Know enough to know I don't know enough in CO

snwbrd40oz · Mar 27, 2014

Greetings all! I've reached that magical point described in my title and it's time to get some more input....
Started the hobby with a Mr. Beer (like several others it seems), that lasted all of 2 batches before it was time to upgrade!
The question that brought me here is related to embellishing all extract recipes with some additional specialty grains. I've been requested to do a wheat for summer and think I'll try something along the lines of this from NB
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/synchronicity-extraordinaire-wheaten-saison-extract-kit.html
Most of the other batches I've done have had additional specialty grains and they've all been great, I just don't want this batch to be boring or flat tasting...
How do I figure out what and how much to add in the way of specialty grains/adjuncts?

Homercidal · Mar 28, 2014

Welcome! First, let's clarify what you are asked to do. I'm assuming your friends have asked for a "Wheat Beer", which a Saison certainly is. What's different about a saison is the flavor. Regular wheat beers are just malted barley and malted wheat, so clean American Yeast and a mdeium hop level (usually). People like them because they are light and refreshing and somewhat flavorful compared to regular beer.

A saison is also malted barley and wheat, but they are brewed with a Saison yeast and fermented at a higher temperature. The Saison yeast lends it a spicy funky flavor, and some tartness too, not unlike a regular wheat beer, but maybe more pronounced. In addition the farmers (brewers) in French Speaking Belgium may have added whatever spices and flavorings they had. Their recipes varied considerably because they brewed with whatever was on hand at their farms.

So while i enjoy a good Saison as much as the next guy, I wanted to give you a bit of information about them so you could see that they are probably not exactly like what you've been requested to brew. But, who knows, maybe your fiends will try it and really like it!

snwbrd40oz · Mar 28, 2014

They will get whatever I brew and like it! Haha. That's good info to have, I keep seeing Saisons listed about but couldn't really find a good description...
So let's say I instead decide to try a TRUE wheat like http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/recipe-kits/extract-kits/american-wheat-beer-extract-kit.html
I know if I add any specialty grains before the boil it'll affect my OG how do much extract do I need to remove to compensate? I've never used a hydrometer so hitting the OG or FG numbers is strictly a guess but is there any sort of fast and loose rule for making these adjustments?
Thanks in advance!

Homercidal · Mar 28, 2014

I like the idea of brewing what YOU want to brew and if they like it, then good for them.

About the kit, I just can't see what's in the kit to know how to proceed. My gut tells me that you should just brew the kit as it comes. Or, if you really want to do a Partial Mash beer, find a recipe online and just buy the ingredients for that recipe.

Ok, I found the recipe and ingredients. It only has 6 lbs of extract for the base malt. You could calculate the amount of grain needed to replace half of the extract, or simply buy a bag and do a BIAB batch and forget the extract completely. It gets hard to compare when the kit has a single type of extract, which is *probably* a mix of both 2-row and wheat extract.

Whether or not you could do a BIAB version depends on your kettle size and heat source.

Frankly, I'm not the best person to answer this, as I've been AG for a while now and have never done a PM batch.

snwbrd40oz · Mar 29, 2014

Well I'll give it a shot as it and see where it winds up! If they don't like it they don't have to drink it... Thanks for the welcome and the advice!!!