Extract saison WY 3711

[rhys333]

Hey everyone,

My Dad would like to bres an extract version of my saison and has asked me to give him a simple recipe. He prefers a no boil procedure. I'd appreciate your input on what I have so far.

70% Extra -light Muntons hopped DME.
30% Muntons wheat DME (hopped if available)
WY 3711 French Saison

Since it'll be no boil, if he wants flavor/aroma hops I might suggest boiling 1 oz of aroma hops in a few cups of water for 10 minutes and then add to his 5 or 6 gallons of wort. I'm wondering, does anybody know the IBU values for hopped DME? This will be a 5% abv max beer, so I'm thinking its best to stay between 25-30 IBUs. Since 3711 attenuates 93% in my experience with it, I'll plan tbe recipe for a low OG of around 1.044.

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[rhys333]

Anyone?

 

[unionrdr]

A hop tea would work if boiled for 15 minutes or so to add hop flavor. But if he doesn't boil, you might have him use a bit of pre-hopped DME to get the bittering.

 

[rhys333]

Thanks union. Any ideas what ibus i get from the hopped dme? Wondering if all or only bart of the extract should be hopped.

 

[ricshayne]

id take the 40-50 bucks he's going to spend on extract and go buy some actual saison with it, no boil saison using hopped extract sounds awful to me

 

[rhys333]

Actually, it'll cost him about $0.65 - $0.70 per pint bottle tops (or around $33 for 6 gallons), but thanks for sharing.

I'm an all-grain brewer and a fan of saisons, but I'm willing to bet a decent saison can be made using 100% extract and even the no-boil method. I'd like to help my dad to that since it's his preferred way of doing it.

 

[Calder]

I have no idea what IBUs are in hopped extract. You might want to find a recipe and back-calculate from there.

Saisons are not heavily hopped, I think I'd start with around half the extract as hopped, and the other as regular.

Why use the wheat?

I don't think there is any real need for any flavor hops. You might want to try a small does of dry hops, maybe Amarillo.

I know 3711 attenuates well, but I think I would add about 10% plain table sugar too.

 

[rhys333]

I have no idea what IBUs are in hopped extract. You might want to find a recipe and back-calculate from there.

Saisons are not heavily hopped, I think I'd start with around half the extract as hopped, and the other as regular.

Why use the wheat?

I don't think there is any real need for any flavor hops. You might want to try a small does of dry hops, maybe Amarillo.

I know 3711 attenuates well, but I think I would add about 10% plain table sugar too.

Thanks Calder. My batches usually have 2 Row, Munich and either wheat or oats. I guess it could be 100% pils dme here, but i just figure the wheat will add a little extra character. If I don't include any sugar, will the extract finish high? On average 3711 attenuates 93% for me but I read 100% extract fermentations can finish high sometimes.

 

[flars]

Is Coopers available to you locally? They are one supplier of a no boil saison kit.

 

[JordanKnudson]

I think your dad could pull this off just fine. It might not be the most subtle, meticulously designed beer the world has ever seen, but that sure doesn't mean it can't turn out well.

If I might suggest something, I think that rather than worrying about character hops (which add an extra step for your dad, who seems like he is into the "as-simple-as-I-can-do-it" approach, and who can blame him), you might think instead about doing a more characterful yeast. 3711 is awesome for attenuation and some of that saison spiciness, but maybe he could try something like Omega Labs' Saisonstein's Monster, which is a hybrid of the 3711 strain (for good attenuation) and the Dupont strain (for even more classic saison character). Just a thought. Saisons are well-hopped as far as Belgians go, but really the thing to think about is the yeast.

 

[unionrdr]

You'd have to check the manufacturer's PDF about the extract to see how many IBU's it has for bittering. Besides if it has any flavor additions. But they usually have only bittering, assuming the brewer's doing the other additions. I've found WY 3711 to be cleaner than other saison yeasts. It puts that barnyard flavor on the back with some bit of peppery/spiciness.

 

[rhys333]

Thanks for the help guys. I can't find coopers but i do have access to a NZ brand at the LHBS called Rolling Rock. They have a hopped pils lager thats around 25 IBU i believe. Mixing that with about a pound (give or take) of unhopped wheat DME should give him a 4.5-5% abv saison-ish 'grain bill'. I am gonna stick with the 3711 because i have a fridge full of it i can give him for free, plus i think he'll appreciate the low maintenance aspect of it. I'll leave the hop tea option for him to decide, but i think he will as he's done it before and reports good results. Thanks again. It'll be an interesting experiment to see how well this turns out.