Help on Saison

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bbrim

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Well to start out, I would like to harvest yeast to use here. What is a good commercial beer I can pick up and harvest from? When I harvest the yeast, what volume and gravity of wort should I add it to?
My next question is concerning the recipe itself. I've never made a Saison and want something that really showcases a great yeast but with some hop presence. Here is what I have so far.


6.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 60.00 %
2.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 20.00 %
2.00 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 20.00 %
1.50 oz Saaz [5.80 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 31.5 IBU

Mash at 149 for 75 minutes at a water/grain ratio of 1.25/1.00.
The room I ferment in is sitting around 74 and is very stable. I will start fermentation in this room and expect the temp. to kick up to the low 80's after fermentation slows I'll move it upstairs where it is 5-8 degrees warmer. Any advice or tips for this brew will be greatly appreciated!
 
I've never harvested yeast from a commercial brew myself. But dupont would be great. I imagine they use the same yeast for any of their saisons, but Saison Dupont Vieille Provision is the classic.

As for the recipe it looks great, I'd scale back the Munich myself, I didn't do the math but the colour may approach the upper limit of the style. That only matters for competition though.

You should also consider adding some sugar to help attenuate it down. It's not a necessity, but that seems to be quite common. Up to 20% is acceptable.

I don't know your efficiency or target OG but my recent 6 gallon batch for 1.057 at 68% was:

11lbs Pils
.75 Munich
.75 Wheat malt
2 oz caramunich
1 lbs of sugar

I used goldings and saaz @ 60. And 1 oz of Saaz at 1 minute. about 29 ibus total.

Good luck!
 
I'd back the munich down to 10-15%. This style is supposed to be dry and crisp, not malty like the munich will give you.

A high attenuation is desired in this style so make sure you mash low, 148-149, and use anywhere from 10-20% sugar of the grist. Something I've done is add half the sugar at flameout, and add the rest when primary fermentation begins to slow. I make a simple syrup of sorts to sanitize the solution and add. It helps kick back up the fermentation.

Be sure to do an extra long boil with pils to boil off dms.

Dont bother harvesting dupont. Just use WL565. Same thihg. It typically stall about 2/3 through fermentation, so climb the temps as it slows, and be patient. I've heard that it kicks back in after a while. Or you can also add a neutral yeast like chico to finish it off with a neutral/attenuative strain to allow the 565 character to shine through.
 
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