Spicing a Belgian Saison

[omorales]

I want to make a spiced saison for the holidays. I used Pilsner Malt, Carafoam, and Belgian Candy Sugar.

It is sitting on the secondary and I am trying to bottle next week. My gravity as of now is 1.004.

Does anyone have any ideas of holiday spices I could use. Also, I am asking for advice on if I should add to secondary or a tincture at bottling? Thanks.

 

[unclebrazzie]

My 2 cents:

If you want a spicy saison, try getting the yeast to work most of the magic. I've no idea which yeast you used, but that choice alone makes all the difference between one saison and another.
I like spicing saison with some peppercorns: black, white, paradise seed, long pepper, sichuan, you name it. Tends to accentuate the yeast even further, but use a light hand unless you want to end up with a peppery blonde instead.

Post-fermentaton spice...it all depends. You're at 1.004 now, but what was your OG? A 5% saison requires different spice additions than a 10%. Which hops did you use and what was the hopping schedule? All of these things will factor into the decision which (if any) additional spices to use.

You mention holiday spices. I reckon those would include things like cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, vanilla, cloves and whatnot. Realise that this are quite hefty flavour and aroma additions, which can easily dominate your brew. With the simple malt bill you used, I reckon you don't need the extra spices at all.

An idea could be to leave the saison alone as it is right now, and brew a more festive spiced holiday brew alongside it. Browns and quads can handle spices better. If you really want a spiced saison, you may want to adjust your recipe to fit the spices, preferrably during the boil.

 

[omorales]

Thanks. I will take your advice and leave it. My latest sample was pretty peppery, I am guessing it is because of the WLP 565 yeast I used. It tastes great though. My OG was 1.068. I'll leave it. I appreciate your help. I have no experience with saisons.

 

[unclebrazzie]

Do let us know how the beer ended up!