I need wild ideas for modifying a 15 gallon batch of saison!!!

I'm brewing up a half-barrel of saison in a week or so. Grain bill will yield a pale brew of about 4 SRM: 60% pale, 20% rye, 10% munich, 10% flaked wheat. OG 1.045. French saison yeast (wyeast 3711). Around 20 IBUs.

I want to "do something" with one of the five carboys. Perhaps make a micro batch of wort, boil it with some American hop additions, add it to the not-too-full 3rd fermentor and make a saison IPA. Perhaps a micro batch of dark/chocolatey wort added to the saison. Perhaps a strong wort/sugar addition to make a "super saison." Or perhaps leave it be and have 15 gallons of fine, classic saison to quench my thirst as my local temperature crosses over into triple digits.

Any thoughts fellow brewers?

mix it with some mead & make a mead/saison (braggot)

Dark is nice
Fruit is nice too, if you like fruit beers.

I've been meaning to do a Belgian beer with pineapple and kiwi. You'd be my hero if you made something good out of that.

(shameless bump)

No other ideas out there on this board? Really?

Well first of all I would throw just a bit of acid malt into the grain bill. And secondly I would definitely throw Brett B into one of the secondary fermenters which will dry it out and give a really nice flavor. I do this with all my saisons and its amazing.

I'm going to be doing a chamomile-lavender saison for my wife sometime in the next coupla weeks (ingredients should arrive on Tuesday, so whenever I get a chance to brew after that...) No idea how that will turn out, but there's a "wild" idea for ya!

rwmiscik said:

Well first of all I would throw just a bit of acid malt into the grain bill. And secondly I would definitely throw Brett B into one of the secondary fermenters which will dry it out and give a really nice flavor. I do this with all my saisons and its amazing.

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Sadly, I won't have time to order any acidulated malt before brew day, but it's a great suggestion.

Bugs, aye? That sounds like a lot of fun. I think I might dump the dregs of an Orval or three into one of the fermentors!

jsweet said:

I'm going to be doing a chamomile-lavender saison for my wife sometime in the next coupla weeks (ingredients should arrive on Tuesday, so whenever I get a chance to brew after that...) No idea how that will turn out, but there's a "wild" idea for ya!

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Now we're talking. I've used chamomile in a few Belgian wits. I like 1 gram of loose dried chamomile per gallon of final batch size, added five minutes before flameout (and removed at flameout via a nylon stocking. Nice, delicate flavor.