Wedding Beer

[Mainer]

A coworker of mine is getting married (having a very small wedding) and I've offered to make them a couple cases of beer for their reception. Their favorite beers are Foundation Wanderlust and Oxbow Farmhouse, so I've come up with this loose recipe. Any feedback would be appreciated.

5 Gallons

6.75# Belgian Pils
8 oz Munich 20L
8 oz Vienna
6 oz Acid malt
4 oz flaked wheat
4 oz flaked oats
(I might also add a half ounce of Carafa II just to darken it up ever so slightly)

60 minute mash @155

60 minute boil
.25 oz Citra @30
.5 oz Centennial @30
.5 oz Centennial @15
.5 oz Cascade @15
.5 oz Cascade @5
1 oz Mt. Hood @5
1.75 oz Citra @FO
1 oz Mosaic @FO

Danstar Belle Saison yeast at ambient (They're getting married in September, so I'm going to brew this in July, so probably ~75)

I average around 80% efficiency, so with average AA for those hop strains, my software gives me the following stats

SRM: 5 (with the half-ounce of carafa)
OG: 1.049
FG: 1.012
ABV: 4.8%
IBU: 37.7

 

[rhys333]

If you're brewing for the BMC crowd, they may not be keen on the Belle Saison yeast character. Something more neutral perhaps?

I might combine your flaked grains and go with one or the other instead of both. Again, I might combine your Munich and Vienna and go with one or the other. Also, just wondering about the acid malt you've added. It seems high at about 4% by weight.

As for your hops, looks good, but you might want to move the 30 minute addition forward to get some flavor out of it or just increase your 60 minute addition slightly if you're goal is just to up the IBUs.

 

[trav77]

If you're brewing for the BMC crowd, they may not be keen on the Belle Saison yeast character. Something more neutral perhaps?

I might combine your flaked grains and go with one or the other instead of both. Again, I might combine your Munich and Vienna and go with one or the other. Also, just wondering about the acid malt you've added. It seems high at about 4% by weight.

As for your hops, looks good, but you might want to move the 30 minute addition forward to get some flavor out of it or just increase your 60 minute addition slightly if you're goal is just to up the IBUs.

You could always brew this + a cream ale, kolsch, etc. to appeal to the non-beergeeks.

On your saison recipe though... +1 on simplifying it a bit. I brew a lot of saison and I find the simpler the better. The Vienna probably will not come through much. I would do either Vienna or Munich. If you go Vienna only, maybe up the % a bit. Also I agree there's no need for a small % of each wheat + oats.

Your mash temp is a bit high for a saison typically but with Belle Saison, you'll probably still attenuate quite a bit lower than your anticipated FG of 1.012.

Also I would simplify the hop bill a bit. For example I would think that a late addition of Mt. Hood is going to get crushed by Citra/Mosaic.

On the right track though. Love me a hoppy saison!

 

[Mainer]

If you're brewing for the BMC crowd, they may not be keen on the Belle Saison yeast character. Something more neutral perhaps?

I might combine your flaked grains and go with one or the other instead of both. Again, I might combine your Munich and Vienna and go with one or the other. Also, just wondering about the acid malt you've added. It seems high at about 4% by weight.

As for your hops, looks good, but you might want to move the 30 minute addition forward to get some flavor out of it or just increase your 60 minute addition slightly if you're goal is just to up the IBUs.

The bride and groom are definitely craft beer people, and they particularly like saisons and farmhouse ales. Some of the attendees are BMC types, but the bride was very clear that she wants something more to the couple's own preferences.

 

[Mainer]

You could always brew this + a cream ale, kolsch, etc. to appeal to the non-beergeeks.

On your saison recipe though... +1 on simplifying it a bit. I brew a lot of saison and I find the simpler the better. The Vienna probably will not come through much. I would do either Vienna or Munich. If you go Vienna only, maybe up the % a bit. Also I agree there's no need for a small % of each wheat + oats.

