All-Grain - The Minstrel Sour

**saq** · 09-02-2009, 10:24 PM

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: WLP645
Yeast Starter: 4L
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5
Original Gravity: 1.086
Final Gravity: 1.006
IBU: 20
Boiling Time (Minutes): 90
Color: 18.4
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 31 @ 70f
Additional Fermentation: n/a
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 21 @ 75f
Tasting Notes: n/a

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Recipe: The Minstrel
Brewer: saq
Asst Brewer:
Style: Saison
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.30 gal
Boil Size: 7.34 gal
Estimated OG: 1.080 SG
Estimated Color: 18.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 20.0 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
9.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 53.73 %
6.00 lb Rye Malt (4.7 SRM) Grain 35.82 %
0.50 lb Special B Malt BYOB (140.0 SRM) Grain 2.99 %
0.25 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 1.49 %
1.00 oz Sterling [6.20 %] (90 min) Hops 20.0 IBU
1.00 items Servomyces (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
2.00 gm Paradise Seeds (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
18.00 gm Dried Elderflowers (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1.00 lb Date Sugar (3.0 SRM) Sugar 5.97 %
1 Pkgs Brettanomyces claussenii (White Labs #WLP6Yeast-Ale

Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 15.75 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Medium Body
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 24.00 qt of water at 168.8 F 156.0 F
10 min Mash Out Add 8.00 qt of water at 209.6 F 168.0 F

Notes:
------
5/11/09 - 1.080 OG, higher than expected. The fruity elderberry flavor almost comes through the sweetness of the wort.
5/26/09 - 1.058 SG, brett seemed slow to respond, no visible activity until 4 days later.
5/30/09 - Raised fridge temp to 70f, brett seemed to wake up, small but thick looking foam at the top.
6/3/09 - After some significant airlock activity took a gravity reading, 1.034, not too shabby. Tastes fairly tart and flowery.
6/8/09 - Did another gravity reading, 1.020, seems to have cooled down with the fridge when lowering initial Pious v1 fermentation temp, time to add the dates.
6/10/09 - Fermentation has slowed in fridge with temp at 65f, took out of fridge to ferment at ambient 78-80f temperature.
7/1/09 - The beer is definitely done, 1.006. Very clear, very tart, very flowery, very funky, good stuff. Kegged and chilling.
7/2/09 - Put 20PSI on and shook a few times, left on for carbonation.
7/5/09 - First taste test, carbonation level is almost there.

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Heres a link to the development of this recipe and a lot of discussions about what happened
The Minstrel - A crazy, funky 100% brett fermented beer

andobajando · 09-02-2009, 11:49 PM

How is it coming along? Gone?

**saq** · 09-02-2009, 11:56 PM

Yep, down to about 10 bottles which are going to various competitions through the rest of the year. Its a fantastic beer and I look forward to more all-brett beers. I hope to be stepping up to 10g batches soon so I can start doing more experimental fermentations with brett while doing less work. Its hard for me to brew more often than every other week

**saq** · 10-04-2009, 05:09 AM

I placed Silver with this beer in the Arizona Society of Homebrewers as a 23A. People loved it but said there were a lot of flavors going on with the spicy rye, chocolate malt, dates AND brett. Its true, but in a good way

Freezeblade · 10-06-2009, 06:13 PM

I just opened one of these up as a celebration of my last day of summer vacation (my school starts late). Saq had given me one a few months ago at the Stone Sour Beer tasting.

Appearance:
Pours a deep amber/light brown, much like the color of medium brown sugar. Little Hazy with a one finger off-white head that faded to a 1/8inch lasting, silky head which persisted through the whole beer, wonderful lacing (must be from all the rye).

Aroma:
Awesome sour/sweet smell with a little "barnyard." slight pineapple as it warms up.

Taste:
Taste is quite sweet for such a low FG, but not even close to cloying. Very back leaves some dates and veiled rummy notes. Not nearly as sour as it smells. Wonderful silky mouthfeel.

Overall:
Easy drinker, very impressed by the silky lacing. I would have liked to see maybe some more sour that was in the aroma to appear in the pallet, but brett isn't known for being too sour. would be a good beer for someone who wants to try sour beers, but doesn't want to go whole-hog into a beer that smells and tastes like a pile of gym socks after a marathon run.

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