Gluten Free Blueberry Saison, extract recipe

[nhindian]

Hey all,

I am planning on brewing a gluten free saison for my wedding since my fiance has a gluten intolerance. I've brewed 3 batches so far, all extract, and all have been kit, some with modifications. The beers I've made were a brown ale, a pumpkin ale (still sitting on oak and rum), and a Belgian dubbel (just bottled on Saturday)

In terms of creating a recipe, what should I be aiming for with gluten free beers?

Anyone have a good starting recipe?

My girlfriend used to like wheat beers when she could drink them, but I'm not sure how feasible it'd be to make a GF one. But she does like Tweasonale so I was hoping a blueberry saison would hit the spot.

Thanks!

 

[waldzinator]

Hey all,

I am planning on brewing a gluten free saison for my wedding since my fiance has a gluten intolerance. I've brewed 3 batches so far, all extract, and all have been kit, some with modifications. The beers I've made were a brown ale, a pumpkin ale (still sitting on oak and rum), and a Belgian dubbel (just bottled on Saturday)

In terms of creating a recipe, what should I be aiming for with gluten free beers?

Anyone have a good starting recipe?

My girlfriend used to like wheat beers when she could drink them, but I'm not sure how feasible it'd be to make a GF one. But she does like Tweasonale so I was hoping a blueberry saison would hit the spot.

Thanks!

I'm assuming you will be using an all Sorghum base? If so, and you want to go extract, you can find Sorghum extract from most online HB stores. Many LHBS will also carry it. If she's not super-super sensitive, you maybe can add some color by steeping a bit of Crystal 40 or 60. Just enough for some color. If you're looking for a traditional Saison hop, check out Strisselspalt. Wonderful stuff, and it should compliment the blueberry well. Honey is also good for masking the Sorghum taste, I hear. I've had a few gluten free beers, so I know Sorghum can have a funky aftertaste. I'm a big fan of the Wyeast French Saison strain. It ferments out really well. Add the blueberry to secondary.

If you have access to homebrew software, you can plug in the numbers to figure out the amounts based on what gravity you want. Otherwise, it looks like Sorghum extract is 37 ppg, so assuming a 5 gallon batch, if you use a 6lb jug, you will get about 1.045 OG (ppg x extract (in lbs))/water volume. Steeping specialty grains will add a biy more gravity.

 

[Osedax]

Most of that advice is good. However, do not use ANY barley. Toast up some oats or millet for color and flavor. Do not use wyeast. It is not gluten free. White labs is close. Most don't have a problem. Dry yeast is gluten free. Check out some rice syrup to reduce the sorghum heaviness.

Other than that, ferment warm at the end for a saison.

 

[nhindian]

Thanks guys! I actually placed an order yesterday since I was ordering from Northern Brewer anyway to take advantage of their Columbus Day sale.

I ordered for this recipe: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f164/spaced-rasberry-beer-373722/

Not a saison, but figured I may as well go with something. I'll be brewing with WB-06 instead and substituting blueberries for the fruit.

 

[nitton]

I've only used Belle Saison dry yeast once, but I had a great experience with it. I had a great flavor fermenting in the upper 60's. It's gluten-free.

 

[waldzinator]

Most of that advice is good. However, do not use ANY barley. Toast up some oats or millet for color and flavor. Do not use wyeast. It is not gluten free. White labs is close. Most don't have a problem. Dry yeast is gluten free. Check out some rice syrup to reduce the sorghum heaviness.

Other than that, ferment warm at the end for a saison.

Unaware that Wyeast was not gluten free. Good advice for future. I have some celiac relatives. As for the barley advice, I thought I saw the OP had previously given his gf (and I'm assuming now fiance) a wheat beer at some point. Maybe I misread. EDIT: I did misread. Obviously condition has progressed. Sorry for the bad advice there!

 

[nhindian]

Thanks for the help guys!

Are there any specific saison recipes you've had good luck with?