Should I dry hop?

[zachattack698]

Brewed a dark saison the other day using this recipe

8 lbs 8 oz Pilsner 2 row
1 lb wheat flaked
8 oz pale chocolate malt
8 oz honey malt
8 oz carafa 1
4 oz roasted barley

.8 oz Sterling 60 mins
.2 oz sterling 10 mins
1 oz sterling 0 mins

French Saison yeast.

My only question is, is this a beer i should dry hop? if so whats a good hop to use for doing so? My first time brewing a dark saison and not sure if dry hopping really fits the style or not. Any help or feedback would be awesome!

 

[mrphillips]

I've never brewed a Saison, and can't remember the last one I tasted, so I'm not sure what flavor profile you're looking for. I have a bad habit of adding and adding and changing and changing, so I would add a 1/2 oz of dry hops out of pure compulsion. Anything under 3 oz of hops total probably won't get you in trouble.

I have no idea what hop you could use. A floral/fruity hop like cascade will go well with the wheat grains and honey malt...but not so well with your darker, chocolaty malts. Experiment and see what happens. OR EVEN BETTER, move half your batch into another carboy, and toss in some dry hops in one of them. Just remember to keep your ratios in check (1/4 oz hops in a 2.5 gallon batch will equal 1/2 oz hops in a full 5 gallon batch).

 

[drainbamage]

I've never made a saison either, but I can't see an overly citrusy hop working well unless you wanted to tend towards a black IPA character. Some spicy/herbal Noble hops would probably be good.

 

[zachattack698]

Would it be ok to just dry hop with more sterling hops?

 

[drainbamage]

Sterling is similar to Saaz, isn't it? I think the only time I used it was for a flavor addition, but it could work as a dry-hop.

 

[mrphillips]

Chinook is nice and spicy, but it's also more bitter than a lot of hops. I'd be inclined to stick with the hops you used in the boil. There's something to be said for only using one hop throughout. You could call the final product "Sterling Zack's Saison." (The name might be a work in progress )