Saison Recipe Suggestions w/Belle Saison

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Morrey

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Greetings. I have several sachets of dry Belle Saison yeast and thought this a good time to try a Saison considering I can ferment this beer at 73F ambient. My temp controlled chambers are full and it looks to be a few weeks til a space is available.

I tried a Saison previously and had several problems with it due to experimentation and trying to get creative with it. This was not a process problem but a recipe problem.

Anyway, I'd like to keep this one really basic and simple. I use BeerSmith and wondered if anyone can suggest a real straightforward Saison that will take me into this style w/o overcomplicating the process. Any recipe suggestions are very much appreciated! Thanks!!
 
Belle saison is my now tried and true saison yeast for house beers. I HIGHLY recommend starting with the cottage house saison listed here on the forum. I've made a few minor changes to it myself, however I find it a bulletproof start.
 
I wrote this recipe while working for a brewery here, went over well with everyone - super simple.


5gal Batch
10.5lbs Pilsner Malt
1.25lbs Vienna Malt
.5oz Magnum @ 60min - 22.4IBU
.5oz Hallertau @ 5min - 1.8IBU

1.056OG
5.7% ABV
24.2IBU

Mash at 152 for 60min - you can mash lower if you want, I did 152 for my first batch and thought it was dry enough.

90min boil
Belle Saison Yeast

I fermented it around 65-68*F and ramped up to 70 towards the end of fermentation. End result was a very fruity, dry overly drinkable beer - infact out of the 12 handles we had, this and my pilsner were always my go-to beers after a long brew day.
 
I've made six beers with this yeast. Grainbill doesn't need anything fancy.

Think it works well with standard American C-hops just go REALLY REALLY light on the bittering hops. I put in nothing before the last five minutes of the boil and you'd be fine with pure flameout/dry. Goes nicely but saison is so dry you want low IBUs.
 
Your valued posts seem that a Saison is pretty flexible and I can use some ingredients that are hanging out in my supply locker. When I read the Cottage House Saison recipe, several comments said they just used whatever grains and hops they could scrape up. Seems flexible. Maybe that's how the Saison style was formed.

For example I have 3# of Vienna leftover, a few pounds of crystal 10L and 20L....just a hodge podge of various grains along with larger supplies of pils, 2 row and wheat. I have Tettnang, Hallertau, Saaz in various quantities. I see some say bitter lightly while other recipes call for 45 IBUs. I prefer lighter IBU's so BeerSmith can help me there.

I suppose 73F is going to be my ferm temp as that is a controlled ambient temperature in my home now. Is this suitable since I really don't have choices since my temp controlled devices are being used elsewhere?
 
Your valued posts seem that a Saison is pretty flexible and I can use some ingredients that are hanging out in my supply locker. When I read the Cottage House Saison recipe, several comments said they just used whatever grains and hops they could scrape up. Seems flexible. Maybe that's how the Saison style was formed.

For example I have 3# of Vienna leftover, a few pounds of crystal 10L and 20L....just a hodge podge of various grains along with larger supplies of pils, 2 row and wheat. I have Tettnang, Hallertau, Saaz in various quantities. I see some say bitter lightly while other recipes call for 45 IBUs. I prefer lighter IBU's so BeerSmith can help me there.

I suppose 73F is going to be my ferm temp as that is a controlled ambient temperature in my home now. Is this suitable since I really don't have choices since my temp controlled devices are being used elsewhere?


I would steer clear of crystal malts in any substantial proportion in a saison (personally i avoid them all together). Dry crisp and clean are your goals here and crystal malts will not fit well.
 
Just brewed my 3rd saison on Monday and have always used Belle Saison yeast. Some say that it's character is a bit milder vs WY3711 but it still pretty damn good.

The grain bill was 8# pilsner, 1# each of vienna and munich, 1# of flaked wheat, 4oz of acidulated malt and I threw in 8oz of smoked malt that I had. Hops were an oz of cascade to bitter and an oz of triskel (a progeny of striesselspalt) at 10 min and another at 5 min.Total ibu's were 28. It's bubbling away nicely 40 hours after pitching!
 
I would steer clear of crystal malts in any substantial proportion in a saison (personally i avoid them all together). Dry crisp and clean are your goals here and crystal malts will not fit well.

