#10 - Viennella Saison, Grainer
Appearance
Deep golden. Moderate haze - all to style.
Slight head that collapses quite quickly
Tiny bit of medium lacing
Aroma
Nice sweet honey with a little saisony funk - a tiny "white peppery" element.
Light fruity element.
Flava
Light bitterness
Alcohol warmth and flavour, fades into a mild lingering bitterness
Light fruitiness. Slight honey flavour with a bit of maltiness.
Light, initial sweetness, but reasonably dry overall.
Thin mouthfeel
Seems high carbonation in the mouthfeel
Later sips are fine on the “mouth-carb” level as it dissipates.
Overall
I’ll admit I quite like saisons, though i’m not especially knowledgeable about them. Also, i generally prefer to comment on what i like, as opposed to what’s required in the style guidelines.
Having said that, … i liked this! I really liked the aroma and flavours from it - i’ve been focused on ESBs, lagers, IPAs, DIPAs, etc, and have loosely been looking a few months ahead to what i might brew next, and thinking “yeah i might get back to saisons at some point later on.” This reminds me how much i love the Belgian styles and how i’ve gotta start the planning ASAP!
I love the slightly different spin on Pilsner malt it seems Vienna brings to the party (light honey “sweetness” with a bit more depth) - gives me some confidence with an upcoming 85% vienna malt lager. The bittering seems roughly bang on for this - subtle, but definitely present and lingers just a little bit.
I was also keen to see how a non-wheat saison turned out. This is great evidence that, with this style, wheat can just **** off. Clearly not necessary. (Well, i can’t pick any, and i don’t think you’ve mentioned it in your earlier comments). Maybe wheat would bring extra awesomeness to the party, but i doubt it. For a SMASH, this has plenty of depth in the malt aspect.
Not sure what the Ella is doing here, TBH. There’s maybe some extra fruitiness but it’s subtle - i actually think that’s a good thing for this style. Maybe it or the vienna is adding to the “sweet honey” aroma, adding a bit more candi-like depth. Could be handy for adding that “candy” element to Belgian ales(?).
FWIW, i can't pick up anything obvious with the weird yeast/bug combo thing you did. Apologies, but for the Belgian/French combo it'll be just however the Saisony element works out (~ same as Belle Saison, tbh); but the souring i just can't pick - it's kinda hidden in the lingering alcohol & bitterness. There might be something there if i think really hard, but if you didn't tell me, i'd never pick it!
I guess the only minor issue i’d critique is the high alcohol flavour + thin mouthfeel. Thin mouthfeel is kinda to style, but i’d guess maybe you’ve mashed a whisker too low - so it’s fermented out more heavily (or the yeast has unfortunately been too enthusiastic), creating a bit too much booze for the grist/hops/yeast balance, and a mouthfeel that is a bit thin where the carb bubbles out a bit too easily. I’m saying this partly from personal experience with the same problem and same result. Happy to be corrected on this! So i'd maybe mash higher and just rely on the crazy Belgian yeasts doing their thing anyway - i.e.: they'll attenuate it out anyway, but with a higher mash you'll get a bit more mouthfeel. Maybe?
What i don’t like with this: this sneaky ****** has a lot more booze in it than i expected (i think) - ******* saisons!! i was thinking i’d blaze through a few Case Swap Beers while watching the footy tonight. Looks like i might be able to squeeze in 1 more now. *******!!
Mind you, great for listening to highlights of Trump’s acceptance speech! I’m nice and numb.
