Saison Updates

Rêve de Wallonia

• Having some fermentation issues
• Despite high temps the fermentation was stuck at 1.035 (Wyeast #3724 is notorious for getting stuck)
• Sample pulled was murky (lots of yeast still in suspension) and very sweet
• On August 14th a second yeast starter was dumped into the carboy containing a different saison yeast, Wyeast #3711 French Saison
• As of August 27th is is down now to 1.027 - still quite a bit high
  
• Sample pulled was still murky and overly sweet
• Still need to wait, but getting to be a long time now sitting on the trub and yeast cake; keeping it too long like this could start to produce off flavors
  

Saison de Deux Médecine

• Transfered to secondary on August 2nd
• No more yarrow was added
  
• Split into 2 carboys - 2.5 gallons in each
  
• Brett has not been added yet; waiting for Wallonia to be ready b/c I'm splitting the package of yeast between the two
  
• Crystal clear and had interesting vegi/asparagus flavors
• Planning to bottle the first half this weekend (8/29) - can't wait to drink!!
  

Batch No. 19 - The Curtain Wit

The Curtain Wit

Brewed - August 2, 2009

Style - Belgian Witbier
Source - various recipes / Bob's HBS

Ingredients:

• 3.0 lbs. Wheat DME
  
• 3.0 lbs. Golden Light DME
  
• 2.0 lbs. Belgian Pilsner (partial mash)
• 1.0 lbs. Flaked Wheat (partial mash)
  
• 1.0 oz. Saaz (60)
• 1.0 oz. Linden (0)
• 1.0 oz. Lemon Zest (0)
  
• 2.5 oz. Orange Zest (0)
  
• 1.5 tbsp. Powdered Ginger (0)
• 1.0 tbsp. Coriander Powder (0)
  
• Yeast slurry from Colin's Pro-Am Witbier
  

OG - 1.064
Primary - 14 days
Secondary - 14 days

Bottled - August 20, 2009

FG - 1.016
Attenuation - 75.0%
ABV - 6.29%

Notes:
- Spur of the moment brew as I had some extra ingredients around and was able to use the fresh yeast slurry from Colin's Pro-Am Witbier brewed at Rock Bottom Bellevue; unsure at the moment what the actual yeast was, but probably the standard witbier yeast
- More generous with orange zest and ginger than previous saison
- Partial mash a little easier second time around; need some equipment upgrades though

Saison Experiment

A few notes on my saison experiement:

1. Saisons

• In the words of K. Florian Klemp, "The French word for season, saison, has become a stylistic designation to distinguish a group of beers from Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium. Today, these historically seasonal ales are brewed year-round. Saisons present a complex character that is both aggressive and subtle. Unmistakably Belgian and unequivocally rustic, they beckon exploration. "
• BCJP style description
• Ever since I first tried beer on my 21st birthday, porters have always been my favorite style. But over the last year or so, saisons have been giving it a run for the money.
• My idea was to do two different saisons: the first would be more traditional and get its spicy characteristics directly from a specific saison-style yeast; the second would use a more neutral belgian yeast and get flavor from the additions of spices and wildflowers
• Notable commercial examples: Boulevard Saison w/ Brett, Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux, Fantôme Saison, Moinette Biologique, Saison Dupont Vieille Provision, Southampton Cuvee des Fleurs and The Bruery Saison de Lente
  

2. Fermentation Temps

• While the general rule of thumb ale yeasts seems to be fermentation around 70 degrees on the high end, saison yeasts are recommended at 80 degrees or even higher
• That makes them perfect for summer and the higher temps should bring out the spice and fruity esters that saisons are known for
• I'm 4 days into Rêve de Wallonia and 3 days into Saison de Deux Médecine and have been keeping them in the kitchen for the most part to maximize the heat
• Ambient temps have been mostly in the 80's, reaching as high as 92 (!!)
  
• Fermentation has been strong and I will be taking samples in the next 3-4 days
  

3. Spices / Wildflowers

• Previously I've used a few spices (corriander, grains of paradise) in an Imperial Wit, but here I used several new to me.
  
