“It is not the strongest of species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Charles Darwin was probably not a brewer, but his contributions to the science of evolution certainly apply to Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In the 150 years since Darwin first introduced natural selection, commercial and homebrewers alike have…(Read More)
Failure is our greatest teacher (or something like that). Since the reincarnation of Third Leap, I have been diligently working toward realizing two beer concepts locked away in the deep corners of my mind; a farmhouse ale and a table ale. To date, I have brewed three versions of each, with the table ale being…(Read More)
Table Ale #3
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While the table ale has been trending in the right direction, it is still a work in progress. Batch #1 was underwhelming; lacking bitterness, carbonation, and depth of flavor. After making changes to the recipe, water chemistry, and mash/fermentation temperatures, batch #2 (tasting notes forthcoming) was more in line with my vision. However, despite…(Read More)
The inspiration behind Third Leap was drawn from many sources. Regarding wild ales, I am specifically fond of Black Project’s perspective. Essentially, Black Project produces either “spontaneous” or “wild” beer, but the monikers vary quite significantly from current commercial brewery use. The “spontaneous” term is self-explanatory (beer made without adding cultured microbes whatsoever…(Read More)
Farm Bière
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I have had the fortunate opportunity to try some of today’s best commercial farmhouse ales; Sante Adarius Saison Bernice (#6 on Beer Advocate Top Rated Beers: Saison / Farmhouse Ale) , Hill Farmstead Arthur (#10), Fantôme Saison (#11), Side Project Saison du Blé (#12), and Logsdon Seizoen Bretta (#16), just to name a few. While…(Read More)
Batch #2 of the farmhouse ale recipe was intended to be nearly identical to batch #1, save for different yeast. This version was also brewed after my farmhouse ale tasting, meaning that I was able to incorporate desirable characteristics from well-received commercial examples. The general consensus from that tasting was the homebrewed farmhouse ale…(Read More)
Table Ale #2
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The first attempt at a table ale was underwhelming but provided enough substance to build upon for the next iteration. I typically try to limit the number of changes in subsequent batches to one or two (tops), but for this second version I implemented (gasp!) six: Higher mash temperature (increase FG and body) Lower fermentation…(Read More)
I have always revered the heritage and romance of lambic brewing. From old-world unmalted grain and complex turbid mashing to spontaneous fermentation and precise blending, lambic truly embodies the unity of science and art. And it’s those magical wild microbes that take residence in the beer for upwards of three years that remind…(Read More)
About the time I was hashing out my third attempt at a business plan for Third Leap, I was fortunate to stumble across Topher Boehm’s farmhouse beer blog. I was originally researching the effect of fermentor geometry on ester and phenol production in beer, but quickly came across Boehm’s post expressing his opinion…(Read More)
Table Ale #1
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Despite not being much of a wine drinker, I have always been enamored with the concept of table wine. And no, I’m not taking about the European Union wine regulation’s definition of table wine, but rather an everyday, easy drinking, nothing special, low alcohol wine. A go-to wine, if you must. That…(Read More)
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