Recent content by GoldenSky

BrotherBock Thanks for the resurrection! This is a beer I brew once a year, and is a favorite of all my friends and fellow homebrewers. I have revised the recipe slightly since inception. Not sure what size you're doing, so I'll give specs for a 5 gal batch. No steeping grains - want...

Update. This beer has been in secondary 9 days. Most noticeable flavor/aroma is the spruce. It is slightly astringent - perhaps from tannins leaked in by the needles, but I am confident this will subside. Thinking about bottling half in another two weeks, then aging the other half with some...

True, when it comes to Saison - nothing is "typical". But I've had several commercial beers, along with several homebrews, using orange peel in a Saison, and think it is a good flavor. But this is why we brew correct?-so we can design beers specific to our tastes. Motueka is a good thought, I...

Thanks. I'm thinking Mosaic specifically for its fruit notes, as I won't be adding any orange peel that is typical with a Saison. Good thought on the spruce at flameout - would you leave it to steep while the wort cools, or just for a few minutes? Most pro-brewed spruce recipes I've seen use the...

I see 44 views but only one response. I'm planning to brew this Sunday, so any thoughts would be greatly appreciated... Also, I am considering saving my mosaic hops for a future IPA, and bittering this one with Hallertau, then add the Saaz at 15; any thoughts on that? thanks!

Yep, I used the bright green new growth tips, wait several days after they shed the brown coverings for them to ripen. The five minute addition added very subtle sweet-pine flavor, so I'm going to try the same amount at ten minutes this time. Let me know if you're up this way, I've got about a...

Just harvested new growth tips from a white spruce. Last year I made a Spruce stout, that after 6 months in the bottle tasted great - went light on the spruce, 2 oz at 5 mins, but it was just enough to blend with the sweet dark malts. This year I am planning a Spruce Tip Saison. I'm curious if...

Just harvested new growth tips from a white spruce. Last year I made a Spruce stout, that after 6 months in the bottle tasted great - went light on the spruce, 2 oz at 5 mins, but it was just enough to blend with the sweet dark malts. This year I am planning a Spruce Tip Saison. I'm curious if...

Definitely the best beers for reharvesting are true import Belgians - sure you can buy the WLP or WYeast strains, but they lack the traditional "flare" of their original counterparts... I just found a blog from a Belgian monk (I didn't think Monks could blog), but it's pretty interesting...

I definitely recommend designing your own recipes, just be prepared for a few to not turn out great, but when they are good -- they are REALLY good!!!

I have successfully harvested yeasts from several Belgian Imports, including Chimay, La Trappe, and La Chouffe. As long as your ingredients are spot on for style, and your sanitation methods are pristine, you can make beer that tastes better than the original - as it will be fresh and hasn't...