I transferred the Belgian dark(ish) earlier. I am finding more and more that the Belgian styles I am working on currently are not readily revealing their secrets to me. This one is not as dark as I would like it to be. At this point it has a color similar to a ripe orange and amazingly enough it also carries a orange citrusy flavor. So, I find it isn’t what I intended, but in the process of it taking a leap in a different direction, I have now created something else entirely that is still possibly quite tasty.
I am pretty sure that my biggest challenge lately has been the malts I am using. Later this week I will be working on my first decoction mash. Perchance that will give a better showing than the multi step infusions I have been working on. I almost want to keep pushing for this beer until I manage to figure out the key to perfecting it. The best part of brewing, at least my problems are still drinkable.
Later this week I will brew the Saison. My current plan is to follow a similar pattern to what I have been doing recently, I will even be making some caramel for this beer. I will do the decoction instead of the multi-step though. Hopefully, this will give results closer to what I am seeking. If it comes out ok I will most likely attempt the Dark strong again to see where the path leads. Which now brings us to the next step in brewery improvement.
I have been thinking of making some sours for a while now. The issue I run into though, I don’t like to just mess around with stuff in the brewery. I like planned messing around. So shortly I plan to pick up a bit more equipment that I can dedicate to the sour process. With that in place I will have a bit more freedom to not only avoid cross contamination, but also have a bit more space to allow stuff to age a bit longer.
I will keep you posted as it all progresses. Now it’s time for a beer…
