effects of tangerine segments as I exhale.  Also pepper.  Maybe I just had sage chicken with freshly cracked pepper for dinner and ambrosia for desert.  Satisfying.

Summary.

This is yet another example of how the yeast of a saison is pretty much the only defining characteristic of the style.  I would never argue that this is a saison, yet it’s a pretty wild brew with a majority of the ingredients being very much non-traditional of the style.  I love this beer and it’s brewer for it.  This beer probably would never be able to exist as a single entity within the portfolio of a more rounded American brewery (for lack of a better adjective).  This beer just wouldn’t make sense coming from a brewery that isn’t saison centric.  Yet another reason why my obsession with farmhouse breweries often spins out of control.

Things get silly stateside.

Enjoyed on 8/22/2011

Brewery: Stillwater Artisanal Ales

Location: Baltimore, MD

Beer: Stateside Saison

Web: http://stillwaterales.blogspot.com/

Presentation:  750 ml brown bottle, capped and foiled.

ABV: 6.8%

Hops: N/A

Malt: N/A

Adjuncts: N/A

From the Bottle:

Stateside Saison pays homage to old world tradition while celebrating new world innovation. Naturally brewed with the finest European malts & fresh aromatic hops from the United States & New Zealand. It’s then fermented using a classic farmhouse ale yeast and bottle conditioned to enhance stability. The outcome is a beer of unique design and exquisite taste, showcasing some of the best attributes of modern-day craft brewing. (Brewed by Stillwater @ DOG Brewing Co.)

Beer Advocate: A- (4.01)

Rate Beer: 98 (3.69)

Music Accompaniment: Garden Sound – Black Summit

Timperial’s Notes:

Background.

I have an abnormal type of personality that causes me to become affixed to the aura that surrounds certain things.  Things that inspire me or that I, for some reason (often unknown to even myself) find to be interesting.  These things are very often on the peripherals of pop culture.  I don’t like liking the same stuff as ‘most’ people.  I have a desire to be different I guess.  Some may find this to be endearing.  Others, pretentious.  I am who I am.

I still think that being really into beer, in itself, is a hobby that is, if not on the peripheral, somewhat askew from the norm.  Within that hobby though, my deep enjoyment of IPAs and Imperial Stouts are by no means unique.  Possibly though, my infatuation with farmhouse breweries of America, brewers without breweries, and Scandinavian breweries just might be.  Brian Strumke, owner and brewer of Stillwater Artisanal, seems to fit into 2 of the above 3 infatuations of mine.  Thus, I may go on and on about him and his products.  Somehow, I’m not embarrassed by this overindulgence of mine.

Appearance.

It becomes very apparent the moment Stateside begins to enter the glass that it must be poured slowly.  It’s highly carbonated and foams up with the exuberance of an overzealous child at a swimming pool.  A careful pour still finds my glass half full of a pure white head with varying sized bubbles.  The translucent golden amber hue of the brew at hand is very inviting but also mysterious.  The liquid casts a thin shroud across the activity within – quickly rising bubbles of life.  The head never fully dissolves and tends to leave signs of it’s previous habitations on the glass.  It’s a sight to see.  Very Belgian indeed.

Odor.

The aromatics of this brew are unmistakably of a Belgian Saison.  That’s really beautiful actually.  Made in America.

That yeast is such a workhorse.  I sometimes think that saisons are the easiest beers in the world to make because the yeast does all the work.  Healthy yeast will inevitably yield a tasty brew.  That’s probably not true and I surely do not discredit the handy work of one Brian Strumke, but the yeast is, without a doubt, a dominating factor within this style.  Here it lends its classic earthiness, which would probably be considered a defining characteristic, one especially relevant to the world’s most quintessential saison – Saison Dupont.

Here, somewhat unlike there, many more estery notes are allowed to intermingle.  This is especially true as it warms.  May it be due to differences in the yeast strain itself, or simply higher fermentation temperatures, it brings a welcome nuance to the nose.  The earthiness is mostly of literally that; earth.  Soil.  Dirt.  Maybe even wet stone, if that has a smell.  The esters brings thoughts of sweet pear and strawberry.  Together, these notions have the means to put you right on that proverbial farmhouse.  As I have always said when referring to my beloved saisons; the style, more than any other, has the profound ability to put you in a very defined time and space.  It’s a path that I’m always open to traverse.

