Good Saison Recipe - Difficult To Find

[hardrain]

I'm looking for a true farmhouse Saison taste, something light and crisp that will make for good drinking in DC once August gets here. Some good examples are Philly's Lords Saison and (another DC reference) the mostly fantastic version I've had at Mad Fox Brewpub.

Radical Brewing suggested about 60% Pilsner malt, munich, some wheat and sugar, and then 1oz Northern, 1.5oz Saaz and 2.0oz Kent Golding. The result was both slightly malty and highly bitter, nothing like what I was hoping for.

Has anyone had good success (with goals similar to mine, anyway) with a particular type of munich and hop mix?

I know the style as it's defined is relatively wide in flavor, so perhaps that's part of the problem.

 

[TheDutchman]

Try 100% pilsner malt. Hop to about 25 IBUs with noble hops. Add about a quarter ounce for flavor aroma. The KEY is ferment HOT (up to 90 degrees) with the right yeast. WLP565 is good.

 

[KyleWolf]

I am a fan of changing out wheat for rye. But Northern Brewer and Saaz are solid hops for a saison. I am split between wyeast 3711 and WLP568 for my favorite saison yeasts. There are plenty of decent recipes. If you want something solid, check out Jamil's recipe from brewing classic styles. It will for sure give you a good base to work from.

 

[sonetlumiere85]

First off, if you're looking for "true farmhouse Saison taste," start with beers actually produced in farmhouses, not something from Philly.

Second, get a copy of "Farmhouse Ales" by Phil Markowski. I'm personally more of a fan of the dry, pils-style saisons like the classic Dupont, than the American interpretations, like Ommegang's Hennepin. Leave the Munich and Vienna out except maybe in small amounts for complexity. Otherwise saison is pretty simple: the right yeast, the right attenuation (comes from the right yeast) and anything vaguely noble for hops, above 30 IBUS.