Your mash temp is a bit high for a saison typically but with Belle Saison, you'll probably still attenuate quite a bit lower than your anticipated FG of 1.012.

Also I would simplify the hop bill a bit. For example I would think that a late addition of Mt. Hood is going to get crushed by Citra/Mosaic.

On the right track though. Love me a hoppy saison!

I'm all for simplifying. The only reason I added the wheat and the munich were because the beer I cited as one of their favorites says it uses both. All things being equal, I'd prefer to do just pils, Vienna, and oats.

Ditto the Mount Hood. Although Mount Hood *is* one of my favorite hops. Maybe I'll keep the Mt. Hood and just move it back to 30, and move the whole 2 ounces of Citra to the end.

The idea of doing a saison AND a cream ale is a fun one, but this is their wedding, not mine. Also, it's family-only, so I'm not invited. If they give me an invite, I'll give them a second batch.

And the mash temp I wanted a bit high in order to give it a little body. Both of the saisons they mentioned liking, being Maine beers, take a little influence from NEIPAs in that they have a little sweetness with the hoppy citrus, and they retain some haze from the adjuncts.

 

[Mainer]

If you're brewing for the BMC crowd, they may not be keen on the Belle Saison yeast character. Something more neutral perhaps?

I might combine your flaked grains and go with one or the other instead of both. Again, I might combine your Munich and Vienna and go with one or the other. Also, just wondering about the acid malt you've added. It seems high at about 4% by weight.

As for your hops, looks good, but you might want to move the 30 minute addition forward to get some flavor out of it or just increase your 60 minute addition slightly if you're goal is just to up the IBUs.

Oh, right, the acid malt. I forgot about that. Yeah, that was just a shot in the dark. The only beer I've brewed with any acid malt was a Berliner, which is obviously a different thing and used, I think, a whole point of acid malt. Dial that back to, what, 4oz maybe?

 

[trav77]

Oh, right, the acid malt. I forgot about that. Yeah, that was just a shot in the dark. The only beer I've brewed with any acid malt was a Berliner, which is obviously a different thing and used, I think, a whole point of acid malt. Dial that back to, what, 4oz maybe?

It really depends on the water you're using. If you're using RO/DI then something like 1 tsp CaCL + 1 tsp Gypsum with 2-3% acid malt by weight will get you in the ballpark.

If you're using municipal water then it really depends on the composition so would be difficult to say.

 

[Mainer]

I'm fairly new to brewing saisons (the weather here in Maine doesn't generally cooperate). I brewed a trio of different saisons last winter on the same yeast cake of 3711, but I'm interested inBelle Saison's supposed tolerance of lower temps than 3711.

 

[Mainer]

It really depends on the water you're using. If you're using RO/DI then something like 1 tsp CaCL + 1 tsp Gypsum with 2-3% acid malt by weight will get you in the ballpark.

If you're using municipal water then it really depends on the composition so would be difficult to say.

I use Portland, Maine city water, which is remarkably neutral. I've been told that it's essentially RO. Pgs 5-6 here: https://www.pwd.org/sites/default/files/annual-water-quality-report-2016_0.pdf

 

[Mainer]

Okay, I've simplified my recipe somewhat, and am planning on brewing a practice batch Monday in advance of the real wedding batch in July. (But I'm still doing a full 5 gallons because this sounds like a good summer beer, and I want to keep the practice batch for myself.)

60 min Mash @155
6.5# Belgian Pilsner
1# Vienna
12 oz Flaked Oats
4 oz Acid malt
1 oz Carafa II (end of mash)


1 oz Mt Hood @30
1 oz Centennial @15
.5 oz Cascade @15
.5 oz Cascade @FO
1 oz Citra @FO
1 oz Mosaic @FO

Any advice on fermenting with Belle Saison would be much appreciated, particularly on the kind of variation I should expect when fermenting at the lower end of its range.