T'is The Saison To Be Jolly...

[Beerlust]

...Trul-alul-alah-lah-lah-lah-laaahhh! [biggrin]

 

After enjoying a couple of early tasters last night of the Saison I brewed from the How to Brew section, I thought it was time I upped the anti & brewed another Saison recipe I've been sitting on for quite sometime. I'm thinking of putting the following brew down this Sunday.

 

Saison Dupont (variation)

 

Coopers Liquid Malt Extract 1.5kg

Light Dry Malt Extract 500gms

Vienna Malt grain 500gms

Barret Burston Wheat Malt grain 500gms

Aromatic Malt grain 200gms

CaraHell Malt grain 150gms

CaraAmber Malt grain 50gms (purely to add colour)

Dextrose 250gms

Dried Orange Peel from 1 orange

 

6 litre hop boil:

 

Styrian Golding (5.2%AA) 35gms @ 60mins

East Kent Golding (6.2%AA) 15gms @ 15mins

Dried Orange Peel @ 10mins

East Kent Golding (6.2%AA) 10gms @ 5mins

Wyeast 3711 (French Saison)

Brewed to 23 litres.

OG = approx. 1.051

FG = approx. 1.007-1.010 (depending on attenuation)

EBC = approx. 9.1

Bottled ABV = 5.7-6.1% (depending on attenuation)

 

I might soak the orange peel in some Pimms before I dry it. Also should I bother to make a starter with this yeast? [unsure]

I have to work tomorrow, so I won't be home to monitor the starter if it goes nuts! [pinched]

 

All thoughts welcomed.

 

Cheers,

 

Anthony.

[AdamH1525226084]

I've used the 3711 once and loved it. Will be using it once the weather gets a tad warmer here, it's been lager weather all October

[Canadian Eh!L]

Hey Lusty,

 

I've never used that yeast in a brew before but I'm pretty sure you should make a starter for your brew. As a rule of thumb you should always make a starter for a liquid yeast going into a 20+Litre brew. I would worry too much about toe start getting out of hand if you start with a 1L starter in a 4L pickle jar. Especially if your not there to fuss around shaking it all day.

[AdamH1525226084]

Hey again, I realised i didn't mention the starter.

 

The only time my go nuts is once I've given it a shake. I've since bought a stirrer plate so don't have to worry about it anymore.

[Beerlust]

I put this brew down earlier today.

 

Yesterday I dried the orange peel in a splash of Pimms, so I'll be interested to see if anything noticeable appears in the end beer from this little procedure.

 

I was about half way through the grain mash & my brew day was going fine. During my grain mashes, I usually dissolve any dry malt extract quantities straight in the fermenter with a few litres of warm water & do a bit of swirling to remove any lumps.

 

So as per usual I went over to the shelf where I keep a few of my fermentables to grab some dry malt extract. I get there & look around. Where's the dry malt extract?

I forgot to buy some when I got a few other ingredients Saturday morning didn't I!! Doh! [pinched]

I've got about 30-40mins to go left on the mash! Doh!! [pinched]

It's Sunday, & all the LHBS's are closed! Doh!!! [pinched]

 

Panic immediately started to set in. [crying] Thinking quickly I thought, should I do another separate mash to gain the extra malt I need? Do I lower the final ferment volume down to compensate? All reasonable solutions. Then it dawned on me to try the supermarkets as they carry the Coopers fermentables. [roll]

 

I went to 3 different supermarkets, but none of them had any pure light dry malt extract, so I settled on some BE2. It's only 500gms worth in the recipe, so it shouldn't affect the end beer by very much. I was still annoyed at myself though! [devil]

 

Everything else went fine. I pitched the yeast quite high (for me) at 25.5\xb0C. Personally I think this yeast will love that! [biggrin]

 

The recipe should produce a very nice Saison. [cool]

 

Cheers,

 

Anthony.

[Hairy]

You could have added the dry malt on Monday. It will still work if you add it during fermentation.

 

But I don't think 500g of BE2 will change the beer by too much.

[Scottie]

Hey Anthony

I'm thinking about doing a Saison as I need some drinkable beer in stubbies by Christmas New Year. Sounds like they are reasonably enjoyable young.

I might be going with:

Thomas Coopers Pilsner kit

2kg of Joe White Pilsner malt

25g East Kent Goldings @ 5 min

25g Styrian Goldings @ 0 min

Wyeast 3726

[MichaelJ13]

Having a few saisons with the wife tonight and I must say we are pretty jolly [biggrin] . I love this style I think its going to be a good summer.

[Beerlust]

Hi Scottie.

 

Your numbers add up to all the right levels for the style, but sometimes it's not always about the math (as I'm slowly learning).

 

I admit I only have limited knowledge with the style & how best to construct a recipe for it, but I would say that it seems advisable to approach it's malt & hop structure differently to the hoppy APA's that you & I both like to brew. Despite only brewing PB2's recipe so far, I have spent a good deal of time reading up & gathering information on the style.

