A monthly series highlighting what’s on tap at Crafty Bastard Brewery
By Aaron McClain
I was sitting in the living room of my 4th and Gill apartment in the spring of 2013 when I heard a knock on the door. As I opened it, I immediately was greeted by an almost overwhelmingly pungent wave of herbaceousness. The aroma was piney and rich in texture with notes of sweet fennel.
The friendly bespectacled gentlemen who stood behind the large bundle of greenery he had brought onto my porch asked, “Do you think you would have a use for this?” “What is it?” I said. “It’s rosemary!” he triumphantly replied. Of course it was! I obviously was familiar with the flavor and occasionally had used it in cooking, but I had sourced it only from grocery stores selling small plastic packages generally containing woefully wilted specimens that only hinted at the intensity of aroma that I was now experiencing.
I told him that I absolutely had a use for his bounty, not yet knowing what my intentions were, but I had an idea I’d figure something out. He explained that he had a decades-old bush at his house across the street that had gotten so large that he had to cut it back from time to time. “The damn thing grows like a weed,” he said. “And there’s more than we know what to do with, so you come over and pick some anytime you like.”
An endless supply of a tasty ingredient? One that I could walk right across the street and pick any time of year without needing luck or special equipment to gather? Many of the previous articles in this series have chronicled the persnickety and/or prickly nature of these delicious yet elusive delicacies that we use to create these concoctions, so my heart skipped a beat at the thought. I love foraging and the adventure that accompanies it, but something this delicious and readily available had to be explored.
Given my cocktail background, the first experiment was to utilize a handful of the branches to make a simple syrup. The resulting liquid played well in a number of applications, particularly in cocktails that showcased gin. The bright, piney, botanical character of most gins is complemented and enriched by the similar yet distinct notes that rosemary provides. My brain then went bounding towards a beer implementation for this fortuitous and friendly flora. Where it finally landed was on a saison.
The flavor profile of a saison typically begins with an underlying soft fruitiness, followed by a slightly spicy and herbaceous mid-palate, before finishing dry and crisp with all of these characteristics being enhanced by a zesty effervescence. What better pairing for this nuanced yet approachable herb? The only question was what technique would be best for infusing these flavors into said beer.
I tried several techniques, but what I found to be best was to make an extraordinarily concentrated tea by putting the branches into a bowl and using just enough hot water to cover them. The ensuing liquid is hardly something you’d ever want to drink, as it is extremely strong, but it does allow for precise titration into a finished beer, allowing the brewer to create the exact flavor profile they want without guesswork. Rosemary has a wonderful flavor, but it, like all herbs, can throw the flavor profile of a drink or dish out of balance when its magnitude isn’t carefully measured.
We released Rosemary Saison at Crafty in the spring of 2016 to rave reviews, and that’s where our rosemary story could have ended – or stagnated, at least. As time went on, though, I began to realize that this herb was not only ubiquitous (I know dozens of people that have bushes, and I have planted several of my own, as well), it was multifaceted, too. There’s a reason that rosemary plays so well in many different types of cuisine, so why wouldn’t it be the same for beer?
Several years ago, we produced a red wine barrel-aged Flanders red that was augmented by the inclusion of rose hips, rosemary and orange peel. The beer was absolutely stunning. It was a blend of savory, sweet, sour, herby, fruity and vinous notes that could have created a rudderless and bewildering travel but instead coalesced into a deliberate and delicious flavor journey.
While I absolutely adored both of the aforementioned beers, neither one seemed to be an appropriate pairing for the winter months. I mean, if rosemary was going to be available year-round, then I should be able to pair it with all seasons. The natural pairing of rosemary and orange attracted my attention, and I could think of no better base than our chocolate porter. Surprisingly, or perhaps not so, calibrating this beer didn’t take very long. The deep, rich chocolatey notes are brightened by orange, while the notes of fennel, pine, lemon and sage from the rosemary provide a complex and complementary finish and depth of flavor sure to delight your decadent side while simultaneously satisfying your adult palate.
Beginning on Feb. 22, we will be releasing our Rosemary and Orange Chocolate Porter at both locations (9937 Kingston Pike and 6 Emory Place). We hope you’ll open the door towards a new way of experiencing this familiar flavor.