Good information. I wouldn't have known this without your advice.
 
Just brewed my 3rd saison on Monday and have always used Belle Saison yeast. Some say that it's character is a bit milder vs WY3711 but it still pretty damn good.

The grain bill was 8# pilsner, 1# each of vienna and munich, 4oz of acidulated malt and I threw in 8oz of smoked malt that I had. Hops were an oz of cascade to bitter and an oz of triskel (a progeny of striesselspalt) at 10 min and another at 5 min. It's bubbling away nicely 40 hours after pitching!

Thanks Catdaddy66. I plan to inventory my supply locker this eve and make a list of the odds and ends I have on hand including hops. Once I make a list, I'll post my inventory and ask your help to guide me to the best uses of what I have now.

:off:BTW.....is the DIY Brewhouse near you in Elgin opened back up with a new owner? Someone (maybe you) told me that JP had sold out.
 
Thanks Catdaddy66. I plan to inventory my supply locker this eve and make a list of the odds and ends I have on hand including hops. Once I make a list, I'll post my inventory and ask your help to guide me to the best uses of what I have now.

:off:BTW.....is the DIY Brewhouse near you in Elgin opened back up with a new owner? Someone (maybe you) told me that JP had sold out.

JP did sell and the new owner is a super guy. Kevin is the head of the Columbia Brewers Assc and has really stocked the plsce well. He is a bit better on his prices and will be competetive with online pricing. He stocks lb packages of hops now! I encourage you to stop in Tues-Sat.

Thats where I bought the grain for the saison...
 
Greetings all. In preparation to do a Saison this weekend, I inventoried my supplies. I used BeerSmith to design a Saison based on the ingredients I have on hand, and Bru'n Water to find the correct acid and brewing salts for the grain bill and SRM calculated.

Here is what I came up with based on the grains and hops I have on hand:

5.5G Batch

6 lbs Pilsner Malts
2 lbs Vienna (all I have)
1 lb Lt Wheat
1 lb Rolled wheat
2.5 oz Chocolate for color

This gives me a SG of 1.056 with a SRM of 10. With Belle Saison at 73F, I expect to finish around 1.004 or 1.005

For hops, I stayed mid-range and have available Saaz, Tettnang or Hallertau. I've adjusted for 25 IBU's with Tettnang at 1.75 oz for 60 min. I am not doing any additional hop additions since I don't want hops to overwhelm this dry of a beer.

I will pitch rehydrated Belle Saison at 65F, then place in ambient area at 73F for full attenuation.

I tried to sick closely with the style guidelines after reviewing a number of Saison recipes. Based on the inventory I currently have, I felt the wheat additions will give me some body and mouthfeel in an otherwise lighter beer. I plan to single infusion mash at 148F for 60 minutes and boil for 90 minutes due to the Pilsen Malts.

If you see any red flags, please holler now! Please wish me success on my Saison.
 
For hops, I stayed mid-range and have available Saaz, Tettnang or Hallertau. I've adjusted for 25 IBU's with Tettnang at 1.75 oz for 60 min. I am not doing any additional hop additions since I don't want hops to overwhelm this dry of a beer.

If you see any red flags, please holler now! Please wish me success on my Saison.

Your grain bill looks good. Personally I agree with Bosh on the hops...I like to add them later for more flavor but less bitterness. This is a dry beer with no crystal malt to balance any bitterness, so I don't think you need much, if any, at 60 minutes. Consider splitting them into two additions at 30m and 10m.
 
Your grain bill looks good. Personally I agree with Bosh on the hops...I like to add them later for more flavor but less bitterness. This is a dry beer with no crystal malt to balance any bitterness, so I don't think you need much, if any, at 60 minutes. Consider splitting them into two additions at 30m and 10m.

Good suggestion. This is the feedback I am looking for.

The addition times will influence my total IBU profile, so I'll look at the impact it has on the IBU total. Do you feel 25 is about right as a total IBU target?
 
Good suggestion. This is the feedback I am looking for.

The addition times will influence my total IBU profile, so I'll look at the impact it has on the IBU total. Do you feel 25 is about right as a total IBU target?

