Brewing a Saison

[bastump218]

Next brew is going to be a Saison any suggestions on spicing and yeast strains????

 

[Nateo]

spice - none
yeast - T-58

I'm sure everyone else in the world prefers 3711 or 3724.

 

[beergolf]

No spice.

Never used T-58. So I can't comment on that.

3711 is easier to use but gives a milder Saison. It is a beast and will ferment really dry.

3724 has more Flavor but sometimes can take a little work to get it to finish. It will but usually needs to be warmed up and given a lot of time to finish.

 

[bastump218]

Not even coriander or orange peel????

 

[midfielder5]

Not even coriander or orange peel????

you are confusing a saison w a belgian wit.

 

[JonM]

I'm another vote for no spice. I made one last year that was just pilsner mashed low and very low hops and fermented with one of those white labs saison blend yeasts It was one of my favorites to date and I can't wait for hot summer temps so I can make it again.

 

[stevea1210]

I've brewed around 10 or so saisons....drinking a rye saison right now. I've tried wlp565, wlp568 and wy 3711. I've had the best success with the wyeast 3711.

It doesn't give the strong clove that you can get with other strains, but it will ferment out like a champ.

While I don't do coriander or orange peel in saisons, one thing I often add is ginger. I like ginger in my saisons. That spicy note from the ginger adds a nice flavor.

 

[Rogue14]

I am drinking my first ever Saison right now. I used WY 3724. It does have a strong clove like profile. It is nice and dry and I hopped it with 30 IBU of amarillo. The amarillo and the 3724 give it a strong fruit profile.

I want to brew another and will give the 3711 a try. Stevea do you have a recipe for that rye saison? It sound interesting can you share more about it?

Slainte!

 

[stevea1210]

I am drinking my first ever Saison right now. I used WY 3724. It does have a strong clove like profile. It is nice and dry and I hopped it with 30 IBU of amarillo. The amarillo and the 3724 give it a strong fruit profile.

I want to brew another and will give the 3711 a try. Stevea do you have a recipe for that rye saison? It sound interesting can you share more about it?

Slainte!

sure, here's the recipe:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/14595754/Ticket to rye saison #71 .html

I brewed this as a donation to the homebrewers ball. It was a fundraiser that featured 25 batches of homebrew, tons of food, multiple bands. It was a great event for a great cause that I was proud to be a part of. http://homebrewersball.eventbrite.com/

Of course I brewed 10 gallons....5 for the homebrewers ball....5 for me.

 

[bastump218]

I am drinking my first ever Saison right now. I used WY 3724. It does have a strong clove like profile. It is nice and dry and I hopped it with 30 IBU of amarillo. The amarillo and the 3724 give it a strong fruit profile.

I want to brew another and will give the 3711 a try. Stevea do you have a recipe for that rye saison? It sound interesting can you share more about it?

Slainte!

I was thinking of going with about 25 to 30 IBU Of CITRA hops. I live their flavor profile and think it would turn out pretty good....

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

Saison works with almost any flavor combination. You can go through your spice rack and add almost anything you find. Pepper, ginger, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, cumin, tumeric, coriander, etc. You don't necessarily have to make those additions to make a great saison. You might want to brew your first batch with no spices just to get a feel for the yeast flavor profile then go from there.

 

[Nateo]

The best "saison" I've brewed so far was 1/2 100% pils fermented with T-58, and 1/2 dry mead with the juice of 3 grapefruits. I think with all beers you should be mindful of the finished acidity, but with saison in particular you need to have just the right amount of acidity to make it "pop."

 

[Rogue14]

sure, here's the recipe:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/14595754/Ticket%20to%20rye%20saison%20%2371%20.html

I brewed this as a donation to the homebrewers ball. It was a fundraiser that featured 25 batches of homebrew, tons of food, multiple bands. It was a great event for a great cause that I was proud to be a part of. http://homebrewersball.eventbrite.com/

Of course I brewed 10 gallons....5 for the homebrewers ball....5 for me.

Looks like a good recipe. I've never worked with corn sugar. Does it get added to the boil or to the mash?

 

[pjj2ba]

Add it to the boil at any time (give it at least 5 min. though). The earlier you add it, it might caramelize a little and darken the color. Besides helping to "dry out" (finish with a lower FG) the beer, the corn sugar (glucose) causes the yeast to increase ester formation.

 

[mcduhamel]

I like the 3711. It's predictable and makes a very dry saison. My favorite saisons are not spiced, and I don't spice mine. That said, I see no reason one couldn't add some spice, but I'd be very cautious not to over do it. To me, the spice notes should come from the yeast, working in conjunction with the right hops and maybe some interesting grain additions (like rye).

 

[Rogue14]

The WY3724 I used has a bit too strong as far as the flavor profile. I threw some champagne yeast in to dry it out. It got down to about 1.007 and I probably could/should have let it go lower but I was really anxious to try it.
I am excited to try the WY 3711.