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Post by Stephen on Dec 15, 2019 20:59:48 GMT -5
Blue Christmas
by Stephen Saison with Blue Plums 7.8% 10 IBU 25 SRM
48.9% 2 Row 13.7% Wheat Malt 13.7% Munich I 4.6% Rye Malt 3.8% Golden Naked Oats 2.5% Midnight Wheat 1.9% Carawheat 1.3% Special B 1% Melanoidin 0.9% Crystal Dark 0.9% Chocolate Rye 0.4% Crystal DRC
Magnum
Escarpment Labs Old World Saison
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Post by Alex Bullock on Dec 20, 2019 20:11:32 GMT -5
Hey Steve I had to taste this beer before running out the door but it was very tasty! For such a dark beer it didn't have much roast/chocolate that I could find. Had a nice spicy/ginger/pepper character and rounded fruit character. The plum was there but melded well with the esters and the fruit character from the caramel/dark malts. The head definitely took on some colour from the plums. It was nice and dry but had the impression of sweetness a bit. Mine was a little low on carbonation as well, lower than I'd expect for a Saison. Would be an interesting beer to try and brew myself!
I did get a bit of funk at first, although maybe it was just perceived because I knew it was your beer lol. It wasn't sour or terribly funky, just got a little something in the aroma
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Post by Christy on Dec 20, 2019 20:37:19 GMT -5
Glad I wasn't the only one that thrown off by the colour! Given that visual cue, I was expecting dark flavours (I know, shouldn't judge by appearances). Once I got over that (lol), it was really good. I get that slightly tart inside-of-the-plum-skin aroma, and it carries through to the flavour. The light body, crisp, slightly tart and fruity flavour with a background of saison-y goodness all work very well together. Not sweet but not too dry either. The ruby red colour is gorgeous. I fancy that after the swallow is done, I'm getting the slightest hint of something dark (smokey chocolate or something like that)...but it could all be in my imagination! Nicely done, Stephen, I'm very much enjoying it!!
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Post by Stephen on Dec 21, 2019 21:09:19 GMT -5
Am I ever glad this one worked out! Lol. I had bought the plums and kept getting busy so by the time I pitted and froze them (just a few days before racking into them) they were SUPER ripe. That said I believe that’s where a lot of the intense plum and what I seem to think is a red wine character. Either way I think my lack of diligence actually helped. As far as the other notes, the goal was to make it dark but not bitter or roasty (neither work well with saison yeast). That’s where the midnight wheat came in. This was actually the same batch as the pumpkin ale I did and when I split for the boil I steeped the Midnight Wheat, Special B, Crystal Dark, Chocolate Rye, and the Double Roasted Crystal. The Special B, Crystal Dark and DRC would all have augmented the dark fruit character as well. I do also get a hair of chocolate in the finish. There was no deliberate funk but the plums were not truly sanitized so there may have been some funk on the skins that helped out. As far as Alex’s low carbonation then I owe you another bottle. It was carbed really high so it must have had a leaky seal on the cap. Sorry about that! Anyway, like I said, glad this one didn’t turn out poorly and glad you enjoyed.
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Peter
Junior Member
Posts: 52
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Post by Peter on Dec 22, 2019 20:52:14 GMT -5
Hi Stephen..sorry for the delayed response but had a family Christmas. Your beer was shared 3 ways and we all also noted a missing malty/roasted flavour that we were expecting. Proves the point that we eat and drink with our eyes I guess. Spicyness and a bit of funkiness was noted. Some suggested the plum was more like plum skins i.e. a bit of astringency. Overall to me, and that's not saying much, a good Saison.
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