Saison Hi Nelson! Nelson Hopped Saison w/Hibiscus

[Fuzzymittenbrewing]

I have never brewed with cane sugar so is that why the FG is so high?

I thought cane sugar dried a beer out quite a bit. I think his FG was 1.000, he mistyped it in the OP. See post #4.

Yup it was 1.0 the o.p. was the "estimated fg" but the Belle Saison attenuates very well.

 

[BUCKNUTS]

I use pils, rye, wheat, oats in all my farmhouse saisons. Give a gorgeous mouthfeel and a nice "bready" feel to the ale. And you're correct, the rye pairs perfectly with the saison yeast's spice. I'd personally recommend super light spice additions or no spice additions. Rely on your mash temps, yeast and ferm temps to get the character you desire. Additions in saisons can very easily dominate the original yeast characteristics. But if you're going for that it's perfectly cool... just go small.

I am adding a tea made with the dried Hibiscus flowers in secondary but no other spices. I am new to saisons both drinking and brewing them. I have tried about 8 commercial examples and all were pretty different and I enjoyed them all. This is my 2nd saison that I have brewed the first was very basic grain bill and fermented with Wyeast 3711 its ok but not great. I followed Fuzzy's recipe to the letter except I used Sorachi Ace instead of Nelson Sauvin. The smells out of the fermenter are pretty nice compared to first which was underwhelming. In defense of the French Saison i fermented it at around 72 degrees while this timd I utilized my wife's heating pad and blanket to keep the temp mid 80s. Rye saison is definitely on my brewing agenda.


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[BUCKNUTS]

I checked gravity today and after 9 days in the fermenter the Saison is down to 1.002 that's crazy. Wyeast 3711 which is known to attenuate well went down to 1.008 after 4 weeks. I did heat this one up to around 80 for the 9 days about 10 degrees warmer than the saison I fermented with 3711. The aroma from this one is vastly superior.

 

[ChefRex]

So pretty!

 

[BUCKNUTS]

Racked to secondary today on to the hibiscus tea and 1.5 oz of Sorachi Ace hops. Gravity still at 1.002 smells great. Sadly I will be bottling this as I do not have an empty keg.


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[hopbrad]

belle saison is a beast for sure. i brewed a saison 1.050 went down to 1.000 in 5 days. first time using this yeast. i kept it at 70 for the first day then let it go to room temp (80+) for 3 weeks.
i secondaried a gallon with some hibiscus, im waiting another week or so to try it.
i tried my first without the hibiscus last night after 2.5 weeks in the bottle. great funk to it. not much spice or fruitiness tho so im very excited to try the hibsicus.
bittered with styrian goldings, flavored with styrians and willamette.

does this recipe need some age? thats over 10%. an imperial for sure.

 

[Fuzzymittenbrewing]

So pretty!

View attachment 202815
Racked to secondary today on to the hibiscus tea and 1.5 oz of Sorachi Ace hops. Gravity still at 1.002 smells great. Sadly I will be bottling this as I do not have an empty keg.


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Looking good gentlemen! You racking today also Rex?

 

[Fuzzymittenbrewing]

belle saison is a beast for sure. i brewed a saison 1.050 went down to 1.000 in 5 days. first time using this yeast. i kept it at 70 for the first day then let it go to room temp (80+) for 3 weeks.
i secondaried a gallon with some hibiscus, im waiting another week or so to try it.
i tried my first without the hibiscus last night after 2.5 weeks in the bottle. great funk to it. not much spice or fruitiness tho so im very excited to try the hibsicus.
bittered with styrian goldings, flavored with styrians and willamette.

does this recipe need some age? thats over 10%. an imperial for sure.

It could possibly benefit from age , but I wouldn't know because it was so good I only have 3 bombers left lol

 

[ChefRex]

Looking good gentlemen! You racking today also Rex?

Tomorrow, letting it sit on the counter overnight to settle, dry hopping in the keg. From the gravity tasting this is going to be delicious! Thanks

 

[m_sell31]

Did you dry the flowers or was this 1/2 lb of fresh flowers?

 

[ChefRex]

I got mine on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012BSDNW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
I had been collecting and drying flowers of my plants, the aroma difference between the two was amazing with the packaged winning by a mile.
YMMV

 

[mattmmille]

I found this source for hibiscus also: http://www.ohnuts.com/buy.cfm/bulk-dried-fruits/hibiscus-flower/dried-hibiscus-flower

Good reviews and prices look competitive...especially if you can get some friends together for a big brew and share a bulk order! I think I'm going to poke around some Mexican tiendas and see if any of them have a good source.

