Ok, 2 questions.
A) The easy one-- what kind of beer should I brew next? I do mostly extract-- can’t do full grain in my situation. Have done a couple of IPA/ ESB style things most recently which seems safe but I want to try something different (oh, my, a bit of isinglass makes such a difference, btw. And I’ve solved my sanitation issues). Thinking about an Abbey style-- any warnings? Suggestions? Any good Duvel or Piraat clones out there?
Is there any variety/recipe that would make me think “Saison” but would use ale yeast/ not lager temperature?
B) I’m thinking about trying a batch of wine, from a kit. Never done wine. It’s apparently much more popular a hobby up here in Vancouver than beer brewing is, so while buying bottlecaps yesterday at my not-usual shop (it’s crazy-- dozens and dozens of winemaking shops, and ONE beer brewing shop in this large city) almost got converted by the wine zealots. Any thoughts/experience? Kits to avoid/ recommend? Varieties? Any way to shoot for something very dry or spicy rather than sweet? Do I need any special (non-beer) apparatus?
Since some of your preferences sound kinda French to me and I don’t know what they are, I’ll just recommend a partial grain Smithwicks clone. Mine never come out tasting anything like Smithwicks, but they’ve always been good.
I also like a wit this time of year, and since it can get so much flavor from spices I’ve found you can get away with all-extract.
Saison yeast ferments at quite high temperatures. It’s a summer brew, and the yeast works well at temperatures well into the 80s. It is the beer style known above all others for fermenting at very high temperatures, so it’s as far from a lager as you can get. I brewed a saison two weeks ago using Wyeast’s Saison yeast that I’ll be bottling tomorrow. Using a liquid saison yeast is crucial for developing those spicy saison-ish flavors.
Really? For some reason I thought saison wanted to be cool. Realizing that since I’m moving in a couple of months to far away places I probably shouldn’t start a trippel or wine batch. Silenus-- I’ll keep that on the board for September.
Hmm. Ok, so wit and saison suggestions? (would a wit take much time to get decent in the bottle?) Thanks for the ideas.
You’d think so, wouldn’t you? But in checking my brewbook, the only time I’ve ever used those ingredients was in a spiced ale. I wonder why I never tossed them into a Belgian?
I have mixed feelings about tossing in spices into a Saison. Shouldn’t the strange Belgian yeasts give some spice anyway? I think I’ve heard the Sasion Dupont, for example, doesn’t add any spices.
Just ran into a Belgian-fetishist brewing site and feel inadequate now. The craziness they’ve gone through to try to make old bruins. . .
Actually, it placed as a 16E - Belgian Specialty beer, specifically a Belgian Golden Ale. I don’t remember what my inspiration was for this one, exactly. I think I was just playing around with stuff I had on-hand.
