I tried this recipe and got a different result than others appear to have experienced. Admittedly, I made a couple of changes based upon what was available at the LHBS at the time, but the odd result seems to be from the yeast strain. Tell me what you think:
Had to use German pils instead of Belgian.
Hopped with Magnum and Saphir: 0.6oz Mag @ 60min, 1oz Sap @ 20min, 1oz Sap @ 1min.
4.2lbs XL DME @ 20min instead of the pale LME.
Left out the sugar because I prefer lower octane drink.
2L starter Wyeast 3711.
Fermented at ambient (68F-70F).
The odd result is that while I did not detect any such aroma in the starter, my beer has a dominant clove-like flavor that is strikingly similar to what you get from a german weissbier yeast strain.
Did anyone else pick up a clove-ish spice flavor? If so, maybe the hop schedule I used accentuated that. The pils wouldn't have had anything to do with it, I assume?
That said, the strain is a champ and fermented out fully and quickly. Also, the grain bill is excellent on this recipe. The wheat malt is a nice touch and is just noticeable. I can't comment on the hops since I went far afield from the OP's recipe on that. My saison is a good beverage, but it doesn't taste much like what I think a saison should be because of the dominant clove flavor. Next time I will try to get a more balanced and nuanced flavor profile. Maybe I will try hopping as described.