Saison Jordan's Simple Saison

[treacheroustexan]

Recipe Type

All Grain

Yeast

Wyeast 3711

Yeast Starter

Yes, 1L

Batch Size (Gallons)

5.5

Original Gravity

1.054

Final Gravity

didn't measure, sorry!

Boiling Time (Minutes)

60

IBU

38~

Color

3.33

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

2 weeks

Additional Fermentation

Kegged after two weeks of primary fermentation

Tasting Notes

Slightly hoppier than most Saisons, works nicely with the yeast.

9.5# Belgian Pilsner
1.25# German Wheat Malt

1 oz Saaz @ 60
1 oz Saaz @ 15
2 oz Nelson Sauvin @ 5

Mashed at 150 for 60 minutes. Campden tab used to treat my water. Also added 1 tsp of gypsum to the strike water. Fermented with 3711 French Saison at room temperature for 2 weeks.

I wanted a simple to brew saison using Saaz and Nelson Sauvin and didn't want to have to bother measuring out hops (hence the 1oz incerments). Very light in color and very tasty. If you want a little darker beer you can add a little to the grain bill, but this recipe turned out wonderful for me.

 

[treacheroustexan]

My first keg of this just kicked. The keg lasted a month or so it's just me who drank it so... it was pretty good! I took a growler to a Halloween party with some better/professional brewers and got nothing but good feedback. Please let me know if you brew this!

 

[Desertbrewer]

9.5# Belgian Pilsner
1.25# German Wheat Malt

1 oz Saaz @ 60
1 oz Saaz @ 15
2 oz Nelson Sauvin @ 5

Mashed at 150 for 60 minutes. Campden tab used to treat my water. Also added 1 tsp of gypsum to the strike water. Fermented with 3711 French Saison at room temperature for 2 weeks.

I wanted a simple to brew saison using Saaz and Nelson Sauvin and didn't want to have to bother measuring out hops (hence the 1oz incerments). Very light in color and very tasty. If you want a little darker beer you can add a little to the grain bill, but this recipe turned out wonderful for me.

Looks good! I think saisons ought to be "simple" in the sense that the whole point is to be thirst quenching to some degree... I've tried making some crazy ones and have landed on the idea that they ought to mostly be just pils malt, slightly hoppy and lower ABV.

What was your SG and FG with that 3711?

 

[Calaeb]

Probably a long shot but do you have a picture of the color? Curious to see where it ended it

 

[treacheroustexan]

Looks good! I think saisons ought to be "simple" in the sense that the whole point is to be thirst quenching to some degree... I've tried making some crazy ones and have landed on the idea that they ought to mostly be just pils malt, slightly hoppy and lower ABV.

What was your SG and FG with that 3711?

Sorry I just saw this! Unfortunately I didn't measure the gravity in this beer. Oops...

Probably a long shot but do you have a picture of the color? Curious to see where it ended it

I do! This was taken a few days after kegging.

 

[Calaeb]

ooooh that looks GOOD! added to the mile long list, but this seems like something that would be good for early spring.

 

[treacheroustexan]

ooooh that looks GOOD! added to the mile long list, but this seems like something that would be good for early spring.

That's the next time I am going to brew it!

Post back if you decide to brew it and let me know what you think!

 

[pursuit0fhoppiness]

Might brew this one soon as my first saison! Anyone know if german pilsner malt and normal wheat malt would be okay rather than the specific malts OP used?

 

[SoCal-Doug]

Anyone know if german pilsner malt and normal wheat malt would be okay rather than the specific malts OP used?

That would be very okay! A simple classic Saison with good grains and real Saison yeast just can't be beat. Saaz is a great hop for a Saison. No need for sugars, spices, fruits or anything else. My only suggestions would be to knock the IBU's down below 25, mash it at 148 or 149, and ferment it in the mid 80's. Keep it dry and refreshing and let that grain and yeast funk shine through.

If you are using 3711, expect it to finish at or below 1.005. Most likely around 1.003.

 

[treacheroustexan]

That would be very okay! A simple classic Saison with good grains and real Saison yeast just can't be beat. Saaz is a great hop for a Saison. No need for sugars, spices, fruits or anything else. My only suggestions would be to knock the IBU's down below 25, mash it at 148 or 149, and ferment it in the mid 80's. Keep it dry and refreshing and let that grain and yeast funk shine through.

