[strat_thru_marshall]

jmo, can I have the recipe for your cherry saison?

Let's keep the beer reviews coming guys. The feedback is one of the best parts of this swap!

[jmo88]

Thanks for the positive review. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Here is the recipe and sorry for the metric. I have no idea what the ABV actually was since the cherries were added after primary fermentation.

Recipe: Ramble on Rosé- (Oaked Cherry Saison)
Style: 16E-Belgian And French Ale-Belgian Speciality Ale

Recipe Overview

Wort Volume Before Boil: 7.00 US gals
Wort Volume After Boil: 6.00 US gals
Volume Transferred: 5.80 US gals
Water Added: 0.00 US gals
Volume At Pitching: 5.80 US gals
Final Batch Volume: 5.00 US gals
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.049 SG
Expected OG: 1.057 SG
Expected FG: 1.005 SG
Expected ABV: 6.8 %
Expected ABW: 5.4 %
Expected IBU (using Tinseth): 32.2
Expected Color: 3.8 SRM
Apparent Attenuation: 89.9 %
Mash Efficiency: 77.0 %
Boil Duration: 90.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 70-77 degF rising from pitch to finish.

Fermentables
Belgian Pilsen Malt 9lb 8oz (79.2 %) In Mash/Steeped
US Rye Malt 1lb 8oz (12.5 %) In Mash/Steeped
US Flaked Rye 1lb 0oz (8.3 %) In Mash/Steeped

Hops
US Magnum (10.0 % alpha) 22 g Loose Pellet Hops used 60 Min From End
German Tettnang (5.7 % alpha) 30 g Loose Pellet Hops used 10 Min From End

Other Ingredients
Black Pepper 3 g used In Boil
Bing Cherries 1451 g used In Fermenter
Oak- Medium French 34 g used In Fermenter

Yeast: Wyeast 3711-French Saison

Mash Schedule
Mash Type: Full Mash
Schedule Name:Single Step Infusion (67C/152F)
Step: Rest at 149 degF for 60 mins

Recipe Notes
Add Pepper at 5min remaining. It is 1.5 Tbs roughly cracked. Add Oak once fermentation starts. Put the oak in a dish with a little water and boil it in the microwave and add all of the oak and the water to the fermenter. Add the cherries once fermentation is finished. Pit and pasteurize the cherries at 170F and let sit for 10 minutes.

[CA-LT1]

Strat thru marshall's 11-11-11

Aroma: My roommate smelled apple, and hops. I definitely get a sweet, not really sour fruit notes. Also some earthiness.

Appearance: White head dissipated quickly. Deep red to mahogany in color, just slightly cloudy.

Flavor: Sweet, not overly so, but not overwhelmed by the brett. There is a sour twinge, but it takes a back seat to the malt, and other complexities that I just cant put my finger on.

Mouthfeel: Excellent body! What did this finish at? How did you stop the Brett from drying it out too much? Carb level is low, which i think is right on for the style. Finish is a bitterness that lingers long enough for you to say "Wow, that was unique!"

Overall, great! I would guess you have excellent control of your entire process, I didn't get anything I might think is a flaw. Did you oak this one? For how long?

Nice one!

[jmo88]

AnOldUR's 11-11-11

S- Dark chocolate, vinous, dark dried fruits. BIG sherry notes (strong oxidative character) pleasing though. Sweet fruit aromatics and big old malt characters like a classic old ale/ barley wine. Some brett, but secondary to the malt and sherry.

A- Dark brown with ruby highlights. Hazy. Dark tan head, dissipates to a ring.

F- Brett in the front, followed by sherry notes, finishing with a rich deep dark chocolate character almost like a fancy hot fudge. Sweet and heavy on the chocolate, at least beyond what I was expecting.

M- Full. Nice carbonation to cut through the richness.

O- Wow. This is different than what I was expecting. It is very delicious but remarkably different than the ones I've sampled so far (mine and KingBrian's). Honestly, it is more to style and in line with BJCP than the others. I bet this would do well in competition. Maybe a little heavy on the oxidation, but well done!

[strat_thru_marshall]

Originally Posted by CA-LT1

Strat thru marshall's 11-11-11

Aroma: My roommate smelled apple, and hops. I definitely get a sweet, not really sour fruit notes. Also some earthiness.

Appearance: White head dissipated quickly. Deep red to mahogany in color, just slightly cloudy.

Flavor: Sweet, not overly so, but not overwhelmed by the brett. There is a sour twinge, but it takes a back seat to the malt, and other complexities that I just cant put my finger on.

Mouthfeel: Excellent body! What did this finish at? How did you stop the Brett from drying it out too much? Carb level is low, which i think is right on for the style. Finish is a bitterness that lingers long enough for you to say "Wow, that was unique!"

Overall, great! I would guess you have excellent control of your entire process, I didn't get anything I might think is a flaw. Did you oak this one? For how long?

Nice one!

Thanks man. I had it on 1oz American oak chips for the full year of secondary. I didn't do anything specifically to stop the brett. To be honest this is one of my first brett beers, and I guess I just got lucky. As far as process control, I am a total gear-head and have basically turned the garage into a brewery with attention to each step of the brewing process.

Glad you've liked the beers so far. Did you get the American Brown or the English Brown from me?

[AlphaWolf-Brewery]

CA-LT 11.11.11

Poured with alot of head but quickly returned to a small ring. Was a dark amber in my glass. Smelled very sweet with a small amount of the tart cherry brett at the end. Tasted very much like a lot of the Old Ales I have had before, malty sweet, full bodied small amount of oxidation. The brett took a much smaller role in yours than did in mine. So did the oak, I can get a little bit of oaky tannis at the end but that is it. Over all a very enjoyable beer and quite a bit different than mine. I would like to know what your FG was?

[AlphaWolf-Brewery]

Originally Posted by AnOldUR

Hand's been slapped by Big Brother. It's been suggested that I keep quiet.
In case I don't come back, here's what my 11-11-11 blind tasting looked like. Mine and KingBrian are in the mix along with my three swaps.

Any info on which one you preferred?

[jmo88]

Originally Posted by AlphaWolf-Brewery

Any info on which one you preferred?

Poor guy! I don't think he made it at least he went out with a bang.

[AlphaWolf-Brewery]

Guess Im out of the loop, anyone care to fill me in?

[CA-LT1]

Alphawolf, thanks for the write up. I must admit, when I tasted a bottle just before I shipped them out, I was thinking I missed the mark bigtime. After hearing the reviews, and tasting others, I think I must have gotten something right. Here's the gravities:
Brewed on 11/26/10 (OG 1.079), racked to secondary with oak on 1/1/11 (1.018), kegged it, force carbbed, and bottled in July(1.010). The pellicle seemed to reform in the bottles, gravity is now 1.006