 

[ChefRex]

Matt,did you notice the ones you show contain sugar,not that that is a bad thing but this is already a high gravity brew.
I think the keg is going in tonight!

 

[BUCKNUTS]

Bottled 2 1/2 cases of this tonight. I had almost forgotten how much of a PITA bottling is. Anyways it's more pink than red for sure the smell was great I didnt get to taste it because I literally had exactly 2 1/2 cases with little else but sediment in the bottling bucket. I will post a pic with my thoughts when it's carbonated.

 

[mattmmille]

Matt,did you notice the ones you show contain sugar,not that that is a bad thing but this is already a high gravity brew.
I think the keg is going in tonight!

Good catch Chef. You know, I did think it was odd that one of the reviewers talked about eating a bag of them! But they LOOKED so purty in the pic! Ah well. I went to a large Asian Supermarket today and looked to see if they had any...thought they might, in the herbal tea area...disappointed. I'm pretty sure I've seen them in a Mexican market here and there, but I'm not sure how fresh they would be or of what quality. I'll keep looking locally until I either find a good source or it comes time to "sh**, or get off the pot.", as my Dad used to say.

 

[mattmmille]

Well, I found a middle eastern grocery that carries some dried hibiscus flowers for $7.19 lb...but they only carry about 3 containers at a time that each weigh about 0.40 lbs. I bought all three. They'll re-supply, but I didn't ask how long it would be. I bet they could order as much as I wanted though. Anyway, I just thought I'd cover a single flower with hot water and see how it tastes. It's hard to get a photo that accurately captures the color, but it's about like a rose' wine. It kind of has a tart/sour flavor with an earthy, yet citrusy, dry finish, very much like tea. Looking forward to some saison!

 

[Hello]

Fuzzy what was your mash temp and did you boil for 90 min?

 

[BUCKNUTS]

It kind of has a tart/sour flavor with an earthy, yet citrusy, dry finish, very much like tea. Looking forward to some saison!

Yeah that's the flavor profile for sure i always think it's like cranberry with a bit of citrus. I make aqua de jamaica at home and its sweetened but still has that flavor profile.


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[Fuzzymittenbrewing]

Fuzzy what was your mash temp and did you boil for 90 min?

Mash @ 148 and boiled for 60

 

[Hello]

Mash @ 148 and boiled for 60

Thanks man! I thought I would have to boil for 90 since it's pilsner malt.

 

[Fuzzymittenbrewing]

Thanks man! I thought I would have to boil for 90 since it's pilsner malt.

Nah. Not even a touch of dms. But do get Belgian if possible

 

[BUCKNUTS]

Cracked my first Hibiscus Saison and not much carbonation yet. it tastes good slightly tart got more yeast character from the Belle Saison than I got from the saison i brewed with Wyeast 3711


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[Hello]

Dumb question, when do I add the cane sugar?
Brewing this right now but doing BIAB. First time went bad but trying once more. Mashed in about 10 minutes ago.

 

[BUCKNUTS]

Dumb question, when do I add the cane sugar?

Brewing this right now but doing BIAB. First time went bad but trying once more. Mashed in about 10 minutes ago.

End of the boil last 10 minutes


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[Hello]

Thanks! Mashing out now. Hope I hit my #s!

 

[BUCKNUTS]

Thanks! Mashing out now. Hope I hit my #s!

I am a biab brewer I dont have great efficiency around 70% but it's very consistent which for me is the key.


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[ChefRex]

Dumb question, when do I add the cane sugar?
Brewing this right now but doing BIAB. First time went bad but trying once more. Mashed in about 10 minutes ago.

I always add at flame out, burn the sugar once you'll never do it again, LOL

 

[Hello]

Well my first and biggest issue with the first BIAB was getting the bag out. The kettle top was 10" below my head. It was a mess. I said some words I hardly ever say.

Pre boil gravity is only slightly lower than anticipated but my water volume is higher by .60 gallons. All in all I think this will turn out. I had some issue with the bag but I wasn't struggling as much as the last time. Having a bucket nearby helped so much and putting a towel on the floor was a good idea.

Bringing to a boil now. Thank you all for your help.

 

[Hello]

Well, missed OG by quite a bit but I'll live. It'll still be a pretty big saison.

 

[BUCKNUTS]

Well, missed OG by quite a bit but I'll live. It'll still be a pretty big saison.
View attachment 205663

What yeast are you using?