First Saison

[paulyman]

Put my first saison down last weekend, thanks to the assistance recieved by a fair few members here. Kept it really simple.

After 7 days it is sitting just 1 gravity point above predicted, in no rush though, so will leave it sit for a week or two. Had a taste out of the hydro test tube and it is slightly peppery, with a hint of bananna and a dank smell. Quite yum.

 

[JDW81]

Put my first saison down last weekend, thanks to the assistance recieved by a fair few members here. Kept it really simple.

After 7 days it is sitting just 1 gravity point above predicted, in no rush though, so will leave it sit for a week or two. Had a taste out of the hydro test tube and it is slightly peppery, with a hint of bananna and a dank smell. Quite yum.

Saison is a great style, and highly under rated IMHO. Great that it's got a bit of funk to it.

There is no rush what-so-ever. Give it another week for the yeast to clean up after themselves, and then think about packaging. Nothing I brew ends up in bottles in less than 14 days.

Which yeast did you use and what was your fermentation temperature?

JD

 

[indica86]

SAISON.......... love it.

 

[paulyman]

I went with Danstar belle saison dry yeast for this brew on the recommendations of others to keep it simple, haven't used liquid yeast before so one thing at a time. Fermentation temp was started at 22 and held during lag, then brought up by a degree or two each day to 25. Thanks to a cold snap I actually required a heat belt, in spring!

 

[paulyman]

If the ambient temp actually maintains the 25+ we have at the moment I might try a LDME + wheat malt mix with a nice Belgian liquid yeast and heat belt to hold 30 next. I love making sourdough and have a 5 year old culture (which is still a new born in sourdough years), saison seems to be the sourdough of beer.

 

[stewy]

Put my first saison down last weekend, thanks to the assistance recieved by a fair few members here. Kept it really simple.

After 7 days it is sitting just 1 gravity point above predicted, in no rush though, so will leave it sit for a week or two. Had a taste out of the hydro test tube and it is slightly peppery, with a hint of bananna and a dank smell. Quite yum.

I am about to brew one myself. May I ask your recipe?

 

[paulyman]

The recipe was made from what I had lying around and needed to use up, nothing flash.

2.0 KG LDME
1.5 KG Coopers Amber Malt

10L boil with Saaz additions:
50g at 60
20g at 30
20g at 0

Made up to 23L. Rehydrated Danstar Belle Saison pitched at 22.

I had to change the hop additions on the fly though to a 30 minute boil as I had to pick the other half up from work at short notice, didn't right down the changes, used BrewMate to make the amendments.

 

[paulyman]

My next crack will be Tony's recipe in the database.

 

[menoetes]

I just put down my first saison this weekend too Paul. It's exciting isn't it? I mini-mash so I snuck some rye malt in there and used a liquid yeast but my hop schedual was similar to yours though I used some old glacier I had in the freezer.

As a sourdough man myself I agree, it do feel like the sourdough of beers and even smells a little like it too

 

[Stinger85]

Hey guys,
Thought I would chip in here. Long time reader, first time poster!

I have a Saison in the fermenter at the moment myself.
My recipe was as follows:

Coopers Australian Pale Ale
Thomas Coopers Wheat Beer
1kg LDM
35gr Saaz steeped in 1/2 litre of just boiled water.

Danstar Belle Saison Yeast

Made to 20 litres, currently had 5 days at 28 degrees, which I plan to drop to 24 degrees tonight for 24 hours and then 20 degress for a week before bottling. I don't plan to cold crash this brew as I think a cloudy presentation goes with the style.

What are your thoughts on how I have gone about my attempt at a Saison so far?
Also, I plan to bulk prime for the first time with this brew, so I am wondering at what rate I should prime with dextrose (in keeping with the style, it should be pretty high?). I will be bottling into sturdy glass 750ml Coopers bottles.

Thanks guys!

 

[indica86]

Should be nice. Ensure the yeast is done though, it will get very low, I have had 1004 as final gravity from that Belle Saison before.

 

[toolio666]

Brewed a Saison yesterday "Season's Saison", using a few leftovers that I had. Should taste ok.

1.5kg Coopers Light LME
0.5kg Light DME
0.4kg Dark DME
0.4kg Wheat DME
0.2kg Dextrose

0.25kg Carapils
0.2kg Crystal

28g Magnum (13%) @ 30 minutes
20g Hallertau Mittlefrueh (4.8%) @10 minutes
20g Hallertau Mittlefrueh (4.8%) @5 minutes

20L Batch

Wyeast French Saison 3711PC.

Expected OG 1.055 - Actual 1.054
Expected FG 1.010
Alc 6.0%

IBU 27.7
EBC 17.6.

