Saison Noire
(5 gallons)
5/4/2008
10.0 lbs Belgian Pilsner
0.5 lbs CaraFa II
1 t gypsum
20.8 SRM
2 oz Liberty (60 min)
1 oz Willamette (15 min)
0.5 oz Willamette (2 min)
46.2 IBU
Yeast: WLP570 Belgian Golden with starter
Infusion mash 150 degrees for 90 minutes
1.055 OG on 5/4
1.015 secondary on 5/10
1.008 keg on 6/9
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Raftman
Rating: 2
Unibroue
Chambly, Quebec, Canada
Style:
ABV: 5.5%
341 ml bottle
One of the beers we brought back from the great Gaspe road trip of 2008, though I think you can get this in the states. Orange color with plenty of tiny bubbles. Lighter in alchohol and body than many other Unibroue beers that I've had. Light smokey taste, but I'd have a hard time saying this is whiskey inspired.
Very drinkable for a Unibroue, but still has that distinct taste.
Unibroue
Chambly, Quebec, Canada
Style:
ABV: 5.5%
341 ml bottle
One of the beers we brought back from the great Gaspe road trip of 2008, though I think you can get this in the states. Orange color with plenty of tiny bubbles. Lighter in alchohol and body than many other Unibroue beers that I've had. Light smokey taste, but I'd have a hard time saying this is whiskey inspired.
Very drinkable for a Unibroue, but still has that distinct taste.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Dunkelweizen v2
Dunkelweizen v2
(5 gallon)
1/4 lb 2-row malt, toasted in pan
1/2 lb chocolate malt
7 lb dry wheat malt extract
3/4 oz Crystal 3.8% (60m min)
1/4 oz Saaz 3.2% (10 min)
WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale Yeast
60 min boil
Pitched 4/5/08, SG 1.060
Secondary 4/16/08, SG 1.022
Tasted pretty darn good when I drank the sample used to determine the specific gravity when I was moving the beer to the secondary!
(5 gallon)
1/4 lb 2-row malt, toasted in pan
1/2 lb chocolate malt
7 lb dry wheat malt extract
3/4 oz Crystal 3.8% (60m min)
1/4 oz Saaz 3.2% (10 min)
WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale Yeast
60 min boil
Pitched 4/5/08, SG 1.060
Secondary 4/16/08, SG 1.022
Tasted pretty darn good when I drank the sample used to determine the specific gravity when I was moving the beer to the secondary!
Friday, February 22, 2008
Sixpoint Craft Ales
Sixpoint Craft Ales are a pretty new brewery located in Brooklyn, with their first beers rolling off the production line in 2005. They shipped some beers to Massachusetts but for production reasons they apparently weren't able to keep up with demand, and we caught the beers on their comeback launch tour.
Shane Welch, the brewmaster/co-head honcho, was at Cambridge Common when we visited to try out the five different Six Point beers they had on tap. It's always fun to try so many beers from one brewery, to get a sense of what they are about. We especially liked their Bengali Tiger IPA (it's nice to get an IPA that isn't just hops), and their Sweet Action, an American Blonde style, with hints of honey. They have a wide variety of other styles, too, and Shane seemed to imply that they would continue to produce an unusually large number of different beers compared to other craft brewers.
It was fun to get to chat to the brewmaster for the beers we were drinking. He was eager to share his enthusiasm for beer, giving us an account of his beer background and his plans for the future, as well as the intrigue of the craft brewing industry! He got his start as a brewer while in college, getting into homebrew in a big way, and hosting big parties at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. That was only his first step, though, and he dropped out and pursued his own beer education and eventually landed up in Brooklyn with the keys to his own place. It sounds as though they are in the midst of a big expansion and we're hoping that their beers will be more reliably available in Massachusetts henceforth.
Shane Welch, the brewmaster/co-head honcho, was at Cambridge Common when we visited to try out the five different Six Point beers they had on tap. It's always fun to try so many beers from one brewery, to get a sense of what they are about. We especially liked their Bengali Tiger IPA (it's nice to get an IPA that isn't just hops), and their Sweet Action, an American Blonde style, with hints of honey. They have a wide variety of other styles, too, and Shane seemed to imply that they would continue to produce an unusually large number of different beers compared to other craft brewers.
