Draconian Libations: Biere de Miel-Abricot

(Honey Apricot Saison)

1.063 OG
1.012 FG
6.7% ABV
28 IBU
5.4 SRM

70.5% Belgian Pilsner Malt
15.2% Orange Blossom Honey
11.4% Dark Wheat Malt
01.9% Acidulated Malt
01.0% Honey Malt

1.50 oz - US Saaz - 60 Min
0.25 oz - US Saaz - 15 Min
0.25 oz - US Saaz - 0 Min

Add honey @ flameout

3711 - French Saison

Olive Nation Apricot Extract at bottling

90 Min Mash @ 156
6.5 gallon batch

This beer is brewing as I type this post. My dear friend came up with this idea for his wedding so I wrote this recipe.

Subscribing to steal 2nd on this recipe!

Assuming you starting at 156 and letting it drop in temp?

mbobhat said:

Subscribing to steal 2nd on this recipe!

Assuming you starting at 156 and letting it drop in temp?

Click to expand...

Mashed in to 156 and sealed up in my insulated cooler-tun. It had dropped to around 152 in 90 mins. With the ferocity of 3711 and all of the honey, I'm trying to have fermentation arrest between 1.008 and 1.010 although I suspect it will go lower. I missed high on OG...to 1.062.

Ambient temp is locked in at 60 in my ferm fridge. I'm attempting to limit the overly fruity esters and to capture the full spice of the yeast.

The low fermentation temp works well to inhibit strong esters and emphasize a nice peppery/clove phenol character. Delicious so far. Of course, not making a starter and fermenting low has made for a slower fermentation as it started last Thurs at 1.063 and is only down to 1.027. The flavor is very very good. Can't wait to get the apricot in this.

This beer is exceptional. I'm bottling it today for the wedding. I never like a specialty ingredient to take center stage in my recipe writing. Thus, I'm only adding a single 4 oz bottle of extract rather than the 5-7 oz suggested. When I measured it out and made a sample with my gravity sample, I get this nice underlying note of apricot. The beer finished at 1.012 which is what I was hoping for because I want a touch of malty sweetness to balance the fruit and the honey. I cannot wait to drink this.

Sounds tasty. Cheers!