Brewed Beverage of Choice: Thiriez Blonde Dry Hopped French Farmhouse Ale
As I was riding the train into work this morning - Our pub is actually open 364 days a year - I was delving into two different brewing books. Our entry to this year’s North American Organic Brewers Festival is a Saison or Belgian Farmhouse Ale. But I was also thinking ahead to a couple of weeks from now because we got our hands on a Belgian Abbey strain of yeast and I will get to brew my first Belgian Dubbel Abbey Ale. So I was thumbing threw Farmhouse Ales by Phil Markowski and Brew Like A Monk by Stan Hieronymus, trying to come up with some ideas for what I wanted to do.
The whole thing made me think of the first time I got to try a Saison. It was a few years ago at the Oregon Brewers Festival and it was quite possibly the worst beer I have ever tasted. I believe it was from the Portland Rock Bottom Brewery. I swore I would never have another Saison as long as I lived. Fortunately I do not keep my word on such silly promises like that. The ironic thing is that I now like the Farmhouse style of beers. The other irony is that I actually recommend the Portland Rock Bottom. Their brewer does some tremendous things in the chain brewery atmosphere.
Even though the first tasting experience may not have been up to snuff, I got back on the horse several years later and found I did enjoy Farmhouse style beers. So much so I decided to brew one for the company’s annual Battle for the Belt. My first farmhouse was not Belgian but French in style which means it is a bit more malty and cleaner in the finish. The Ogre Killer (Anduril) was a French Biere de Garde of 7% alcohol and was aged with oak. My first attempt surprisingly enough turned out quite tasty, although the patrons of the fest only put it in 6th place.
I have made several French Biere de Gardes since that time including a Biere de Printemps (Beer of Spring…On tap Wednesday at the Pub) and one homebrew that turned out to have the flavour of sour cherries. How it got that taste is still something that baffles me, but, hey! Whatever works…Don’t question it. Now is the time to actually broaden my horizons and brew a Saison Belgian Farmhouse Ale. If I can successfully drink one, I am sure I can get over the hump and brew one. Hell, the worst thing that could happen is that it could be bad, and no one will drink it, and I will be crushed…never to brew again.
Prost!
the confucian farmhouse brewer