On Camille Saison: An American Take on a Classic Farmhouse Ale

Like Chinese food and tacos, most beer styles have been thoroughly “Americanized” in some way or another. Take the classic British IPA, kick up the hops about 20 notches and you have one of the most popular beer styles west of the Atlantic. Or maybe your stout doesn't have enough of a kick to it. Just turn the alcohol dial to 11 and enjoy your imperial stout. Yes, the story of the imperial stout involves Tzars and inter-European trade, but Americans gave “imperial” its broader meaning relating to strong versions of classic styles. It seems no style is immune from the relentless evolution and Americanization. Imperial pilsener, black IPAs, extra hoppy porters, and fruit/coffee/chocolate/herbs/bacon in just about everything in between. Subtly isn't an American virtue.

With that in mind, I share with you a recipe for a style I've not seen previously Americanized in any meaningful way: Saison. Camille Saison, named after the romantic composer Camille Saint-Seans, is a hop forward version of a Belgian saison. With 38 IBUs but only measuring in 5.5% ABV, this certainly isn't your standard saison. Peppery spice and piny citrus dominate the aroma. Pepper and citrus hit the palate strong up front but give way to a balanced profile of yeast, malt, and hops. The high hop content is cleansed by lively carbonation and the light body leaves you refreshed for another sip. Bold, yet quaffable, Camille Saison is a beer that will certainly be added to my regular rotation. Enjoy.

Camille Saison

Saison

Type: All Grain	Date: 07/05/2012
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal	Brewer: Garth Peterson
Boil Size: 6.35 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min	Equipment: Pot and Cooler ( 5 Gal/19 L) - Extract/Partial Mash
End of Boil Volume 5.98 gal	Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Final Bottling Volume: 4.60 gal	Est Mash Efficiency 87.6 %
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage	Taste Rating(out of 50): 0.0
Taste Notes:
Ingredients
Ingredients Amt Name Type # %/IBU 5.00 gal Atlanta, GA Water 1 - 2.60 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 2 - 2.00 g Chalk (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 3 - 1.60 g Salt (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 4 - 0.60 g Calcium Chloride (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 5 - 0.30 g Epsom Salt (MgSO4) (Mash 60.0 mins) Water Agent 6 - 2 lbs 12.0 oz Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 7 32.3 % 2 lbs 4.0 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 8 26.5 % 1 lbs 6.0 oz Wheat Malt, Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 9 16.2 % 0.53 oz Citra [14.00 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 10 28.1 IBUs 2 lbs 2.0 oz Lyle's Golden Syrup (0.0 SRM) Extract 11 25.0 % 1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 10.0 mins) Fining 12 - 0.57 oz Citra [14.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 13 10.0 IBUs 1.00 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 10.0 mins) Other 14 - 1.04 oz Citra [14.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 15 0.0 IBUs 1.0 pkg Belgian Saison (Wyeast Labs #3724) [124.21 ml] Yeast 16 - 1.0 pkg Belgian Saison (Wyeast Labs #3724) [124.21 ml] Yeast 17 - 1.00 oz Citra [14.00 %] - Dry Hop 0.0 Days Hop 18 0.0 IBUs
Mash Steps

Name	Description	Step Temperature	Step Time
Protein Rest	Add 6.74 qt of water at 130.8 F	122.0 F	30 min
Saccharification	Add 5.10 qt of water at 192.1 F	149.0 F	30 min
Mash Out	Add 5.75 qt of water at 211.9 F	168.0 F	10 min

Sparge Step: Fly sparge with 2.97 gal water at 168.0 F
Mash Notes: Double step infusion - for light body beers requiring a protein rest. Used primarily in beers high in unmodified grains or adjuncts.

Carbonation and Storage

Carbonation Type: Bottle
Volumes of CO2: 2.5
Pressure/Weight: 4.11 oz
Carbonation Used: Bottle with 4.11 oz Corn Sugar
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 70.0 F
Age for: 30.00 days
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage
Storage Temperature: 65.0 F

Notes

Created with BeerSmith

On Sam Adams Verloren

Rare beer styles are a bit of an obsession for me. Long before any American breweries were making Berliner weisse, I was making my own home brewed versions and buying the one lonely German import stocked by my local craft beer store. Since then, rare, traditional beer styles have become a point of pride for many brewers.

