In the Realms of Beer and Roasting

So I have messing around with this beer diary that my bosses bought me and it's a pretty handy little tool. The 33 Beers Journal has a easy to understand layout and fits easily in your back pocket. That being said, I have been taking notes in it and intend to flood the world with my assessment of 33 beers in one fell swoop.

As for roasting I am swinging back to the Burundi today. I have had good luck with this coffee not very far past the first crack (about two minutes or so). The smoke changes from a violet sweetness to a more nutty scent and I wait for that to develop before I end the roast. Tastes amazingly lemony and full of body. If you haven't had a Burundi before, you should definitely find one and check it out.

I would estimate that if this coffee was done in a full drum roaster that the lemon would calm down and reveal a more refined complex of berries and melon. I personally cup my roast at around 87 or so, but would hope for something a little richer and fully developed in the cup if it was professionally handled.

Roasting: Sumatra Onan Ganjang & Kenya Murang'a AA Kangunu

I am roasting up the rest of my Sumatran today. I am really enjoying this coffee. Smooth and liquory. I am roasting it to around 3 minutes past first crack. Right where the scent goes from milk chocolate, sour citrus, and green bark into a more baked brownie/cedary appeal. This produces a slightly lighter roast than most would put on a Sumatran, but I feel it aids the high notes really come through without muddying the waters with all those caramelized sugars. Not to mention the fact that with this Sumatran you can go that light and not risk a sour harshness you risk with a lighter roast.

I don't know how I will roast the Kenya just yet. I am hoping that this one will turn out as delicious as I anticipate. More on this one later.

PS.

For those who are curious I tried the Yemen today. Super chocolaty but lacking in body. Had a deep leathery feel to it. Might try taking the next batch a little further, maybe caramelize some of that chocolate hue some.

Later

Roasting : Yemen Mokkha Sharasi

So I have been dabbling in the world of roasting since the beginning of summer, and I must say that I am doing a good job of it. I had been roasting mostly African coffees, i.e. Burundi and Ethiopian, but I had wanted to try my hand at a Yemen. Thanks to Sweet Maria's I was able to get some and started roasting it today. It had turned out to be somewhat of a headache though.

The beans are remarkably inconsistent and I have had to go back and pick out the blonde beans. The roast I was going for was a City-City+ and I think I got it, but there is no way to know if it is the right roast until I brew some in a few days. Here's to hoping that my first peregrination into Yemeny coffee is not a complete failure.

Later

Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze

I am not the biggest fan of sours (sour things in general are not my bag) but when my friend Alex brings over a bottle of this stuff, you just don't refuse that sort of thing. So we chilled it to the proper temp (around 45F) and preceded to pour away.

The pour was clean. I had my share in a glass chalice while Alex poured his into a bulbed wine glass (good head and decent nose retention as well). The yeasts poured out in the end giving it a gorgeous burnt orange hue. The opacity was such that in my chalice it held a wide spectrum from clear gold to solid orange.

The first scents wafted up and I could tell this was going to unfold deliciously. I found apricots and tart red plums right away, with a bite like that of fresh ground nutmeg. As it warmed I started loosing that plum and gaining a more "early" golden delicious apple.

The tart aspect, while at first was a little affronting, grew on me and enhanced my appreciation for this finely crafted geuze.

Overall I would have to say that this is definitely one lambic ale that everyone needs to try at least once in their lifetime.

Produced: May 05, 2008