Saison Cottage House Saison

[inkman15]

Looks like you took a large hydrometer sample to taste test because you know that you won't have a chance to drink any any the wedding, right?

Hahah yeah that's part of it....

 

[castillo556]

Tried second attempt today. Did a half batch and added 1 oz of grapefruit peels at flameout. Let's see how it goes...

 

[azscoob]

Tried second attempt today. Did a half batch and added 1 oz of grapefruit peels at flameout. Let's see how it goes...

That sounds interesting, post your results when it finishes out.

 

[inkman15]

To those of you who have bottled this, how much priming sugar did you use (assuming 5 gallons)?

I'm looking at a calculator that puts me at 5.1oz. Seems high to me tough I know the style demands high carbonation. Just want to make sure I don't overshoot it.

Hoping to bottle tonight.

Also - I was at 1.007 three days ago. I'm assuming this is done but I've seen minor bubbling in the airlock still. The issue is that I need to get this bottled ASAP in order to be ready for my wedding. Is there a big risk in bottling today if the gravity is about the same?

 

[pvpeacock]

I brewed this recipe 10 days ago using White Labs WLP565 because my LHBS didn't have Wyeast 3711. After I pitched the 565, I got nervous because of reviews I read complaining that the 565 could stall out and then restart weeks later. I started my fermentation at 75 degrees which held for the first 4 days and then the temperature slowly dropped until it was at 68 degrees yesterday. Because it 's in the one conical fermenter I own which does not have temperature control, I just had to let the temperature go wherever it wanted. I took a sample yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to see the Specific Gravity at 1.005. No stalling for me! I will leave it in the fermenter until this weekend and then keg it (unless the SG continues to fall). It tasted great, but not as strong or peppery as I expected.

 

[castillo556]

That sounds interesting, post your results when it finishes out.

Well the airlock smells great!

 

[ryno84]

Just wanted to say thanks for this recipe. I brewed it pretty much exactly as is, and after bottle conditioning for 7 weeks, it is by far the best beer I've brewed yet.

 

[azscoob]

Just wanted to say thanks for this recipe. I brewed it pretty much exactly as is, and after bottle conditioning for 7 weeks, it is by far the best beer I've brewed yet.

Glad to hear you love it!

I have a running theme whit most of my recipes I post here and elsewhere, I adhere to the KISS method, Keep It Simple Stupid! The more going on in a beer the more things seem to get muddled and vague.

 

[ten80]

I just can't leave good enough alone, so I modified the recipe for some additional "zest."

For a 11-gal batch, I added
1. zest of three tangerines at flameout
2. 1.5 lbs clover honey (.75 lbs to each carboy) 3-days into fermentation
2. 1.5 oz dry hops per 5-gal using Lemondrop hops (4.4% aa) at 8 or 9 days into fermentation
3. Added tea made from zest of one tangerine to one of the 5.5 gal carboys prior to bottling at about 20 days. Kegged remainder on same day.

Fermentation Notes: I pitched a 2-L starter into 11 gal and fermented at 63F, ramping to about 70F at the end. Fermentation went from about 1.060 to 1.012 in 8 days. Didn't measure gravity prior to kegging but it should be in the low 1.005 range.

I kegged 5 gal and have the remaining 5 gal (finished volume) in champagne bottles, primed for 3 volumes. Tastes great on tap and could even use more citrus zest and dry hopping next time. A slight honey flavor comes through with the light dry hop aroma. Yeast flavor is subdued, but definitely Belgian with some light ester notes. I bet the bottles will be even better after a short aging period of 2-4 months.

thanks AZSCOOB!

EDIT: I used the yeast cake to make an orange mead with a 1.077 OG. The gravity dropped to 1.002 by the FOURTH DAY of fermentation at about 64f. That's about 10% abv and still bubbling. I think this saison is a great way to generate some healthy yeast for a larger beer or mead.

 

[tgmartin000]

I'll be brewing this up today. Instead of the black pepper, I have a lb of black pepper candi sugar I plan on using. It's got a blend of 3 different kinds of black pepper...took a tiny taste test at the LHBS and it tasted killer.