Seems about right. I have been going a bit lower, but it is really preference. You could go higher. Some commercial breweries, especially in the US, are doing hoppier saisons.
 
Seems about right. I have been going a bit lower, but it is really preference. You could go higher. Some commercial breweries, especially in the US, are doing hoppier saisons.

Agreed, I typically look for beers with lighter IBU profiles such as Witbiers and Hefeweisens; my two beers I always have on tap. As suggested, I may back off the IBU's naturally by a 30 and a 10 minutes addition of the hop bill split in half and forego the 60 min addition. This should take my IBU's from 25 to around 20. Thanks for helping me think thru this.

Another thing I want to try after I test this initial Saison, is to try adding Brett after fermentation to get a bit funky with it. I do lots of lacto soured Gose and Berliner Weiss beers, but never used Brett. I figured a Saison may be a good one to try adding Brett to the secondary after fermentation for the long ride. Has anyone tried this with success?
 
Greetings all. In preparation to do a Saison this weekend, I inventoried my supplies. I used BeerSmith to design a Saison based on the ingredients I have on hand, and Bru'n Water to find the correct acid and brewing salts for the grain bill and SRM calculated.

Here is what I came up with based on the grains and hops I have on hand:

5.5G Batch

6 lbs Pilsner Malts
2 lbs Vienna (all I have)
1 lb Lt Wheat
1 lb Rolled wheat
2.5 oz Chocolate for color

This gives me a SG of 1.056 with a SRM of 10. With Belle Saison at 73F, I expect to finish around 1.004 or 1.005

For hops, I stayed mid-range and have available Saaz, Tettnang or Hallertau. I've adjusted for 25 IBU's with Tettnang at 1.75 oz for 60 min. I am not doing any additional hop additions since I don't want hops to overwhelm this dry of a beer.

I will pitch rehydrated Belle Saison at 65F, then place in ambient area at 73F for full attenuation.

I tried to sick closely with the style guidelines after reviewing a number of Saison recipes. Based on the inventory I currently have, I felt the wheat additions will give me some body and mouthfeel in an otherwise lighter beer. I plan to single infusion mash at 148F for 60 minutes and boil for 90 minutes due to the Pilsen Malts.

If you see any red flags, please holler now! Please wish me success on my Saison.

Looks really good! I was going to add some small amounts of choc and/or black patent to my recipe but I didn't and my srm was 3...
 
Looks really good! I was going to add some small amounts of choc and/or black patent to my recipe but I didn't and my srm was 3...

I used BSmith and noted my SRM was really low, so I bumped it with a touch of Chocolate to hit 10 SRM. With only a tiny amount in 5.5G, the color influence is all I am looking for.
 
Another thing I want to try after I test this initial Saison, is to try adding Brett after fermentation to get a bit funky with it. I do lots of lacto soured Gose and Berliner Weiss beers, but never used Brett. I figured a Saison may be a good one to try adding Brett to the secondary after fermentation for the long ride. Has anyone tried this with success?

Go for it. I have my first Brett experiment carbing up right now. When I packaged my last batch of saison, I pulled out 750 mL in a wine bottle, added Orval dregs, and let it sit for two months in secondary before bottling. Haven't tried it yet but it smelled fantastic.
 
Go for it. I have my first Brett experiment carbing up right now. When I packaged my last batch of saison, I pulled out 750 mL in a wine bottle, added Orval dregs, and let it sit for two months in secondary before bottling. Haven't tried it yet but it smelled fantastic.

WOW...can't wait for a report. I bet you'll wish you had soured more after you taste it!!
 
I just brewed a saison a few days ago with belle saison. Kept it super simple with a fair amount of flavour/aroma hops

100% Bohemian Pils malt

Bittered with warrior @60mins for 25 IBU
50g Crystal @10mins
50g Crystal @5 mins
50g Bobek steep

OG 1.049
IBU about 35 I guess


My last one with belle saison, which I am still drinking was excellent

OG 1.053
98% weyerman pale
2% torrified wheat
30g pilgrim first wort
50g Savinjski Golding, 2.5% flavour/aroma
some crushed black pepper and coriander at flameout

about 30 ibus


A lot of saisons here are made with belle saison, it's quite an easy yeast to tell when it's been used.
 
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