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Brewing summertime saisons and wits, make your own soda pop, crafting cream ale, and build a fermenter from a keg.
The inspiration for this beer was a play on De Baets’ remarks that traditional saisons were low gravity and heavily hopped. When it was still brewed with the Rodenbach strain, De Ranke’s XX Bitter was a rough approximation of a traditional saison, but with its cleaner character today you’ll have to brew your own for a taste of history. This recipe makes for a refreshing summer beer with the gravity dialed down and aromatics pushed to the fore.
When crafting a witbier, avoid overdoing any one aspect of it. Don’t go crazy with the spices. Keep the hopping level restrained. Don’t let fermentation temperatures rise too high. Don’t sour the beer excessively. Your beer should be flavorful, but all the flavors should be balanced.
Many American brewers are embracing a style of beer that is fast becoming a relic in its native country — saison. This farmhouse ale can be interpreted in many ways, almost like a blank canvas for the brewer. Get seasoned saison advice from pro brewers.
Saisons are traditionally a warm weather drink, but a few of us have a tradition of getting together each fall to brew a strong, dark, spiced saison. Each year’s version has a different dried fruit and dark malt. The blend of spices along with the earthiness of the Brettanomyces and buckwheat honey make for an almost savory beer. Brett C is a good complement to the Dupont strain because it helps to dry out the beer.
his is the recipe for McKenzie’s Brew House’s multi-gold-medal-winning rye saison from head brewer Ryan Michaels. It’s a good example of how a very simple recipe can result in a beer of extraordinary complexity. The clean version has a wonderful rustic character from the rye and yeast, while the barrel-aged version adds some tartness and funk.
The winners of our 2011 Label Contest — their beauty is in the eyes of the beer holder.
The Wiz dives right into a question on water treatment and discusses lager conditioning.
The dreaded diacetyl. What it is, where it comes from … and is it really always bad?