They had about 15 different kinds of this flavored candi sugar....tried a ginger blonde ale made with it and it was quite tasty.

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

@azscoob

Wanted to say thanks one more time for the recipe. I entered it again in a local brew competition and took home a gold medal!

Cheers!

 

[azscoob]

@azscoob

Wanted to say thanks one more time for the recipe. I entered it again in a local brew competition and took home a gold medal!

Cheers!

Hells yeah! That sort of thing makes me a very proud papa! Congrats on the gold my friend! I need to scroll this thread and get a medal count going. :rockin::rockin:

 

[ultra_cas]

I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but used it as a base with a few modifications. One major change was Belgian Ale Yeast - 1214, as that's what I had on-hand, fermented at 70. Entered it as a Belgian Blonde, and came in second place in a competition. Great recipe, thanks!

 

[azscoob]

I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but used it as a base with a few modifications. One major change was Belgian Ale Yeast - 1214, as that's what I had on-hand, fermented at 70. Entered it as a Belgian Blonde, and came in second place in a competition. Great recipe, thanks!

Another awesome post! I love it!!!

 

[seandamnit]

All right, cracked open the first bottle tonight. This was not only my first AG, but first time using a lot of new equip i didnt have before (stir plate, wort chiller, turkey fryer, etc) so a lot could have gone wrong. Proud to say this turned out amazing, and is a huge confidence boost after producing some pretty poor stuff previously. OG was 1.059 or so, FG 1.005. Stuck to the recipe exactly, though i ended up with 4 gal of packaged beer as i wasnt familiar with how much my new turkey fryer would boil off in an hour. 3 weeks in primary between 68f and 75f, and 10 days in the bottle. Cant wait to see how it tastes with a little more time.

http://imgur.com/IQkpvA4
http://imgur.com/ZgDWsOO

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

Rang in the new year today by brewing a batch of this. I did make some changes, some out of necessity, some out of preference, and some out of sloppy brewing habits

I subbed the Fuggle and Sorachi FWH additions with Motueka (same amounts), used closer to 1.5 lbs of clover honey, and added the orange peel from roughly two oranges @ 5 mins.

Just pitched some washed 3711 a few minutes ago. Came in at 1056 @ 5.5 gallons.

I stupidly waited until after my first batch was gone before I brewed the third. Not making that same mistake again

I brewed this mid January and only now am getting around to bottling. Honestly, I expected it to be infected at this point (I had a much younger pale ale a few months ago that sat right next to the saison get infected).

Below is picture of what it looked like. I'm not worried about it but I can't decide if the picture shows an infection or a healthy batch. The white spots aren't bubbles but were small solid floating pieces.

The sample tasted great so I bottled it yesterday. I was hoping for a bit more orange flavor to come through but it hasn't (at least my warm and flat sample didn't )

 

[bolus14]

Mine looked much worse, similar but it looked like yours almost on top of the while thing. So far I've had around 10 bottles and no sign of any of them being infected.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Thanks for creating and sharing this recipe, azscoob! My brother and I brewed up an 8 gallon batch of this today. Followed your recipe exactly, with the exception of using Belle Saison yeast instead of the 3711. Smelled and looked awesome, and our OG came out at either 1.061 or 1.062 (buncha foam made it tough to see perfectly), so I'm hoping we managed to create something pretty close to your original.

I had visible airlock activity after about five hours, so I'm hoping the yeast is already happy and healthy. Now to be patient and wait for them to do their job...

 

[Floored]

I did my second brew of this two weeks ago but the first time using 3711. It smelled great a few days in but when I pulled a gravity sample yesterday it had a strong sulfur odor. The SG was 1.002 and I was planning on bottling next Saturday. Should I bother if the sulfur smell hasn't dissipated? Will it age out? I was planning on using some of the yeast from this batch on a Tank 7 clone but don't want to ruin it too.

Thanks in advance for your knowledgeable replies.

 

[Scriv]

Mine has been in the fermenter for 3 weeks now, I'm really curious how it's doing. I'm planning to leave it for another week but I may pull a sample today.

