Saison update

Still fermenting............down to 1.018ish. Hard to read cause there is still some krausen on top. Still bubbling and it smells good.

Redemption Beer

Well, I never thought it could happen to me.................but two tries to sparge an overnight sour mashed beers (with flaked maize) were totally and completely stuck solid: looked like glue, unbelieveably frustrating and it made me very determined to brew again. So with the beautiful American Wheat #1010 ready, I brewed this one yesterday. A copper colored American wheat: UK pale, US white wheat, and cara-wheat. I used some leftover No. Brewer, Cascade, Simcoe and Columbus, in that order. Didn't bother to calculate the IBU's. But, thankfully, a smooth mash and an easy sparge. Probably helped by spending an hour with a toothpick to poke out the goo from the holes in my false bottom. But this is the next morning and the yeast is really going crazy. It's the kind of floculation that can keep a brewster entertained for..............minutes at a time. Like little meteors hurtling through space. Tried to post a movie but it's not as bright as the picture. And Blogger, despite it's claims that we can post video, tried and failed three times to do so.

But, we will return after Labor Day, for another sour beer. Maybe a smaller sour mash and/or souring the wort overnight. We'll have to think about this (we, as in me and my brew buddy T.H., not just me speaking royally).

Tis the Saison..................

After a very long brewing hiatus, I'm back. Just bottled and kegged the last of the lagers: schwartzbier, vienna and a pils. It's hot out and according to Wyeast, here's a yeast that can take it: Saison. I'm having a little nosh here, Saison Dupont and a Vermont camenbert style cheese. And the wort is chilling as I write. I went with a 60/40 blend of Belgian pilsner and Vienna malt for a base. Some acidulated malt and white wheat from Briess. 1/2 lb. of cara-red. I think I nailed the orange color pretty well. This Dupont is a little more golden/orange than I think mine will be. I hopped it with all East Kent Goldings. 4 ounces got me to 42 IBU's. Starting gravity should be about 1.063. I had a pound of light candi to throw in, but the gravity is high enough. I mashed @ 149/150 so I hope this ferments down nice and low.

It feels good to be brewing again....even though it's a hot day. And I'm planning the next brew. It's going to be a repeat of a 10 gallon partial mash Flanders red ale. We'll do a sour mash all night and hopefully get it good and sour. The last time I did this, about 3 years ago (maybe longer?????) it came out great. We added peach influences to one batch and blackberry to the other. We are still playing around with ideas for this one.