Ginger Saison...what have I done

[ScroatesMcGoats]

So I made my first Saison tonight, and in an effort to add a little character, I added some Irish moss to the boil, and then some Brewers Best Natural Ginger to the fermenter. It said to add 4 ounces for a 5 gallon batch, but I only added 2 ounces because I didn’t want an overwhelming ginger taste. I took a sample before pitching the yeast, and good lord, I got punched in the face with Ginger.

Any chance the flavor lessens during fermentation with my French Saison Yeast, or have I basically ruined the whole batch with the ginger addition?

 

[Pappers_]

I'm one of those folks who don't try to figure out what the beer is going to taste like from pre-fermentation wort. Honestly, it all tastes bad to me LOL. My advice is to let it ferment out and see how it turns out. It might be ruined, but probably not.

FWIW, when I do spice or special additions I tend not to add them to boil but at bottling/kegging, when I can control how much and the impact on flavor. I make a tincture (soak the addition in vodka for a week or so) and then add little bits to the finished beer, tasting as I go, until I get to the desired amount. Then bottle or keg.

Let us know how it turned out!

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Fermentation will scrub a lot of the flavor away. And, also, ginger is one of the flavors that does mellow over time once it's kegged or bottled..

 

[Jayjay1976]

Ugh. Ginger saison? That's like a chocolate chip burrito. Or putting ketchup on a steak. Ginger is great and saison is a great style, they just aren't great together. That being said, it might be bright and refreshing, perfect for washing down that chocolatey burrito. Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder.

 

[ScroatesMcGoats]

Well, the idea was not for a ginger Saison, but for a Saison with a little spice. Saw quite a few Saison recipes with ginger and decided to give it try. Hoping fermentation really kills off some of this bold flavor.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Well, the idea was not for a ginger Saison, but for a Saison with a little spice. Saw quite a few Saison recipes with ginger and decided to give it try. Hoping fermentation really kills off some of this bold flavor.

Not knocking your spirit of adventure and experimentation, but as I've read, very few belgian breweries use spices in saison. I have thought about putting some nutmeg in mine tho, just to add that creamy flavor.

 

[ScroatesMcGoats]

So to provide an update.....Beer came out delicious. Definitely has a different taste from a traditional Saison and does give a little spice to the flavor. If I made this batch again, I would probably cut it down to 1oz though to really dull the ginger taste and still get the spice.