It was fun to get to chat to the brewmaster for the beers we were drinking. He was eager to share his enthusiasm for beer, giving us an account of his beer background and his plans for the future, as well as the intrigue of the craft brewing industry! He got his start as a brewer while in college, getting into homebrew in a big way, and hosting big parties at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. That was only his first step, though, and he dropped out and pursued his own beer education and eventually landed up in Brooklyn with the keys to his own place. It sounds as though they are in the midst of a big expansion and we're hoping that their beers will be more reliably available in Massachusetts henceforth.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Deep Ellum
When nearby Deep Ellum appeared on a Beer Advocate list of the best bars in the US, we figured we had to find out what the fuss was about. That said, we're a little wary of the Beer Advocate lists, which sometimes throw up such unpredictable places we wonder if some loyal drinkers have acquired carpal tunnel syndrome in trying to ensure their favourite place comes out top. The top choice in 2006, the Moan and Dove, doesn't even appear on the 2008 list!
However, wariness proved to be unnecessary, for Deep Ellum is a genuinely enjoyable spot, with a short but very solid food menu, and a really excellent selection of drafts. It's always fun to get to a new place and discover a couple of rounds' worth of unfamiliar beers, even more so when the staff are so friendly and helpful. We were impressed by the staff's beer knowledge and enthusiasm, and their quick responses to questions about the seasonal botles that were in stock. They usually have around 20 beers on tap, with a nice range available (we still remember the otherwise excellent beer bar that had at least a dozen hop monsters on tap one evening, and virtually nothing else!). The bottle menu is pretty solid, too, especially when it comes to Belgian selections: you certainly don't see Brugse Zot, Bink, or De Dolle Brouwers everywhere, even in specialist bars.
The food is generally very good, too. The cheese plates are a great way to start, and generally have unusual accompaniments.
However, wariness proved to be unnecessary, for Deep Ellum is a genuinely enjoyable spot, with a short but very solid food menu, and a really excellent selection of drafts. It's always fun to get to a new place and discover a couple of rounds' worth of unfamiliar beers, even more so when the staff are so friendly and helpful. We were impressed by the staff's beer knowledge and enthusiasm, and their quick responses to questions about the seasonal botles that were in stock. They usually have around 20 beers on tap, with a nice range available (we still remember the otherwise excellent beer bar that had at least a dozen hop monsters on tap one evening, and virtually nothing else!). The bottle menu is pretty solid, too, especially when it comes to Belgian selections: you certainly don't see Brugse Zot, Bink, or De Dolle Brouwers everywhere, even in specialist bars.
The food is generally very good, too. The cheese plates are a great way to start, and generally have unusual accompaniments.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Judgment Day
Rating: 2Lost Abbey/Port Brewing Company
Cooperstown, NY
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
ABV: 10.5%
750 ml
Pours withe almost no head (despite my attempts to generate something more vigorous), a deep brown colour, almost completely opaque. The nose is rich and fruity, with raisin the uppermost scent, along with a sweet maltiness. The taste is rich with raisiny flavours, too, with other dried fruit tastes mixed in, especially prunes, as well as caramel maltiness. It's a nice, sippable beer, but it might be enlivened by some more carbonation.
Go Pats!
Gareth's Saison v2
Saison v2 (Saison Dupont clone)
(5 gallon)
.5 lb Vienna malt
5.75 lbs Munton's extra light dry malt extract
1 lb wheat dry malt extract
1 lb Belgian light candi sugar
1.25 oz Willamette 5.8% (60 min)
.5 oz Liberty 4.0% (15 min)
.5 oz dried orange peel (Penzey's)
.25 oz Liberty 4.0% (5 min)
60 min boil
yeast: WLP 565 Saison 1
Pitched 2/3/08, SG 1.060
Secondary 2/16/08, SG 1.024
Kegged 2/25/08, SG 1/024
(5 gallon)
.5 lb Vienna malt
5.75 lbs Munton's extra light dry malt extract
1 lb wheat dry malt extract
1 lb Belgian light candi sugar
1.25 oz Willamette 5.8% (60 min)
.5 oz Liberty 4.0% (15 min)
.5 oz dried orange peel (Penzey's)
.25 oz Liberty 4.0% (5 min)
60 min boil
yeast: WLP 565 Saison 1
Pitched 2/3/08, SG 1.060
Secondary 2/16/08, SG 1.024
Kegged 2/25/08, SG 1/024
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