Vital Statistics:
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Recipe: 6 lb 5 oz wheat malt 4 lb 2-row pale malt 6 oz Crystal 60° 20 AAU (39g @ 14.5% AA) Columbus @ 60 10 AAU (50g @ 5.6% AA) Challenger @ 30 10 AAU (25g @ 11% AA) Galena @ 20 10 AAU (19g @ 14.5% AA) Columbus @ 10 15 AAU (39g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 5 11.2 AAU (56g @ 5.6% AA) Challenger @ 0 (dry-hop) Wyeast 3711 - French Saison | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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General Notes: Dry hops added 7 days into fermentation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Tasting Notes: Tasting notes taken 3 July 2012, 48 days after kegging. Poured from tap into a tulip. Appearance: medium orange hue with a light haze and a lazy effervescence. Head poured about two thick fingers of creamy ivory head which leaves a thin but thorough layer of foam on the glass. I can't really call it lace -- it's just straight-up clingy foam. I like it. (4) Smell: plenty of heady funk from the French saison yeast, but its dank earthiness combines with the fresh, citrusy hop character to make a pretty refreshing-smelling brew. Aroma hops are perhaps a bit delicate for the unsubtlety of the yeast character, but overall it's not too poorly balanced. (4) Taste: slightly sour up front with a fair amount of the yeast funk. Bitterness pervades the entire experience from front to back, with plenty at the end -- although there is competition for that bitterness with the lingering funk of the yeast. Hops are more earthy and piney than citrusy in the flavor; that's probably that Galena and Columbus. It's an interesting beer, maybe not for everyone, but I rather like it. (4) Mouthfeel: lightish body but a good, well-integrated carbonation which yields a good creaminess. It's had seven weeks to condition at this point, and it is spot-on for carbnonation. Quite good. (4) Drinkability: a drinkable refresher; despite its robust and bizarre flavors, it is not overwhelming on the palate. If anything, it sort of leaves me wanting more. Next time I do a hoppy saison, I'll focus more on the citrus aspect (Citras, maybe), and maybe even spice it up with something else (a hoppy ginger saison? fascinating!). (4) Overall score 4.0 (B+). This is a pretty steady beer across the board, and relatively well-received among my guests. I'm sure I've got more saisons in my future. Perhaps even something at a sessionable 4% next time? Hmm. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hops Table
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