Much like the revival of classic cocktail bitters, sophisticated beer drinkers are demanding nearly forgotten styles. Among them sahti, faro, wheatwine, and gose. Many of these beers are an offshoot of the Belgian sour craze and have been interpreted by their new caretakers (I've seen wheatwines flavored with everything imaginable, including chocolate, burbon, and lemongrass). Sam Adams Verloren is no exception. Losing it's characteristic long-neck bottle, this light take on a classic sour has been reinterpreted for it's large audience.

A traditional gose bottle.

Out of a standard bomber, Verloren pours a cloudy gold color with a moderate white head that recedes quickly. lingering foam drifts across an amber sea.

Aroma shows savory coriander and a light citrusy sour character. Some light lime citrus in the background.

On the tongue a smooth, bready malt character is backed up by citrusy sourness. The lingering flavor is vaguely reminiscent of fruit loops.

With a moderately light body and prickly carbonation, this is dangerously easy to drink.

Try to take your time and enjoy the subtleties of this unique beer.

On Mikkeller Coffee IPA

Sometimes a drink can be a game. Take a drink, find out what's in it, and, if you're in to it, try and recreate it yourself. It's a nerdy libation; methodically breaking down a completed unit into its constituent parts to see what ticks. Reverse engineer a drink.

While this may take some time - and many "test samples" - taken alone, I have some help with my latest tasting, Mikkeller Coffee IPA. I know, of course, there must be coffee in there. But Rate Beer also tells me it contains Tomahawk hops, and flaked oats. The hard part, as it turns out, is finding the coffee. Like an adult version of Where's Waldo, the coffee hides itself among many similar flavors.

Coffee IPA pours a dark orange color with a persistent, just slightly off-white head reminiscent of soap suds. Aroma is of hops - citrus - though not at all powerful. No coffee, yet.

The first sip doesn’t bring the coffee forward either. It’s playing hide and seek. I check behind some hop bitterness... no, it’s not there. Next comes some caramel sweetness offsetting the moderately intense bitterness from the Tomahawk hops. Then, at the end, after the sweetness leaves, the bitterness returns, but in new form: coffee. It’s delicate. If tasting blind, it may be easy to miss. But that's part of the fun.

Coffee shows up again in the body. The smooth, thick mouthfeel may be from the flaked oat, but it also supports the feel of a morning cup of espresso. Slightly oily and lingering.

Overall, this is a quality IPA and while hunting for the coffee was fun, I’d prefer something a bit more upfront.

On Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock

The third of my series of Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier's is the strongest of the series in both alcohol content and quality. While the smoke in the weizen played contrary to the heffeweisen character, the smoke in the urbock complements very nicely. Overall this beer is similar to the Marzen, but with a bit more umph and a bolder flavor.

The thick head is the consistency of an egg white foam and a light tan color. The beer itself is dark ruby with just a hint of light shining through the pint glass.

Banana bread and smoke on the nose. The aroma is quite pleasant.

Smoke forward on the palate with sweet caramel supporting. High carbonation thins an otherwise heavy body. The smoke plays an integral part and adds a depth of flavor to an already great beer.  I couldn't have asked for a better beer to close out Smoked Beer Month.

All three beers were conservative enough in the smoke for the experience to not be a liquid BBQ. And for that I am thankful. Overall, the trio makes a great introduction to smoked beer land.

On O'Fallon Smoked Porter

And now for something completely different. Well, not COMPLETELY different, but O'Fallon Smoked Porter is quite different than the classic German rauchbiers I've reviewed so far. Put just about anything in American hands and it gets turned to the extreme (5/3 Burger, anyone?). Sometimes it ends in indigestion, and sometimes it ends in pure deliciousness. Luckily, in the hands of Brian Owens - Head Brewer - O'fallon Smoked Porter falls in the later category.

Smoked porter starts in the aroma with smoked meats, molasses, honey, and alcohol in that order. Quite nice. The smoke is evident, but not at all overpowering as it would be easy to do with such a beer. More BBQ than campfire.

Jet black with a brown head it starts thick but settles to a thin brown hat on top of a black tower of beer.

O'Fallon Smoked Porter

The taste is much like the aroma. The smoke is very unique. Very BBQ like. I never thought I would use catsup in a beer description (at least in a good way) but there it is, catsup! 

Of course there are the traditional porter flavors of roast malts and some molasses. Again not overpowering with the smoke but present with a thick, stick to your mouth feel on the palate. 

Overall this beer is liquid pork ribs in a bottle but somehow it works. Quite a nice, unique, creative beer. Very appropriate for a St. Louis based brewery.