Saison Cottage House Saison

[Shenanigans]

IME, you cant really get a watery beer with wy3711. Ive used it in saisons around 1.050 that ended below 1.000 and they still had more character and body than most commercial attempts. I always have around 30% wheat/rye/oats in mine too though. But this is in addition to cane sugar too so... YMMV

Don't quote me on this but I think I read somewhere this strain produces more than normal amounts of propylene glycol as a by-product which adds to the body/mouth feel. Hence even at 1.000 is doesn't taste thin.

 

[pmaster]

Awesome beer. I just tasted my first bottle (bottle-conditioned for 2 weeks). My first impression was that it was a little to strong on the citrus, but after a few sips think its very, very nice. Definitely one I will re-brew in the future. I can't wait to enjoy it on a sunny afternoon!

 

[TandemTails]

I'm really looking forward to brewing this one but would like to split the batch in two, leaving one half alone and adding some hibiscus pedals and lemon zest to another half.

I'm thinking about fermenting the entire duration of primary in a brewing bucket and then at 2 weeks I'll rack it to two separate 3 gallon carboys where one gets the adjuncts.

Does this sound like an alright plan or would I be better off simply splitting the batch from the start and doing both primary and secondary in separate 3 gallon carboys, avoiding racking?

 

[m00ps]

I'm really looking forward to brewing this one but would like to split the batch in two, leaving one half alone and adding some hibiscus pedals and lemon zest to another half.

I'm thinking about fermenting the entire duration of primary in a brewing bucket and then at 2 weeks I'll rack it to two separate 3 gallon carboys where one gets the adjuncts.

Does this sound like an alright plan or would I be better off simply splitting the batch from the start and doing both primary and secondary in separate 3 gallon carboys, avoiding racking?

I would split it from the start. I dont see the point of needing to rack to a secondary for adding somethign small like hibiscus and citrus zest. The less you transfer the beer the better

 

[TandemTails]

I would split it from the start. I dont see the point of needing to rack to a secondary for adding somethign small like hibiscus and citrus zest. The less you transfer the beer the better

That makes sense. That's the route I went when I did a split batch of the centennial blonde ale from the recipe DB as well.

 

[arnobg]

Wanted to chime in and update my results of this brew. It has been on tap in the keg almost a month now and I have to say I think it hit it's best within the last week. Everyone that has tried this has absolutely loved it including the few BMC friends. They loved how strong it was (7.7%) but didn't taste it.

I just boxed up four bottles to send in to a BJCP competition so I can get helpful feedback. Thanks for a great recipe!

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1463191642.666501.jpg

 

[azscoob]

Wanted to chime in and update my results of this brew. It has been on tap in the leg almost a month now and I have to say I think it hit it's best witching the last week. Everyone that has tried this has absolutely loved it including the few BMC friends. They loved how strong it was (7.7%) but didn't taste it.

I just boxed up four bottles to send in to a BJCP competition so I can get helpful feedback. Thanks for a great recipe!

View attachment 354278

That looks beautiful! I wish you luck in the competition! Do post the results!

 

[sunshine22]

Has anyone tried this with WLP 550? First belgian attempt and I found a great deal on this yeast.

 

[zango]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1463353977.372498.jpg

Brewed this up with a few friends a couple weeks ago. Tastes awesome, head retention is amazing, it sticks around right until the end. Love it.

 

[Bobo1898]

The recipe is great as is and the beer is delicious.

The second time I went to brew this, blood oranges were in season so I couldn't help myself. Kept the recipe the same, but added blood orange peel at the end of the boil and then added 3 lbs of blood oranges (pureed) in secondary for two weeks. Still turned out pretty great.

 

[kombat]

I'm planning on brewing this this weekend, and I have a question about the honey. I've never used honey before, and I've bought 2 500g jars of pure, natural honey (I'm only planning on using 1). It's got the layer of crystalization on the top. I'm thinking it would be easier to add to the boil if I warm it up first to soften it. I was planning on standing the jar in a bowl/pot of warm/hot water once I start the boil, so it will soften and make it easier to pour in at the end of the boil. Has anyone done something similar? Is there a better/preferred way? Is my plan sound?

 

[govner1]

Sounds like a solid plan. Kind of like using LME.
You can also, carefully, spoon a little hot wort into the contains to get it all out.
Make sure you stir thoroughly to dissolve the honey so it doesn't settle to the bottom of your BK and scorch. Don't be too vigorous to avoid hot side aeration.

 

[arnobg]

I added my honey at flame out and the results were fantastic and you don't have to worry about scorching. Adding at flame out also keeps some more of the aromatics and flavor from the honey. Loosening it up as you mentioned helps, I also do that.

 

[pmaster]

This is my top brew so far. My only regret is that I'm already running out. Gotta brew it again very soon!

 

[azscoob]

This is my top brew so far. My only regret is that I'm already running out. Gotta brew it again very soon!