It’s worth noting that there is also a spiciness to the bouquet but it seems to find me on a much more visceral level than the other scents.  It’s as though I feel it in my body but don’t actually smell it.  It seems to present itself just as I’m about to take in a pull, as the liquid is closest to my nose.  It might be a correlation that I make with the style, or more likely a deja vu type of thing where my tongue tastes it but my brain tells me it came before the taste.

Flavor.

In a nutshell, the flavor is sweet, spicy, herbal, bitter, fruity and slightly tart.  It’s a whirlwind.  Somewhat ironically, speaking of nutshells, this beer tastes quite nutty.  I swear, no subliminal messages are feeding my brian.  It’s there.

Hops play a strong role here and that is fairly abnormal for a style originating in Belgium.  I guess that’s the beauty of American brewing – everything can be seen in a new light.  We have hops, they don’t (mostly), let’s use them to our advantage.  It works…well.  The piney hop notes mesh with the fruity esters to bring about a full range of characteristics typically imparted by hops alone.  There is bitterness, but the residual sweetness of the grains balances it perfectly.

There seems to be a feel to the beer that begets thoughts of wheat.  I taste some banana, and that always makes me think of hefeweizens.   I must remind myself that it’s the yeast, not so much the grain that forges that flavor, but something inside me says to stick with my guns and claim the use of wheat in the grain bill.

As the beer warms significantly, a lot of acidity comes out.  There is often a “barnyard funk” found in saisons but this is different.  It seems more lacto than brett.  Actually is seems like citric acid.  All of a sudden it’s as though this was dry-hopped with Citra and orange rind.  I’m kind of at a loss but it’s mighty pleasant.

Aftertaste.

The aftertaste might be the best part of this beer.  As I said before, the brew is very well balanced and isn’t allowed to dry out (fully…still a bit dry) like is so often the case with the style.  It’s somewhat Champagne like actually.  There is still a lot of carbonation, some fruitiness, some sweetness, some alcohol, some earthiness… it’s a celebration.  If only it had a cork to ricochet about the room.

Summary.

This beer is the flagship beer of Stillwater.  The most ‘common’ of their beers.  This is a highly uncommon beer.  One for the peripherals you might say… as is the entire existence of Stillwater.  Infatuation defined.

This week I went to a bottle shop. Yes, this is a big deal. During Christmas 2010,  I had just found out that I was pregnant. I also recieved a gift certificate to Full Throttle Bottles located in the Georgetown hood of Seattle.

That gift certificate has been posted on our refrigerator for 8 months. This was a reminder, that some day, I will have my pick of bottles to drink or age.

Since I am a mere two weeks away from my due date, I decided I was going to cash in this certificate to get ready for life after pregnancy. I wanted to share with the world my choices and why I made them.

Stone/Iishi/Baird’s Green Tea IPA: First this beer was brewed to provide relief to the disaster in Japan. Second, this beer includes many hops: American Warrior, Crystal hops and a New Zealand Pacifica hops for the flavoring addition. On to the first dry-hop addition which featured those same flavoring hops plus a brand spankin’ new hop variety from the Alsace region of France called Aramis. The second dry-hop addition features Sorachi Ace hops, which were originally developed in Japan. This beer is finished off with Sencha tea.

Reasoning: Hops, innovation, good cause, collaboration.

Great Divide Belgium Style Yeti: Chocolate Yeti, Espresso Yeti-yes and yes! Two amazing stouts. So you can only imagine my intrigue when seeing a Belgium Style Yeti. This Imperial Stout is limited/seasonal (only brewed onceonce a year). Great Divide describes their beer below:

Belgian Style Yeti is a delicious new blend of brewing traditions–all the malt-driven roastiness of our Yeti Imperial Stout with characteristic spice and fruit notes imparted by our special Belgian yeast strain.

Reasoning: I am interested to taste the roastyness of the stout with the funky flavor of a Belgium yeast. Also, my love for all things Yeti.

Stone Brewing Co. Russian Imperial Stout with Belgo Anise: I’m sure most of you have heard of Stone’s Russian Imperial Stout. I had this beer on tap last year and it blew my mind. Add some Anise and “BAM”:

This 2011 Odd Year release pours pitch black with a deep tan head, with aromatic notes of anise, coffee, and cocoa jumping from the glass. Coffee and dark roasted malt flavors dominate, with a robust complement of anise and oak, which leave a lingering blend of vanilla, licorice, and dark malt on the palate. This one will age nicely for several years

Reasoning: As mentioned above, the Russian Imperial Stout is one of my favorite Imperial Stouts. Also, I went for aging qualities and complexity with this one.

