Monday, April 8, 2013

Batch #130 - Belgian Saison Ale

There are particular combinations of malted grains, hops and yeast, when brewed together, will create a flavor that reminds me of a particular style of beer.  One of my favorite styles is a Belgian recipe called "Saison Ale" or sometimes called a "Farmhouse Ale", and I have brewed a number of variations on this theme.  Trying to imitate a treasured Belgian beer style can be daunting, because Belgian brewers are among the best in the world, and their brews are difficult acts to follow.
Our young daughter March, studying medicine at Trinity College in Dublin Ireland, showed me one of her favorite websites, actually a "facebook page" titled "Humans of New York", where she delights in an occasional character photographed and displayed there.
At first, I thought that March's delight with the photo of "Edge E. Sledgehammer", underground poet photographed in Grand Central Station, was worthy of a limited-edition homebrew label.  Just after I made the red label below in her honor, March noted another photo of a delightful lady, dressed for Spring, who won the day, and the above label has been printed and the bottles labeled.
In spite of all this labeling controversy, the beer hasn't changed a bit.  It's still a Saison Pale Ale, inspired by the brewing magicians of Belgium.  Cheers!