Giving my saison a little more class.

[LeafCutter]

I previously made a saison that was really tasty and my non beer friends would throw them back.. To me it was lacking a little body and that "wow" factor. I'm stilling looking for a nice easy drinker for the Texas heat. So, here are the two recipes (both 6 gallon batches), what do you think?

OLD:
87% Pils
10% Wheat
3% Caramunich

EKG @ 60 for 14IBU
SAAZ @ 10 for 4 IBU
.5 oz SAAZ @ 0

OG:1.032
Yeast: 3711 (such a good yeast)

NEW:
70% Pils
15% Wheat
10% Beet Sugar at 2mins
5% Caramunich

EKG @ 60 for 17IBU
SAAZ @ 20 for 10 IBU
1 oz Styrian Goldings @ 0

OG:1.051
Yeast: 3711

*I was hoping to give my beer a little darker color, more of that fluffly head, little more hop influence and a bit more dry.. ALSO, considering so spice additions at the end.

 

[meltroha]

Hops are good, increase wheat to 20%, add a bit of rye 3% should do it, and I wouldn't do crystal and beet sugar. A little coriander wouldn't hurt either.

 

[tagz]

I think upping the gravity is the way to go, but I would just use base malt for that. 3711 doesn't really need sugar to ferment into the single digits. Also, make sure you ferment 70-80*, 3711 throws fantasic flavor but is pretty tame if you stay in the 60s. You can get a nice fluffy head if you use ~5% flaked barley. I've added 1.5 tsp/3-5 gal of crushed black pepper to good effect. It's not dominant by any means but adds some complexity. And I don't think the caramunich is a problem in such a small amount if it gives you the color you're looking for. As for hops, you schedule looks good, but remember that 27 IBUs will taste more bitter in a beer that finishes at 1.004. I keep mine around 20 for saisons. That said others may like a more bitter edge.

 

[LeafCutter]

I think upping the gravity is the way to go, but I would just use base malt for that. 3711 doesn't really need sugar to ferment into the single digits. Also, make sure you ferment 70-80*, 3711 throws fantasic flavor but is pretty tame if you stay in the 60s. You can get a nice fluffy head if you use ~5% flaked barley. I've added 1.5 tsp/3-5 gal of crushed black pepper to good effect. It's not dominant by any means but adds some complexity. And I don't think the caramunich is a problem in such a small amount if it gives you the color you're looking for. As for hops, you schedule looks good, but remember that 27 IBUs will taste more bitter in a beer that finishes at 1.004. I keep mine around 20 for saisons. That said others may like a more bitter edge.

When do you add the black pepper? At the end with other spices? Thanks for the IBU tip too.

 

[tagz]

I typically add spices anywhere from 5 min to flameout.

 

[stpug]

OG: 1.045
FG: 1.007
ABV: 5%
This equates to an easy drinker to me. If 3711 goes lower than 1.007 then you'll have an even bigger beer. Your new beer's OG is 1.051 which will start you off in the mid 5.5%+ ABV range which is bordering on less of an easy drinker, IMO (and if 3711 goes lower then you'll be bordering on 6% ABV).

Flaked barley, like tagz suggested, would give you some body and great head retention plus a little cloudiness.

Rye malt, like meltroha suggested, gives a little spice crispness. PLUS, I've found rye malt to be big on adding body to beer.

I've used caramunich in a saison and did not like the result - too much residual sweetness IMO. I'd just leave this out. If you want a color adjustment try 1-2 ounces of a dark grain: midnight wheat, carafa, black patent, roasted barley. If you want _some_ malt presence then some light munich would work for that.

Spicing is nice in a saison when kept in moderation. I've done pepper (1-1.5 tsp per 5 gallon) and fresh lemon zest (zest from 1 lemon) in the final couple minutes of boil with great success. I've drank commercial saisons with sage, thyme, rosemary and other cooking herbs and they were fantastic, but haven't played with this myself.

I think saaz at 10 min is better than saaz at 20 min, and will help bring your IBUs down just a touch as well.

 

[kingwood-kid]

I'd drop the sugar. 3711 will dry the beer out just fine without it, and the extra gravity will push your ABV over 6%, which doesn't sound like a summer beer to me. The batch your friends were throwing back was around 4%. Granted, when this beer is ready it will be late September, but by my Texas math, that's still mid-summer. If you switch the caramunich to biscuit, you'll keep your color and "wow," but without the sweetness caramel malts bring. You could add the Saaz at flameout instead of at 20 to keep the flavor but bring the IBUs down a little.

 

[BradleyBrew]

Saison is one of my better beer styles that I brew. I always use 1lb of inverted sugar (homemade) 1/2 of bitter orange peel, and 1/4 tsp of coriander. Its also important to manipulate the yeast as well. I prefer the french saison yeast. I pitch at 70 and allow the yeast to warm to 80 degrees by the 4th or 5th day raising it 2 degrees per day after fermentation has kicked off. I also did a saison with the new Danstar Belle Saison yeast and it is outstanding as well.

I use no specialty grains.

 

[tagz]

OG: 1.045
FG: 1.007
ABV: 5%
This equates to an easy drinker to me. If 3711 goes lower than 1.007 then you'll have an even bigger beer. Your new beer's OG is 1.051 which will start you off in the mid 5.5%+ ABV range which is bordering on less of an easy drinker, IMO (and if 3711 goes lower then you'll be bordering on 6% ABV).

Flaked barley, like tagz suggested, would give you some body and great head retention plus a little cloudiness.

Rye malt, like meltroha suggested, gives a little spice crispness. PLUS, I've found rye malt to be big on adding body to beer.

I've used caramunich in a saison and did not like the result - too much residual sweetness IMO. I'd just leave this out. If you want a color adjustment try 1-2 ounces of a dark grain: midnight wheat, carafa, black patent, roasted barley. If you want _some_ malt presence then some light munich would work for that.

Spicing is nice in a saison when kept in moderation. I've done pepper (1-1.5 tsp per 5 gallon) and fresh lemon zest (zest from 1 lemon) in the final couple minutes of boil with great success. I've drank commercial saisons with sage, thyme, rosemary and other cooking herbs and they were fantastic, but haven't played with this myself.

I think saaz at 10 min is better than saaz at 20 min, and will help bring your IBUs down just a touch as well.

Good point. I overlooked the "easy drinking" note. I really enjoy a 6% saison but if you are looking for lower ABV, keep it in the 1.040s.

sage or rosemary are on my list of ingredients to try as well... I've been a little gun shy on it but I really enjoyed du buff and cellar door.