Does a Saison Age Well?

[RLinNH]

I have had a Saison in the Primary now for a Week, and instead of kegging this Batch, I plan on bottling it as I really don't want a Saison on tap. It's more of a special occasion beer for me. Anywho, just wondering how Saison's age. I would think well what with a lot of the flavor being from the YEast and a Low IBU, but wondering what more experienced Saison drinkers here think.

 

[dwarven_stout]

I would certainly hope so, considering as they're one of the "designed to be aged" beers from the brew in winter/drink in summer era.

I've brewed two this winter, with 4 more planned. I'll be drinking them most of the summer. What was your recipe like?

 

[RLinNH]

I brewed NCBeernut's recipe. Here it is.https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f71/kill-devil-saison-179178/ Only thing I would do different next time would be adding the Honey about 3 days into the Primary versus adding it into the boil kettle just to see if it changes anything fermentation wise. We'll see how it turns out. What was your recipe like?

 

[AnOldUR]

Does a Saison Age Well?

History: A seasonal summer style produced in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium. Originally brewed at the end of the cool season to last through the warmer months before refrigeration was common. It had to be sturdy enough to last for months but not too strong to be quenching and refreshing in the summer.

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[RLinNH]

Oldsur comes through again. ;-)

 

[dwarven_stout]

Oldsur comes through again. ;-)

I beat him by a good 8 minutes with the same info.

I usually keep my saisons simple. 70% pilsner, 20% munich, 10% wheat, rye or spelt. Every once in a while I brew a 100% pilsner ala Dupont. Hops are ~25 IBUs bittering and an ounce or two of noble or English hops at 10 minutes.

 

[AnOldUR]

I beat him by a good 8 minutes with the same info.

Yeah, I'm old and slow on the 'puter.
By the time I look something up and post it everyone else has moved on.

All I can add is that I prefer the more traditional Wyeast 3724 to the 3711 used in the recipe linked above. Also like to hold the temperature steady in the 85 degree range for up to couple of months in the primary then bottle.

Which yeast did you use?

 

[dwarven_stout]

Yeah, I'm old and slow on the 'puter.
By the time I look something up and post it everyone else has moved on.

All I can add is that I prefer the more traditional Wyeast 3724 to the 3711 used in the recipe linked above. Also like to hold the temperature steady in the 85 degree range for up to couple of months in the primary then bottle.

Which yeast did you use?

I was using the 3724 with a red wine yeast or brett to finish up the fermentation after the Dupont started to slow down, but I've switch over to Al B's Saisson Brassiere strain: http://www.facebook.com/pages/East-Coast-Yeast/168646113149281
It's $8 for a culture (I've been top-cropping and washing it to reuse it for a string of saisons this winter), and limited stock/not always offered. The hassle is worth it, though- it's all the flavor of 3724 (plus a little more besides!) without the hassle.

 

[ChshreCat]

History: A seasonal summer style produced in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium. Originally brewed at the end of the cool season to last through the warmer months before refrigeration was common. It had to be sturdy enough to last for months but not too strong to be quenching and refreshing in the summer.

That's with a strictly traditional saison when they were a low-alcohol beer. Nowadays, folks tend to make them much higher gravity than they did back then. Mine sits near 9% abv and ages VERY well. I still have a few bottles left from a batch a year and a half ago and they're still amazing.

 

[RLinNH]

Yeah, I'm old and slow on the 'puter.
By the time I look something up and post it everyone else has moved on.

All I can add is that I prefer the more traditional Wyeast 3724 to the 3711 used in the recipe linked above. Also like to hold the temperature steady in the 85 degree range for up to couple of months in the primary then bottle.

Which yeast did you use?

I used WLP 566 Saison II Yeast. I have ramped the temps up to 78 degrees through 8 days of fermentation. So, I have a feeling that I'm good with leaving it at this temp for another 2 weeks? Yuh, it's all goooooodah!!!

 

[bovineblitz]

My saison I made in the summer was terrible young, I actually regretted it for a while. It's pretty good now.

 

[Shift]

That's with a strictly traditional saison when they were a low-alcohol beer. Nowadays, folks tend to make them much higher gravity than they did back then. Mine sits near 9% abv and ages VERY well. I still have a few bottles left from a batch a year and a half ago and they're still amazing.

Take the general ABV of the saisons here and cut it in half and it's somewhat traditional

Should be close to two years old by now, if you have any left that is.
How was the recipe, some flavor hops or just yeast all the way?
Any "special" changes due to the aging?

 

[ChshreCat]

My recipe is in the dropdown under my avatar.









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