 

Much of the flavour from this beer style is derived from the yeast. Unlike the APA's that we usually brew Scottie, where we use a fairly neutral yeast that allows the flavours from the hops to dominate, these Saison types of yeasts produce most of the flavour & develop a more complex array of flavours all by themselves without the need for a big hop influence (IMHO).

 

I'm not saying "don't brew that recipe", but if you are expecting a big forward hop aroma/flavour from the late hopped Styrian & EKG, don't be surprised if those flavours end up being more in the background of the eventual flavours created by the yeast in your end beer.

 

Nice work getting hold of the seasonal 3726 too, & good luck with the brew! [cool]

 

You could have added the dry malt on Monday. It will still work if you add it during fermentation.

Good point Hairy, I didn't think of that in my moment of panic. Still I am reluctant to open my FV once I've pitched the yeast. It's something I've become very stubborn on. Good call all the same. Thanks. [smile]

 

Having a few saisons with the wife tonight and I must say we are pretty jolly Biggrin . I love this style I think its going to be a good summer.

Michael makes a very good point here. This beer really is a beer that I think women would really enjoy. Add to that, it really does drink well on the hotter days of an Australian Summer, & you have to wonder why no commercial brewery is brewing this beer style mainstream? [whistling

 

Hint...hint...[wink]

 

Cheers,

 

Anthony.

[Scottie]

Food for thought [sideways]

 

Haven't got the yeast yet, otherwise I'd brew this before my Ashes Ale variant. CraftBrewer lists it as available. My LHBS has limited stocks of yeast, for example only 1 Lager yeast, so its hardly worth the drive to check for a Farmhouse Ale yeast.

[Scottie]

...snip.. Despite only brewing PB2's recipe so far, I have spent a good deal of time reading up & gathering information on the style.

 

Much of the flavour from this beer style is derived from the yeast. Unlike the APA's that we usually brew Scottie, where we use a fairly neutral yeast that allows the flavours from the hops to dominate, these Saison types of yeasts produce most of the flavour & develop a more complex array of flavours all by themselves without the need for a big hop influence (IMHO).....

 

Hey Anthony

I have taken your advice and carried out some research. Unfortuneatly my research doesn't involve sampling a Saison as you have. Mine is restricted to the Beer & Brewer/Homebrewer combo, Spring 2013.

Apparently the Dupont Saison which is brewed with "Pilsner Malt only" has a "big peppery Goldings hop bouquet with tart fruit and toasted malt". On the palate is a "fine balance of biscuit malt, tangy fruit and spicey hop resins, followed by a long dry, quenching finish with a powerful presence of bitter hops" (Roger Protz, 2013)

 

I wish I could get all that when I taste a beer or even a red wine for that matter [rightful] .

 

Anyway there are a coulpe of AG recipes and one in particular from Owen Johnston, head brewer Moo Brew, has 45g of Styrian Goldings and 55g of Spalt added to the Whirlpool. Grain and Grape mod the recipe for partail and concentrate brewers. Both have big hop adds at o mins. I will be taking your advice, Anthony, and steering clear of huge late hop addittions.

 

Next up this week I should get down to the bottleshop and grab a Moo Brew Saison to try while I await my Wyeast 3726 which is in transit from CB. If they have a Dupont, which I doubt they will, I'll grab one of them as well.

[Beerlust]

Hi Scottie.

 

I have always respected your continued want to experiment in your brewing. Your recipe listings are always of interest to me on this forum, whether I decide to brew them as is, or at least to analyze, & work from. [joyful]

 

Given that respect, & that I have brewed one of your own recipes, here's my source near to the "Book of Clones" recipe for the Saison Dupont recipe I based my version on.

 

Saison Dupont - Book of Clones

 

Simply click on the images to enlarge, including the recipe book page. Draw your own conclusions & adjustments from there. [innocent]

 

The video showing the primary ferment is really cool.

 

Cheers,

 

Anthony.

 

 

[Scottie]

Anthony

Given your rap for the "How to Brew recipe", I'm thinking I should give it a go. I am wondering wheteher EKG instead of Saaz will work.

[Beerlust]

Hi Scottie.

 

For a first introduction, brew PB2's recipe. It's fantastic! [biggrin]

 

Don't complicate things by kegging it, just bottle it.

 

I just finishing 2 longnecks of the stuff after I got home tonight. Thoroughly enjoyable. [biggrin]

 

Cheers,

 

Anthony.

[Scottie]

Hi Scottie.

 

For a first introduction, brew PB2's recipe. It's fantastic! [biggrin]

 

Don't complicate things by kegging it, just bottle it.

 

I just finishing 2 longnecks of the stuff after I got home tonight. Thoroughly enjoyable. [biggrin]

 

Cheers,

 

Anthony.

Hey Anthony

I will bottle for sure. I have a <4.2% ABV rule, that I am finding it hard to stic kto at the minute, for kegging.

As for th eintroduction, DIY brewing for me has introduced me to almost every beer style that I have tried. Apart from Aussie (megaswill lagers) and European lagers the only other beer (style) I had tried prior to purchasing my DIY kit was in the form of a Fat Yak.

A boring 30 odd years I know [pinched]