Adding body and flavor to a saison recipe

[beauvafr]

The recipe I use is pretty simple. It's Pilsen Light DME with Tettnanger, Styrian Golding and Wyeast 3724. Some coriander too.

What could I add to body and flavor? I was thinking of specialty grain. Maybe one strain.

What to start with ? Aromatic Malt?

Also, adding wheat DME with the pilsen. Will it help?

 

[aiptasia]

Maybe a little vienna malt. The wheat malt extract is usually a mix of wheat extract and pale malt extract. It will add body to your beer but will leave them a little cloudy, which is typical of wheat beer styles. The aromatic malt is better suited to it's namesake, adding malt aroma to the beer.

 

[GuldTuborg]

Wheat DME would be a pretty standard choice. It might increase the perception of body some, but not in a major way. Honestly, if you want a saison, and you want more body and flavor than your last batch with that recipe, I'd ferment a little higher (flavor) and carbonate a bit higher, too (body). That should do the trick.

Saisons are supposed to be light in body, and that yeast will give you plenty of character if handled well. But, if you're not happy with the standard approach, you can always color outside of the lines. This is homebrewing, after all. The only palate you have to please is your own. Additions like flaked wheat or barley, rye, or vienna malt (as stated above) would be good. The Vienna would have to be mashed, though. You could also get rid of the sugar and replace it with more DME. That would give you more body, too.

 

[beauvafr]

Thank you both guys, great tips!

@GuldTuborg : are you talking of adding rye malt as specialty grains? Any suggestion for the ratio over DME?

 

[GuldTuborg]

Actually, rye malt would need to be mashed, too. Sorry about that oversight. If you don't want to get into mashing, Northern Brewer sells a rye malt extract, and if you look around enough, you can find crystal rye malts, too. Rebel Brewer has one that's not too dark, some 50L. If you go the crystal rye route, go very light on it - I think the rye extract option would be better, if you want to try this. Personally, I like it, but it's plenty easy to make a good saison without.

Anything around 10% rye by extract would be subtle, but noticeable. Over 20% would be present to very obvious. I've used up to 25% before, with good results, but the rye is definitely there.