Here is what I do... Brew this as a 10 gallon batch, when you tap that first keg or crack open that first bottle, brew another 10 gallons! Repeat this procedure in perpetuity.....

 

[azscoob]

Don't be too vigorous to avoid hot side aeration.

I believe hot side aeration to a bit of a myth, I avoid aeration post fermentation to avoid oxidation of the finished product. But pre-fermentation you actually want oxygen to be present to promote healthy yeast. That's why they say that you should shake your carboy prior to pitching the yeast, or using an aeration stone or similar device, I use a cone shaped fan nozzle when I pump wort from the kettle to the carboy, to help aerate the wort prior to pitching.

 

[govner1]

When you talk about shaking, oxygenation, etc., your wort is or should be chilled to pitching temps. "hot-side" aeration is just that. Introducing too much oxygen while the wort is still hot (in BK) by stirring too vigorously, etc.

 

[arnobg]

Hot side aeration has pretty much been debunked numerous times on the homebrew level.

http://brulosophy.com/2014/11/18/is-hot-side-aeration-fact-or-fiction-exbeeriment-results/

 

[Rhaop]

Charlie Bamforth spoke on brewstrong and said any hot side aeration is basically wiped out by a healthy fermentation, post fermentation aeration is the real danger and by keeping the finished package product cold is best way to perverse flavor

 

[armenianbrewer]

Has anyone tried making this with some honey malt? Maybe 5% tops? Thoughts?

 

[Brew-Dog]

Has anyone tried making this with some honey malt? Maybe 5% tops? Thoughts?

Yup! I was too cheap to buy honey, so I subbed the honey for regular sugar. But since I still wanted to add a little bit of honey character, I added some honey malt (3% of the grist), but I also cut back the caramunich to about 2% to balance out the total amount of crystal/caramel malt in the recipe. It turned pretty well!

 

[arnobg]

I am extremely happy with the honey flavor and aromatics provided in my brew from orange blossom honey at flameout. I haven't tried it without yet but I'd say it would be hard to replicate this exact flavor I am picking up without honey.

 

[kombat]

I got my 5L yeast starter going Wednesday night on the stir plate (Wyeast 3711), and it's still going strong this morning. I'm planning on cold-crashing it tonight, and brewing on Sunday. What temperature should I ferment this batch at? I want to lean toward a subdued Belgian character, rather than a big, bold, in-your-face clove and pepper Belgian presence. I'm thinking 65 - 68°F?

 

[armenianbrewer]

I am extremely happy with the honey flavor and aromatics provided in my brew from orange blossom honey at flameout. I haven't tried it without yet but I'd say it would be hard to replicate this exact flavor I am picking up without honey.

Thank you for your input! I was actually thinking of using the honey malt in addition to the honey at flame out as well, not in place of.. do you think that would over do it? Kind of split the caramunich in half and replace with honeymalt or something along those lines

 

[bolus14]

What temperature should I ferment this batch at? I want to lean toward a subdued Belgian character, rather than a big, bold, in-your-face clove and pepper Belgian presence. I'm thinking 65 - 68°F?

I ferment most of my saisons starting at 60 and let it free rise, usually gets to 72-75. This has given a good balance of saison funk and good esters. Depending on the strain I've gotten balance spice too, 566 gives good pepper character. 3711 provides nice Belgian fruit in this range. First few weeks in the bottle the funkiness might seem overpowering but then fades and plays a background role.

 

[arnobg]

Thank you for your input! I was actually thinking of using the honey malt in addition to the honey at flame out as well, not in place of.. do you think that would over do it? Kind of split the caramunich in half and replace with honeymalt or something along those lines

Hopefully someone else can chime in on that but I honestly don't know because I have yet to try honey malt in a saison. I do know that it can be pretty potent though and should keep it around 2-5% at most.

 

[Electrake]

Just a short review,
I brewed this using wlp 568, it fermented down to 1.002 in a week, dry hopped with 2oz whole leaf citra for 5 days, cold crashed 24 hours kegged, force carbed and brought to a music festival.
It was amazing... This will be a staple recipe for me to tweak to my own liking, and play around with different yeast varieties. danstar is next.

 

[Electrake]

Also, it fermented at 68 the first two days, then i could only get it to rise to 75 due to lack of fermentation chamber... Blankets FTW

 

[Pole]

All set to go for tomorrow.

LHBS was out of Sorachi Ace, so I'm using Motueka instead.

 

[TandemTails]

This is the first beer I'll brew on my new system (i have an actual kettle and mash tun now instead of a single pot BIAB system) and I have a question about the water amounts.

Are the amounts listed prior to heating or after heating? I'm assuming the 3.58 gallons of water for the mash is room temp water and not the amount at mash temp. Is that correct?

If that's the case, then it looks like I'll need 8.33 gallons of cold water to start with for a 5 gallon batch?