Saison carb suggestions needed

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

JosephN

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2015
Messages
533
Reaction score
43
Location
Hermitage
I have a saison that had a OG of 1.074 and a FG of 1.002, and 42 ibu. I'm looking for suggestions on what carb rate to bottle this at. I would normally are this beer at 3-3.25 units, but with the dryness vs bitter rating I don't know where to go. Should I count on the carb to help lose some of the bitterness or would it bring it forward? If I go lighter on the carb would that help balance it more? I'm feeling like I should just carb it at 3 as normal, but this one is more bitter. Complexed
 
I'd put it in the 2.5 vols range. Plenty carbonated but not highly. Excessive carbonation will enhance the dryness of the beer which generally lets the bitterness shine more too. That's just me though.
 
I'd put it in the 2.5 vols range. Plenty carbonated but not highly. Excessive carbonation will enhance the dryness of the beer which generally lets the bitterness shine more too. That's just me though.


And that is why I was asking for opinions. I don't think there is a truly wrong answer, it's more personal preference. Thank you, for your input
 
i wouldnt go any higher than a target of 3.0 for normal 12oz bottles. Thats about their limit if you are trying to avoid bottle bombs. You get any higher and the slightest defect in the bottle structure or excessive yeast sediment can result in a mess or dangerous situation. Personally, I dont like overcarbed saisons where you need to pour it 3 oz at a time to let the head subside. It definitely has a bite that contributes to the bitterness.

also, side note: those gravity readings seem suspect, even for a saison yeast. Thats 97% apparent attenuation. I've gotten higher than that before, but that was with mixing highly attenuative yeasts, warming into the 90s, and formulating my recipe specifically around getting it dry. Are you sure there isn't something else working on that beer?
 
i wouldnt go any higher than a target of 3.0 for normal 12oz bottles. Thats about their limit if you are trying to avoid bottle bombs. You get any higher and the slightest defect in the bottle structure or excessive yeast sediment can result in a mess or dangerous situation. Personally, I dont like overcarbed saisons where you need to pour it 3 oz at a time to let the head subside. It definitely has a bite that contributes to the bitterness.

also, side note: those gravity readings seem suspect, even for a saison yeast. Thats 97% apparent attenuation. I've gotten higher than that before, but that was with mixing highly attenuative yeasts, warming into the 90s, and formulating my recipe specifically around getting it dry. Are you sure there isn't something else working on that beer?


I seriously do not suspect anything funky in the beer. I have had great attenuation with this yeast. The yeast I'm using was harvested and it attenuated high. I haven't had any issues with inoculations between boil and fermentation. Anyways I'm seriously considering keeping the CO2 about mid level. Oh and I did add 1# of corn sugar near the end of the boil to help dry it out. Do you think that could be part of it, along with the 70-75F temp the last week of fermentation?
 
My saisons always finish pretty low (sub 1.004) for standard gravity. Belle saison has knocked my hydrometer into sub 0s before even. I think it's pretty reasonable to finish that low.
 
My saisons always finish pretty low (sub 1.004) for standard gravity. Belle saison has knocked my hydrometer into sub 0s before even. I think it's pretty reasonable to finish that low.


I just looked at the 3 saisons I have made and I came away with these 3 FG readings. They are in order from 1st to 3rd. 1.000, 1.003, and 1.002. Seems pretty consistent to me.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top