7. Maiden Voyage - Saison
Saison's are all the rage these days and it is easy to see why. They are super versatile and really lend themselves to the be an open palette for the craft brewer. The commercial versions often lend themselves towards Saison Dupot territory which often reads like the descriptors for a white wine: dry, a little tart, hay, grass, sea breeze on the nose, complex. But a whole world of saison's have been cropping up from low alcohol petite Saison's to funky Dark Saisons, to highly hopped IPA like Saisons. I've been impressed with Tank 7 from Boulevard, which is big and more fruity, but still very dry, and notable for the use of american hops.
Fermentables
Ingredient | Amount | % | MCU | When |
Belgian Pilsen Malt | 16lb 0oz | 66.7 % | 2.3 | In Mash/Steeped |
Malted Spelt | 3lb 0oz | 12.5 % | 0.6 | In Mash/Steeped |
Belgian Pale Wheat Malt | 2lb 0oz | 8.3 % | 0.3 | In Mash/Steeped |
US Rice Hulls | 1lb 0oz | 4.2 % | 0.0 | In Mash/Steeped |
Sugar - White Sugar/Sucrose | 2lb 0oz | 8.3 % | 0.0 | Start Of Boil |
Hops
Variety | Alpha | Amount | IBU | Form | When |
US Citra | 13.4 % | 1.50 oz | 29.9 | Loose Whole Hops | 60 Min From End |
US Mount Hood | 6.1 % | 1.00 oz | 9.1 | Loose Whole Hops | 60 Min From End |
US Willamette | 5.7 % | 1.00 oz | 4.2 | Loose Whole Hops | 15 Min From End |
US Crystal | 3.4 % | 2.00 oz | 0.0 | Loose Whole Hops | At turn off |
US Citra | 13.4 % | 0.50 oz | 0.0 | Loose Whole Hops | At turn off |
Other Ingredients
Ingredient | Amount | When |
Irish Moss | 1.00 oz | In Boil |
Yeast Nutrient | 1.00 oz | In Boil |
Yeast
Wyeast 3711-French Saison
Wyeast 3724-Belgian Saison
Mash Schedule
Mash Type: | Full Mash |
Schedule Name: | Single Step Infusion (66C/151F) |
Mash Notes
Added Strikewater at 159deg F Mash settled out at 149deg F at 8:50. 8 gallons would be a little over 1.5qt/lb. Mashed 1 hour.Sparge strike at 180deg F. 6 gallons.
Low efficiency in this one: 72.4%. Pilsen malt? Didn't stir? Spelt? The fact that I had my mash tun valve open when I started mashing and spilled the first running on the floor? Probably some version of all of the above. I am going to add sugar to bring it backup. Probably 2lbs.
Boil Notes
Boil started with 13g at 10:45.Citra & Mount Hood at 11:15.
Willamette at 12:00.
Sugar, Irish Moss and Yeast Nutrient 12:10.
Citra & Crystal at 12:15.
Fermentation Notes
6 gallons on the French Saison Yeast, 5 Gallons on the Belgian Saison Yeast. Both kicked off in the high 70s. The Belgian got a brew belt to keep it up there. In the morning both were very vigorous. The stick-on thermometer on the Belgian was off it's chart: at least 83+deg F. The French was at 76.At 2 weeks in primary the French was down to 1.006 the Belgian was down to 1.015. The French had been averaging about 70deg F and the Belgian with the brew belt had stayed up at 80deg F, going up over the stick on thermometer's range for a while in teh beginning.
I let them go one more week. At week 3 the French was at 1.002 and the belgian was at 1.005. Pretty awesome. Both were clearing out and the airlock activity was pretty near done. I blended half of each into a corny keg and racked the other halves to 3g glass carboys without any heat. Both tasted great, though the French was cleaner and fruitier. The Belgian was floral and still a little raw on the yeast spice. I figured the Tank 7 Saison to be Belgian but I think it is made with the French strain based on the first tasting. It will be interesting to see how they evolve.