[ja]cobdavis

As I stand in my three  square foot kitchen filling with humidity from four gallons of boiling sugar water and a cousin of weed – I can help but smile. My yeast puffing up slowly. A spray bottle with cold Maine water waits for another boil over. I’m still smiling. I may not carry it on my face but I can feel my work melt away. It’s been a struggle – working, my job. The job isn’t hard – it’s well her. A weight that pulls my jaw up, makes me sequester myself into my too-big-for-me office, and breath a long heavy sigh of relief when hitting the doors out.

I’m making beer. Sweet marvelous beer. Sure it’s not one on my list [link], but it’s summer and I’m not feeling adventurous enough to buy cucumber (plus they aren’t in season yet). I’m making a dark & heavy saison. I’ve caught a bug of saisons and am infatuated by it’s near death experience and now a resurgence (in homebrewing). They are a ferment of glory, usually very light and powerful with flavor. They are a like a breeze on a hot summer’s day filling in the gaps of sweat with complex yeast flavors, hints of hops, and meandering grain profiles. The saison I am creating is doesn’t fit the norm. Recipe:

1/2 lbs chocolate malt
6 lbs Pilsner LME
3.5lbs Wheat LME
2oz Northern Brewer
1oz Crystal
Wyeast 3711

Northern Brewer is meant to feed into the chocolate flavor profile. We’ll see how well that turns out.
(note to self: don’t write and brew – boiled over twice)