If you are using 3711, expect it to finish at or below 1.005. Most likely around 1.003.

Yep, this pretty much sums it up. I like this recipe because it's slightly sweeter and on the bitter side, so I like to brew it in the spring. It's the only saison I brew that's like that but I really enjoy it. Mash at 148-149 as stated above if you want it to dry out a little more and you can cut back on bittering hops if you wish.

 

[Willh7857]

I am thinking of brewing this one soon. I recently brewed my first Saison from another thread on these forums (nelson hibiscus saison), and it came out great. My question would be, are there any suggestions on substituting out the Nelson for another hop? Nothing against it, but just did my last saison with nelson and wanted to switch it up. Thanks in advance!

P.S. I am still a new brewer, have about 6 batches under my belt of various styles.

 

[treacheroustexan]

I am thinking of brewing this one soon. I recently brewed my first Saison from another thread on these forums (nelson hibiscus saison), and it came out great. My question would be, are there any suggestions on substituting out the Nelson for another hop? Nothing against it, but just did my last saison with nelson and wanted to switch it up. Thanks in advance!

P.S. I am still a new brewer, have about 6 batches under my belt of various styles.

I've been wanting to brew this with Pacific Jade. Just because it would give a little bit of citrus & pepper. I haven't gotten around to it though. and hey, I'm in cleveland too.

 

[bucketnative]

My question would be, are there any suggestions on substituting out the Nelson for another hop? Nothing against it, but just did my last saison with nelson and wanted to switch it up. Thanks in advance!

P.S. I am still a new brewer, have about 6 batches under my belt of various styles.

The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity. The Saaz provides a classic, noble bitterness and flavor, while the late-addition "new world" hops add a unique aroma profile. I think you can basically pick the hop(s) of your choice. I think this would be cool with Huell Melon, Mandarina Bavaria, or as @treacheroustexan suggested, Pacific Jade.

Nelson is such a unique profile, that there really isn't a substitute for it.

 

[Willh7857]

Thank you both @treacheroustexan and @bucketnative for the quick reply! I definitely understand not having a real one-to-one substitute for Nelson with its unique flavor. I was more so asking for hops that would complement the style/yeast well, and you both have provided that.

Thinking of doing 2 batches, since I have a lot of free time this weekend, to try the different options since the grain bill is so simple. Either way, going to get ingredients shortly for a brew this weekend. I will report back with results.

Thanks again!

 

[elbinwyp]

How the heck did you get 3711 to stop at 1.012?!?!? That yeast typically clears EVERYTHING.

 

[treacheroustexan]

How the heck did you get 3711 to stop at 1.012?!?!? That yeast typically clears EVERYTHING.

I think I just copied it out of the beersmith recipe I made and didn't adjust the attenuation for the yeast. I didn't actually take OG/FG readings when I posted this recipe so I'm sure it finished much lower than that. I'll update the OP!

 

[treacheroustexan]

Went and bought the ingredients today to brew this again! I'll be using Be-134 dry yeast though for the first time. It's all the LHBS had. Will update how that turns out.

 

[treacheroustexan]

Just wanted to update. This is the version with BE-134 Dry yeast. So good!

 

[Anthony Johns]

9.5# Belgian Pilsner
1.25# German Wheat Malt

1 oz Saaz @ 60
1 oz Saaz @ 15
2 oz Nelson Sauvin @ 5

Mashed at 150 for 60 minutes. Campden tab used to treat my water. Also added 1 tsp of gypsum to the strike water. Fermented with 3711 French Saison at room temperature for 2 weeks.

I wanted a simple to brew saison using Saaz and Nelson Sauvin and didn't want to have to bother measuring out hops (hence the 1oz incerments). Very light in color and very tasty. If you want a little darker beer you can add a little to the grain bill, but this recipe turned out wonderful for me.

Getting back in to brewing after a long time, and using this recipe to kick things off on the new system. Thanks for sharing!

 

[treacheroustexan]

Getting back in to brewing after a long time, and using this recipe to kick things off on the new system. Thanks for sharing!

Let me know how it turns out! Cheers.

 

[Anthony Johns]

Let me know how it turns out! Cheers.

Came out solid, man! Beautiful beer, came out nice and bright and the Nelson compliments the subtle 3711 peppery notes. Will definitely brew this again. Maybe a variation this weekend with dry hopping or removing the late Nelson additions and incorporating some hibiscus somehow. Thanks for sharing this!