How the (Imperial) Saison (HB#4) is shaping up...

First off, let me start by officially "upgrading" Homebrew #4 from a saison to an Imperial Saison. Because I came up about a gallon short of my target volume, this beer had a very high original gravity (1.088) and finished with a very low at 1.006. TastyBrew.com has a calculator that gives an ABV based on original and final gravity as well as fermentation temperatures. The equated percentage has to be taken with a grain of salt, but apparently Homebrew #4 was pushing 12% ABV. Saisons are not (usually) much more than 8 or 9 percent alcohol by volume and often times much, much lower, so 12% in my eyes is worthy of being labeled "imperial" in order to signify the higher than usual alcohol content.

But moving on to how the Imperial Saison is stacking up almost 7 weeks after bottling...

To be honest, I am not thrilled with how this beer turned out. As you know from my ramble above, the alcohol percentage is very high and also very prevalent in the aromas and flavors of the ale. On top of that, the peppercorns that were tossed in at flame-out and then soaked for the entire fermentation accentuate the heat of the alcohol. The flavor is initially very strong and a punch to the tongue from the alcohol and peppercorns, but it smooths out...a little. In the middle you can faintly sense the orange but not so much the coriander. It does finish fairly dry, as it should.

This freak accident (it's not that bad) of an "Imperial Saison" drinks more as a fine liquor than a beer. Obviously the alcohol percentage will slow you down, but I find it difficult to put down a full bottle of this beer. It looks great, but the most important part, the aromas and flavors, are not at all where I hoped them to be. I am not saying that it isn't drinkable, but not on the level of a "traditional" (whatever that means) saison. It burns up your nose and lingers like a fine liquor, or a beer aged in aged liquor barrels. On that level, it is actually pretty pleasant, but I did not really envision this as a "sipping" beer. I wanted a more drinkable ale... 

Eventually I will try to brew this beer again and see if I can't turn out something that I am more pleased with. Next time I will make sure increase my pre-boil volume in order to finish with the proper amount of wort. I think the 12% ABV is really what is throwing off the whole profile of the beer. After drinking a couple of these, I feel like I have gotten a feeling for what it would have tasted like if it had properly fermented to about 7.5% ABV. Based on that, I also think I would add the peppercorns at flame-out, but pull them before pitching the yeast. It will really make the pepper more subtle and allow the orange peel, corriander, and most importantly the yeast to shine through as well. It will definitely be worth while to try and see if I can make the proper improvements to create what I am shooting for to see if I actually know what I think I know.