Friday we had some friends over and we tapped into my Holiday ale and dang if it doesn't have a smell and taste reminiscent of the rootbeer barrel candies! I spiced with 2 oz of Fancy cinnamon powder and 1 oz of dried lemon peel in the last 10 min'. I was shooting for something fruit cake-ish so I used some Special B and a little Aromatic malt. Base malt was Pils. OG was around 1.06. I fermented with White labs 566 Saison II yeast. When I racked to secodary the citrus wasn't coming through so I added the zest of two oranges. It sat in secondary for a month. FG was 1.006, Force carbed.
These first samples were at cellar temp (50 F). I put the kegs in the kegerator and we had some other friends over two days later and their first impression was more orange in the aroma, then becoming more root beer like as it warmed. I thought it still smelled of root beer from the get go, but I was looking for it. It is slightly disturbing, but actually tastes pretty good. We'll see what people think of it at our party this weekend.
I was originally planning on calling this beer Saison's Greetings, but now that I've tasted it, I've changed the name. I was looking for something root beer related and as an inside joke, a friend suggested Barks (not Barqs). My wife and I have refered to one another as Bark for many many years.
OT back story:
Saying Bark started out as a way to announce myself when visiting her in the lab she was working in at the time so as not to startle her while she was working - it is bark, as in like a seal - we had a small stuffed one. I also used it to announce myself when I called her on the phone. She's terrible at recognizing voices on the phone so I just say "Hi Bark" and she knows it is me. It has evolved over the years such that if I need a hand doing something, it's "Hey bark, can you help me a minute" She will say excatly the same thing if she needed help. We rarely refer to one another by our first names.
These first samples were at cellar temp (50 F). I put the kegs in the kegerator and we had some other friends over two days later and their first impression was more orange in the aroma, then becoming more root beer like as it warmed. I thought it still smelled of root beer from the get go, but I was looking for it. It is slightly disturbing, but actually tastes pretty good. We'll see what people think of it at our party this weekend.
I was originally planning on calling this beer Saison's Greetings, but now that I've tasted it, I've changed the name. I was looking for something root beer related and as an inside joke, a friend suggested Barks (not Barqs). My wife and I have refered to one another as Bark for many many years.
OT back story:
Saying Bark started out as a way to announce myself when visiting her in the lab she was working in at the time so as not to startle her while she was working - it is bark, as in like a seal - we had a small stuffed one. I also used it to announce myself when I called her on the phone. She's terrible at recognizing voices on the phone so I just say "Hi Bark" and she knows it is me. It has evolved over the years such that if I need a hand doing something, it's "Hey bark, can you help me a minute" She will say excatly the same thing if she needed help. We rarely refer to one another by our first names.