 Boulevard Smokestack Series Collaboration No. 2 White IPA: The second collaborative beer on the list is between Boulevard Brewing Co. and Deshutes Brewing. This beer will combine the best of these two breweries: the expertise of Boulevard’s Belgium Wit beers and Deshutes’ knowledge of how to make a damn good and hoppy IPA. A description from Boulevard’s website reveals all:

One of the most unique characteristics of Collaboration #2 is its aroma. Sage and lemongrass were added to the vessels post-fermentation, as well as three varieties of hops, all of which contribute solely to aromatics. The Belgian-style yeast strain adds hints of bubblegum and clove. The other main feature that should be specifically pointed out to consumers is the beer’s lingering hang. It is no more bitter than Single-Wide I.P.A., but something about the combination of herbs and hops creates an almost spicy, peppery quality in the finish.

 Reasoning: First and foremost, the two breweries involved. I want to know more about Boulevard and I already adore Deshutes’ special rotation beers. I presume this will be no exception.

Stillwater Cellar Door: I am intrigued. I have never had a beer from Stillwater but have heard only good things. Below is a description from Stillwater’s website:

Starting with a base of German wheat & pale malts this crisp slightly hazy foundation was then accented with a blend of Sterling & Citra hops providing a intricate blend of herbal grass & tangerine citrus flavors and aroma. to pull this all together and to complete the ‘cleansing’ aspect of my vision i gently finished the ale off with a touch of white sage, lending a mild earthy spice character to the blend. of course let’s not forget our house saison yeast that brought all the elements together leaving a dry yet intricate finish.

Reasoning: pure intrigue, awesome bottle/labeling, love me a farmhouse ale.

So, we have two innovative IPAs, two Imperial Stouts with a twist, two collaborations and a Farmhouse Ale. Cant wait…

Soon, I will unveil to the world my experience with my first beer after 9 months. Cheers!

Simply Beautiful

It has been a while since I wrote a visual art article.  Catch up by reading part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4.

One of my good friends, Todd Gillman (New Belgium Brewing), called me out the other day on Facebook for being “all about that Stillwater business”. This came after several photos were posted and rantings were issued about my deep enjoyment of their products.  It’s true – I’m in lust with him.  I figured I might as well go full board and get it out of my system.

The “him” that I’m in lust with is Brian Strumke, the gypsy owner and brewer of Stillwater Artisanal.  I love what he does.  I love the concept of a brewer without a brewery a la the crazy Dane gypsy Mikkel Borg Bjergsø of Mikkeller Brewing.  I also love the idea of a farmhouse brewery in America.  Of course, I just finished saying that Stillwater is brewery-less but they do make farmhouse ales exclusively, or likely more appropriately, saisons.  For more info on other American farmhouse breweries, check out this excellent read on draftmag.com.

It’s no secret that I love saisons.  If you share my enjoyment of the style I strongly urge you to seek out some of their ales.  They are all very unique and delicious.   One description of their product that I recently read that I thought was very apropos was from an interview with Brian by Beerspotter.  It read “…something that might surprise people is that your beers are actually pretty restrained and nuanced, despite how wild they sound on paper.”  Remember, saisons are soft and subtle, like a fine tea.  Approach them accordingly.

Ok, I’ve gushed enough about the stuff within the bottle, now it’s time to discuss the bottle’s beautifully adorned exteriors.  All of Stillwater’s labels are designed by a Baltimore Area (Stillwater is Baltimore based) tattoo artist by the name of Lee Verzosa.  Lee and Brian more-less grew up together.  Lee has formal training in graphic design, which is quite clear, and has paid his dues to become one of the elite tattoo artists in MD.  I sure as hell would let him ink my body.  Seriously, when are we going to Baltimore?

For more great label designs, head over to the official Stillwater blog and click on the my works (beers) link at the top.

This is my absolute favorite. Metal!

While we are talking art and beer and where they meet (to paraphrase the tag line of the following site), my researching for this article allowed me to discover a fantastic site that is completely dedicated to this sort of content.  Since I’m all about giving credit where it’s due, please check out The Pour Curator.