 

[Scriv]

Pulled a sample, 3 weeks in primary at room temp (75-80 degrees). The 3711 has chewed it down to 1.000 at this point. Sample tasted great, bucket smells fantastic, but I'm not sure if these are yeast rafts or an infection. Thoughts?

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1431292481.943615.jpg

 

[sikkingj]

Rafts, no worries...

 

[terrenum]

Hi there,
Looking for a basic Saison recipe and came across this "eternal" thread!!! going on since 2011 - must be great !!
I want to try adding rieslig grapes to a saison so I am looking at a very basic recipe without too much spices. Wanted to brew the original recipe from the first page of this thread. Since the riesling will add some sugar and raise the ABV% I was aiming for saison around 5% which would end up closer to 7-8 with the grapes I guess....
I have Sorachi and fuggle as well.
All of you out there that brewed the original version of this one, can you provide insights about adding grapes and if you think this could be a good end result?
Cheers

 

[bolus14]

I made the OG except used Saaz for the hops. The only Saisons I've tried with grapes was from Saranac. The only thing I got in that was a slight vinous character, nothing really fruity/grapey though. I think it would work well in this, but if your looking for the semi-sweet wine like character that Riesling is known for I don't think you'll get that.

 

[terrenum]

Thaks Bolus.
I am dfnitey aiming for a very dry version not a sweet riesling type of drink. I understand you get more of the vinous caractere and not the grapde juice.
Thanks

 

[inkman15]

Enjoyed my first bottle last night after patiently waiting 3 weeks for it to carbonate and condition. Really pleased with how it came out. Nice and dry with classic saison esters. Medium bodied. Big rocky head with excellent retention. Serving this at my wedding in 3 weeks!

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1431441527.115190.jpg

 

[m00ps]

I'll be brewing this up today. Instead of the black pepper, I have a lb of black pepper candi sugar I plan on using. It's got a blend of 3 different kinds of black pepper...took a tiny taste test at the LHBS and it tasted killer.

They had about 15 different kinds of this flavored candi sugar....tried a ginger blonde ale made with it and it was quite tasty.

Are those locally made and sold just there? Or can you buy them online? I was at a brew store the other day that had candi syrup designed for certain beers. I got a wit one with orange peels, coriander, and a bit of ginger in it. Kinda feels like cheating though. But with something as easy to overdo as black pepper, I'd definitely be interested in going the pre-made route

 

[tgmartin000]

Are those locally made and sold just there? Or can you buy them online? I was at a brew store the other day that had candi syrup designed for certain beers. I got a wit one with orange peels, coriander, and a bit of ginger in it. Kinda feels like cheating though. But with something as easy to overdo as black pepper, I'd definitely be interested in going the pre-made route

I think we might be talking about the same stuff. It was e Cascade Beer Candi Sugar. For whatever reason, the black pepper sugar isn't shown on their website.

http://www.cascadebeercandi.com/pageHome

Let me know how the Wit sugar turns out....sounds tasty. My saison is still fermenting...it'll be at least a month before I'll be able to taste the final version, but I need to take a gravity measurement pretty soon....fingers crossed.

 

[azscoob]

Enjoyed my first bottle last night after patiently waiting 3 weeks for it to carbonate and condition. Really pleased with how it came out. Nice and dry with classic saison esters. Medium bodied. Big rocky head with excellent retention. Serving this at my wedding in 3 weeks!

View attachment 277526

Awesome! Raise a glass at the reception for home brewing!

 

[pwnshop]

I had my first glass last night and I really enjoyed it. I, like a few others in this thread, had what appeared to be an infection. But it seems to taste ok. I bleach bombed all my gear and will replace all my hoses. I'm wondering if maybe this beer just looks a little weird near the end of fermentation? Like I said a lot of others seem to have the same experience.... Pic attached.

This was also my first time ever working with a pump for aeration and liquid yeast, so if it is infected I would imagine its because of my inexperience in those areas.

Either way it tastes pretty good and its superrrr strong. OG was 1.062 and FG was .996 !!!

I'll see how it ages and if its infected I'm sure relatively soon it will become obvious taste-wise

View attachment 1431547150247.jpg