Lemon Ginger Saison

[troglodytes]

I'm looking to combine the amazing flavor combo of lemon, ginger and pepper into a saison. I'm hoping the 3711 fermented low, plus a large amount of rye will mimic the black pepper taste. I think this should be about a 7%-er that is still easy enough to drink and pairs well with all of the fresh and spicy foods I eat in the summer (notably Thai). I've done plenty of ginger saisons, so I'm pretty confident in my preferred ginger level as a stand alone spice, so I'm thinking of reducing my norm a little bit to make way for the pepper notes from the yeast and the lemon from the hops/zest.

Give me your thoughts!

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Wyeast 3711
Yeast Starter: ~1L Vitality
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5
Original Gravity: 1.061
Final Gravity: 1.006
IBU: 30
Boiling Time: 90 Min
Color: 4 SRM
Mash: 150F for 90 Mins
Primary Fermentation: 3 Days @ 65F, Ramp and hold at 72F for 3-4 weeks


Grains:
8# Belgian Pilsner
3# Rye
.6# Sugar (Sucrose)

Hops:
.5oz Sorachi Ace (FWH)
.5oz Sorachi Ace 10 Min
.5oz Sorachi Ace Flame Out

Adjuncts:
1oz Ginger (Fresh, Grated) 5 Min
1 Large Lemon (Fresh, Peel Only) 5 Min

Water:
Ca-50
Mg-15
Na-40
SO4-80
Cl-60
Lactic Acid in Mash to keep pH low (5.2-5.3)

 

[jerbrew]

If you're going for a noticeable presence of pepper against all that lemon and ginger you might consider some grains of paradise or cracked black pepper. My experience with 3711 fermenting in the high 60s is that it won't produce enough "pepperyness" to stand up against the sorachi, lemon, and ginger you have in there. However, as is this looks like a great saison so you may just wanna try it and see if you wont more pepper flavor on your next batch.

 

[troglodytes]

Can anyone tell me whether there's a need for any oats, or maybe switch some of the rye to flaked in order to get the proteins correct for body/head retention? Or will that amount of rye do the trick?

I was also wondering whether for a little more color whether some Aromatic could do the trick would would it be too bready for the flavor I'm going for.

 

[Morrey]

I put together a recipe trying to come close to a Brooklyn Sorachi Ace. I didn't use rye but instead used 1 # flaked oats along with Pils malts. Good mouthfeel but I like your inclusion of rye....maybe some of each?

I got good lemon from the hops (dill too) but I really think the ginger will make this beer pop. Grains of Paradise added near the end of boil is going to work for your peppery note. My beer came out very lemon yellow but that was my goal. I sometimes throw in a palmful of Melanoidin to deepen the hue if that's your goal.