Heatbelt set at 24 degrees.

T00lio

 

[hwall95]

This was my first saison that I brewed 4 weeks ago and bottled on saturday for Qld Xmas Swap:

SG: 1.050 IBU: 27
FG: 1.006 EBC: 9
ABV: 5.8%

1.8kg LDME
0.5kg Wheat DME
0.4kg Dextrose
15g Magnum @ 60 min
15g EKG + 15 Fuggle @ 5 min
Wyeast 3724 - Belgian Saison

Fermented at 28-32 -> used a heat mat to keep the temperature up despite the warm weather up in Qld.

Tasted amazing before bottling, drunk the hole hydrometer sample even though it was sitting at 26 degrees...

Edit: Stuffed the FG...

 

[toolio666]

hwall95, is that FG right (1.060) or should it be 1.006?

 

[hwall95]

hwall95, is that FG right (1.060) or should it be 1.006?

Cheers mat i fixed it. It's definitely the later

 

[menoetes]

I decided my first saison was the opportunity to use some 5 year old glacier hops (on special from Craftbrewer) I had in the bottom of the freezer. I halved their AA% content for their age and even then I believe I was being optimistic about how much they might have left in them. Any here it is...

Glacial Saison
Mini-mash made to 23lts

OG: 1.050 IBU: 29.1
Est FG: 1.010 EBC: 9.6
Est ABV: 4.9%

2.0kg JW Australian Ale Malt
0.6kg Weyermann Rye Malt
2.0kg Pilsen Liquid Malt Extract
0.2kg Brown sugar

13g Citra (13AA%) @ 60min
30g Glacier (3AA%) @20min
30g Glacier (3AA%) @10min
30g Glacier (3AA%) @ 0min

Wyeast 3724 Belgium Saison (cheers HWall95 for the yeast)

I've never used Glacier before but I hear it has a bit of a lemon zest hit to it which I hope will interact well with the funky yeast esters of the saison yeast to make a nice summery drinker.

5 year old hops probably aren't going to give me the best first impression of what Glacier is all about but for $2 I couldn't go past them and I should get some idea at least.

 

[Ninegrain]

I decided my first saison was the opportunity to use some 5 year old glacier hops (on special from Craftbrewer) I had in the bottom of the freezer. I halved their AA% content for their age and even then I believe I was being optimistic about how much they might have left in them. Any here it is...

...

I've never used Glacier before but I hear it has a bit of a lemon zest hit to it which I hope will interact well with the funky yeast esters of the saison yeast to make a nice summery drinker.

5 year old hops probably aren't going to give me the best first impression of what Glacier is all about but for $2 I couldn't go past them and I should get some idea at least.

A bit off topic, but...those packs of Glacier are still fairly decent. I made an all Glacier cube-hopped amber ale a while back and it was fantastic! Smooth bitterness with great stonefruit and melon flavours. So good in fact that I wish Craftbrewer would stock some new season Glacier so I can have another run at that recipe...

On topic... Saison is definately on the cards for me this summer, haven't made one yet, but a sample bottle I had last year from a member on here was fantastic so need to do my own!



Edit: fail spelling...

 

[Stinger85]

My recipe was as follows:

Coopers Australian Pale Ale
Thomas Coopers Wheat Beer
1kg LDM
35gr Saaz steeped in 1/2 litre of just boiled water.

Danstar Belle Saison Yeast

Made to 20 litres, currently had 5 days at 28 degrees, which I plan to drop to 24 degrees tonight for 24 hours and then 20 degress for a week before bottling. I don't plan to cold crash this brew as I think a cloudy presentation goes with the style.

Just a little update on my Saison. It is currently sitting at 1005 which is about 8.5% in the fermenter. The samples taste very funky, and maybe a little over done, but I won't be too judgemental until it has had a couple of months in the bottle. One improvement I will make in my next batch will be to halve the LDM to just 500gr. As it stands the alcohol heat is very noticeable.
I am giving the yeast a rest at 20degrees now after a week at 28, and then a couple of days at 24.
I will bottle this weekend and get onto the next brew!

 

[paulyman]

Mine finished at 1007. Bottled yesterday, tasted very funky out of the fermentor.

 

[stewy]

I put a Saison down on Friday night, pitched Belle Saison at about 10pm... Did a gravity reading today (Monday) at 2 pm - 1004.
It's a hungry fat *******! Tasting of banana, spice, citrus (Sorachi ace hops). Gonna leave 3 weeks to clear up & bottle. Judging by today's sample I reckon after 4 weeks in the bottle it's going to be something special!