Homegrown brew 2.

During the late summer months, when it was very hot, I was really into Belgian ales.  Specifically from Unibroue.  Everything I have tasted from them is totally beyond and super refreshing.  The label art and concepts are pretty badass too, even though they are Canucks.  

The Satanic canoe story is pretty dark and awesome.

Anyway, I decided to brew a Belgian.  I am not really a fan of adjuncts, however, in my opinion brewing a Belgian that is not spiced seems like omitting a very structural element of the style.  

Firstly though, I decided to plant some cilantro this summer for fresh fish tacos and salsa.  I also planted dill for homemade pickles,which were delicious (this is a brew blog so I won't go into that). Unfortunately, since I am a terrible gardener, I only had fresh cilantro for a few dinners.  The weather got too hot and I neglected my crop which then bolted.  Which means that it went to seed.  The cool thing is that cilantro seeds are also known as coriander; and coriander is the spice in spiced Belgians!  Fortuitous.

So, I ended up with a bunch of fresh coriander seeds which went into my ale.  They ended up being very subtle but it was a cool experience nonetheless.