MannyEdwards
Well-Known Member
Skipjack Saison Batch #1
Track this project and see the recipe here.
Probably what I like best about the Saison beer style is the .
I stared at that sentence for a good ten minutes, trying to finish it. I went to the Keezer, got a small glass of my Saison about 3 ounces and studied it, trying to figure out what I liked about it. Thats the problem with an untrained palate; you cant adequately describe what youre experiencing.
In fact, you cant even adequately apprehend the experience. Mortimer Adler explained that language is the means by which we apprehend concepts. That is, language is the means by which I think, or experience, and with language I handle the thought in a way that results in some sort of understanding sufficient that I can articulate it.
This is why it is impossible to translate things exactly from one language to another. There are expressions in French that just dont exist in English. For instance, the French expression jen ai ras-le-bol just does not translate precisely in English. I can sort of describe the literal meaning I have a bowl full. I can give you some approximations Im sick of it, Im fed up, enough is enough.
But theyre all just approximations. Because Im bilingual, I can tell you that the French-speaker who says jen ai ras-le-bol is expressing an emotion that no English speaker ever expresses. The English-speaker (or German, or Spanish, or Italian) literally cannot understand the concept, because he doesnt know the language. Sure, he might be fed up, or sick of it, but he does not know what it feels like den avoir ras-le-bol.
See, I cant even say what it feels like to have ras-le-bol, because jen ai itself does not mean, precisely, I have.
This all brings us to a truly astounding conclusion if you dont have the language to articulate a thought or emotion, you literally cannot experience it.
Many languages dont have any word for the color blue, and the people who speak those languages do not perceive the color blue. If you ask them the color of the sky on a clear day, theyll say bright or something similar, and theyll use the same word to describe blond hair and other things that are fair or bright. Do a search for no word for blue.
But enough of this. By now you all probably en avez ras-le-bol and dont even know it. (If you are interested, do a search for these other very interesting, untranslatable French words: Dépaysement, retrouvailles, and salaud. If youre a Brit, youll have a better handle on salaud, which youll usually translate as bugger).
The point is, its not really my palate thats deficient; its my language. I dont have the language to adequately discuss and describe a beers aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel, or even to give my overall impression.
I need to find a certified beer judge or an experienced beer competitor in my area (middle Tennessee) and become his best friend. We need to drink beer and talk about it, so I can learn the language. Send me a message if youre interested. Im totally serious.
All that said (and I know its a long caveat), I will do my best, so lets try again.
Now, About That Belgian Saison
Im trying to describe what I like best about Belgian Saison beer, and for that, I have to go back a couple of decades, when I visited Belgium. Because, you see, my attraction to Saison is very much nostalgic.
My father lived in Belgium years ago, and I visited, and brother, we had a good time. We ate fries cooked in beef fat at a frites stand. I bought some Belgian lace in Brugges, of course. I stood in the Grand-Place surrounded by the medieval trade guilds for a half hour, just blown away at the phenomenal wealth on display. Some of those buildings are literally gilded. Imagine yourself surrounded by buildings made of gold. Think about it.
Late that same day, Dad took me to a Delhaize store, which is an international grocery chain operating in the USA as Food Lion. There was an entire aisle, the length of the store, stocked top to bottom and all the way down the aisle with beer in individual bottles, priced individually for sampling. I wanted to try every one of them.
Saison was one of the ones we selected. I have no idea which one, but I recall how much Dad enjoyed it, and I sucked it down while he extolled its virtues.
And he talked about its history, too, which I found interesting. It was originally a session beer low ABV, crisp, dry, and refreshing. Seasonal agricultural and construction workers drank it throughout the day in lieu of water, and the low ABV was intended to keep them safely working. Nowadays its hard to find one at session strength, and the style ranges from 5% to 9.5% (although BJCP guidelines suggest an upper limit of 7%).
These pairings are right on, brother. My wife's crusty bread rolls, some Kerrygold butter, a few slices of my own Bresaola, a few olives, and some oiled, salted, roasted okra.
Skipjack Saison is in development. My boys and I want to develop our own signature Saison, eventually, but if we fail for the rest of our lives, we can always come back to this terrific kit from Northern Brewer called Synchronicity Extraordinaire Wheaten Saison. I highly recommend it. If I owned Northern Brewer, I'd have this in my inventory.
This is my favorite beer Ive brewed. [Since this was written I have brewed a new favorite -- a mind-blowing Mango IPA using nothing but hops for the fruity aroma. I'm drinking one right now]. If you do nothing more than buy this kit and make it the same way we did, youll be pleased; they did a stellar job developing this. There are a few things Id like to tinker with, of course, but not because theres anything wrong with the kit. Its just because I want to have some fun with it.
I mentioned in the video that I was confused about the very high attenuation in this beer, but its characteristic of the Danstar Belle Saison yeast, and saison yeasts in general. Still, my software predicted a FG of 1.010; actual FG was 1.004. Im still researching this.
I've also been researching the beer jargon, so I'm going to give it a shot here with my tasting notes.
Aroma
Mildly funky, like a wheat beer should be. Orange/citrus, fruity, medium floral hops. A little spicy and peppery. A hint of sour.
Appearance
Golden, hazy to cloudy, with a thick, white, persistent head that leaves a pronounced lace. No alcohol.
Taste
The first impression is orange/citrus with spice and floral notes, just before a swell of moderate bitterness. This evolves into a pleasantly tart, very dry finish with a mild lingering bitterness. Very low alcohol presence, if any, despite a 6% ABV.
Mouthfeel
Light body. High carbonation makes it prickly on the tongue, and effervescent. It finishes pleasantly, lightly tart; no puckering.
Overall Impression
Fruity, spicy, and floral, with a tart, very dry finish. No single aspect dominates; well balanced, effervescent, and refreshing.
Project Notes
This is Batch #1, a wonderful kit from Northern Brewer.
- Finishing tartness and acidity complement the very dry finish, and work perfectly with the wheat and funky yeast, but I might like to try a wheatless version, to compare.
- My notes do not indicate how much (if any) lactic acid was added to the mash, so its possible I didnt control the mash pH. (At that time I hadnt started noting this addition).
- Id like to try a batch without any fruit or spice additions, just to see what I can get from the main ingredients. If I can work up a spicy, fruity, floral combination with just yeast and hops, that will be interesting.
- Its delicious, but I need someone more experienced to confirm that it is to style. If its not, Im going to make up a cool name for it and create my own style, because, wow.
Track this project and see the recipe here.
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