Saison Advice

[JRockafellow]

I am a fairly new brewer. I have made 6 batches of beer and 2 ciders. I am looking to experiment with combining a few things and would like a little input before committing to a batch. First a little back info that has lead me to this point. I have made my cider with Belle Saison yeast. The resulting cider has been dry and crisp. Best cider I’ve ever had. So now I want to make a beer using the left over saison yeast and some of the cider from the bottom of my fermenter.

I’m thinking of going 8lbs 2row, 8oz Caramel.

For hops I want something light and flavorful that won’t overpower my malt. Simultaneously going counter to that I’ve toyed around with the idea of dry hopping with .5-.75oz of citra or galaxy to give a bit of a pop for the warmer weather. Again I don’t want to over power with hops so anything going in would be in small doses. I am hoping to have some very subtle cider notes, with some balanced hop flavor and bitterness.


Thanks for any help.

 

[deadwolfbones]

For malt in a saison, I'd suggest using pilsner and a bit of wheat malt instead of the 2-row, but I don't know how much difference it would really make in the final product.

For hops, go with something like Saaz (I also use Pekko and Opal, and you can use German noble hops like Tettanger or Hallertauer, or French hops like Strisselspalt/Aramis) for the bittering and use whatever you like for a dry hop. Citra or Galaxy is fine there.