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The Beer Home Brewers Thread

#65
spade2you said:
Saisons are excellent beers to brew around the mid to late spring, even during the summer. Wyeast's Belgian Saison yeast tolerates mid 70's and can handle low 80's. The upper end of the 70's can make for some wonderfully funky saison flavors, spicy, fruity, and dry.
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Probably the most crisp and refreshing beer I've ever brewed was a saison that I let sit for about 8 months. I didn't like it one bit after it was "ready" (about two months). But after some time it mellowed and came out wonderful.


Joe
 
#67
JoeDaddio said:
Probably the most crisp and refreshing beer I've ever brewed was a saison that I let sit for about 8 months. I didn't like it one bit after it was "ready" (about two months). But after some time it mellowed and came out wonderful.


Joe
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Mine is about 2 years old. It tasted alright from the start. It seems to have gotten dryer over time. I had a few green test bottles that had some brief light exposure and it seemed to add the right amount of funk to a saison. Next time I brew one, I plan on using a lot of green bottles.

Perhaps my best beer, an old ale, tasted fairly bland for about 4-5 months and I regret drinking about 18 of them entirely too early. Eight months to a year later it blossomed into an amazing beer. I probably have 10 left, so they'll all be on a special ocasion and served on a cold day.
 
#68
Asa Samuel said:
I don't know if I'll be able to do that! I know leaving it longer will make it a ton better but I've been waiting long enough just to bloody make the stuff!

Going out to get the ingredients in an hour or so, can't wait! :hyper:
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it IS difficult, but worth it, you can't just forget about it though, you have to take out all the lees so that it clarifies and tastes "clean" when it's done. You could just leave the lees in there, and they'll sink to the bottom, but the longer they spend in your mead the more they affect flavour. There are plenty of good beginner's recipes that aren't too hard to make a gallon of, most of which aren't even supposed to have the lees removed from it until you're ready to bottle/drink it.
 
#69
Asa Samuel said:
I don't know if I'll be able to do that! I know leaving it longer will make it a ton better but I've been waiting long enough just to bloody make the stuff!

Going out to get the ingredients in an hour or so, can't wait! :hyper:
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You can try Joe's Ancient Orange: Invalid Link Removed

I've never made it but it's supposed to be good and ready much more quickly than usual. You also won't have to worry about racking at all.


joe
 
#70
spade2you said:
Mine is about 2 years old. It tasted alright from the start. It seems to have gotten dryer over time. I had a few green test bottles that had some brief light exposure and it seemed to add the right amount of funk to a saison. Next time I brew one, I plan on using a lot of green bottles.

Perhaps my best beer, an old ale, tasted fairly bland for about 4-5 months and I regret drinking about 18 of them entirely too early. Eight months to a year later it blossomed into an amazing beer. I probably have 10 left, so they'll all be on a special ocasion and served on a cold day.
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Unfortunately by the time the beer was at it's best I had only *one* bottle left. I was regretting giving a lot of it away when it was still too young :bawl:


joe
 
#71
JoeDaddio said:
Unfortunately by the time the beer was at it's best I had only *one* bottle left. I was regretting giving a lot of it away when it was still too young :bawl:


joe
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I got lucky. I gave away just one 6er. Since it wasn't that good off the bat, I simply ignored it after drinking about a 18 or so. Maybe 8 months later, it was suddenly really good. Four bottles went to judging at BJCP events where it did quite well.

I hope to make another batch of it this fall and not touch it at all for a year or two. Currently, it's reserved for ONLY special occasions. The high gravity and warming sensation make it one of my favorite cold weather beers of all time. I also have a case of a nice Russian imperial stout and a smoked porter for next fall/winter. :hyper:
 
#72
spade2you said:
I got lucky. I gave away just one 6er. Since it wasn't that good off the bat, I simply ignored it after drinking about a 18 or so. Maybe 8 months later, it was suddenly really good. Four bottles went to judging at BJCP events where it did quite well.

I hope to make another batch of it this fall and not touch it at all for a year or two. Currently, it's reserved for ONLY special occasions. The high gravity and warming sensation make it one of my favorite cold weather beers of all time. I also have a case of a nice Russian imperial stout and a smoked porter for next fall/winter. :hyper:
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What did it finish at? I think mine was around 8% but it tasted light and fresh, a little citrusy and peppery, but no real alcohol taste at all. It was a great beer to have on a warm day.

I'm holding out on my wee heavy till next next winter (it'll be about 19 months old by then). It should be around 11-11.5%. If it's not ready then, it'll be another year. Probably going to stash a case away in the closet and hope to forget about it for another year or two as well.


joe
 
#73
JoeDaddio said:
What did it finish at? I think mine was around 8% but it tasted light and fresh, a little citrusy and peppery, but no real alcohol taste at all. It was a great beer to have on a warm day.

I'm holding out on my wee heavy till next next winter (it'll be about 19 months old by then). It should be around 11-11.5%. If it's not ready then, it'll be another year. Probably going to stash a case away in the closet and hope to forget about it for another year or two as well.


joe
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My notes are at home. I think my old ale was about 8.5-9% ABV. I used torified wheat as my specialty grains and Wyeast 1968 London Ale and these are the dominant flavors. The best I can describe it in words is lighter and smoother than a barley wine. Hop balance is good and the malts are complex, but not in your face. Very malty and slightly fruity nose. Very nice warming sensation, which is why I drink it during the colder months.

I've never made a wee heavy, but I have the stuff to make it. It's on the agenda for late fall, along with a strpmg Belgian golden, dark mild, and replicating my old ale.
 
#74
JoeDaddio said:
You can try Joe's Ancient Orange: Invalid Link Removed

I've never made it but it's supposed to be good and ready much more quickly than usual. You also won't have to worry about racking at all.


joe
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My method and recipe was very very similar! I've made 5 litres and I used 1.7kg of honey, 22 (count em ;)) sultanas as I couldn't find raisins in the store, an orange, a teaspoon of nutmeg and a teaspoon of allspice. I did use wine yeast though as I'd picked it up a few weeks ago. I didn't bother rehydrating it either and the balloon I'm using as an airlock inflated after an hour or so - its alive!

Here's a picture just after I'd finished shaking the damn thing for five minutes!

Link Removed
 
#75
Asa Samuel said:
My method and recipe was very very similar! I've made 5 litres and I used 1.7kg of honey, 22 (count em ;)) sultanas as I couldn't find raisins in the store, an orange, a teaspoon of nutmeg and a teaspoon of allspice. I did use wine yeast though as I'd picked it up a few weeks ago. I didn't bother rehydrating it either and the balloon I'm using as an airlock inflated after an hour or so - its alive!

Here's a picture just after I'd finished shaking the damn thing for five minutes!
Click to expand...


Awesome! Let us know how it turns out!


Joe
 

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