• In the tradition of using local ingredients, I wanted to use wildflowers picked while on a backpacking trip. I picked a bunch, but many turned out to be inedible. Yarrow however worked. The dried yarrow I got was from Eastern Washington and the wildflower honey from Western Washington.
• I like the general idea of using wild ingredients and plan on doing a spruce tip IPA soon
  

4. Brettanomyces

• Another layer to this experiment was to use Brettanomyces wild yeast for the first time
• Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing: Brettanomyces (also known as Brett) is feared by most brewers and winemakers alike. In fact, there are some local winemakers who will not set foot in our brewpub in Downtown Santa Rosa due to our use of Brettanomyces. Brettanomyces is actually yeast, it ferments and acts the same as every other "conventional" yeast, it just has the propensity to continue fermenting through almost any type of sugar, including those natural sugars found in the wood in an oak barrel. Brett is very invasive and if not handled properly can become out of control in a winery or brewery, but, if used properly with care, it can add rich aromas and flavors of earthiness, leather, smoke, barnyard, & our favorite descriptor-wet dog in a phone booth.
• While used for many years in classic beers such as Orval, brett has become quite popular in recent years and has been showing up in saisons as a secondary yeast
• My choice: Wyeast 5151-PC Brettanomyces claussenii - Isolated from English stock ale, this wild yeast produces a mild Brett character with overtones of tropical fruit and pineapple. It ferments best in worts with a reduced pH after primary fermentation has begun. May form a pellicle in bottles or casks. Typically used in conjunction with other yeast and lactic acid bacteria.
• Brett will certainly change the flavor of my beers and should also help them attenuate and dry out - something you want in a saison
  
• Using brett will requiring purchasing some new equipment, hoses, etc. b/c you can't rid the critters from anything that is porous; glass carboys will be fine
  

5. Batch Splitting

• I'm doing several new things with these two beers with the big one definitely being the brettanomyces
  
• In order to fully understand its impacts on each recipe, I will be only using it in part of each beer
  
• I will take each beer, split in half and only put brett in half; thus ending up with essentially four different beers
• The results should go along way in understanding not only brett, but also the high fermenation temps, use of spices, etc.
  
• This is something I plan on continuing in the future in regards to using oak again, adding fruit, etc.
  

Batch No. 18 - Saison de Deux Médecine

Saison de Deux Médecine

Brewed - July 26, 2009

Style - Saison
Source - Saison du Mont variation / Northern Brewer

Ingredients:

• 6.0 lbs. Pilsner LME
• 2.0 lbs. Vienna Malt (partial mash)
• 1.0 lbs. Flaked Oats (partial mash)
• 1.0 oz. Hallertauer (60)
• 1.0 oz. Hallertauer (15)
• 1.0 oz. Hallertauer (0)
• 1.0 lbs. Rainier Fireweed Honey (0)
• 4.0 oz. Dried Yarrow (0)
• 1.0 oz. Fresh Yarrow (0)
  
• 1.0 oz. Valencia Zest (0)
  
• 1.0 tbsp. Powdered Ginger (0)
• Wyeast #3522 Belgian Ardennes
• 750 ml starter w/ 1/2 cup DME

OG - 1.056
Primary - 7 days
Secondary - 28 days

Bottled - August 30, 2009

FG - 1.014
Attenuation - 75.0%
ABV - 5.5%

-------------------------------------------------------------------

2.5 gallons spiked with Brettanomyces Claussenii

Date - September 27, 2009
Secondary - 245 days

Bottled - May 19, 2010

FG - 1.006
Attenuation - 89.3%
ABV - 6.55%

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes:

• first time doing a partial-mash, which was a little tricky b/c I don't have a good strainer, second large pot or effective ways to maintain specific temperatures; it was good to finally try and with a few small improvements , should be an effective change in my brewing process and helping bring more flavor and body to my brews
  
• Yarrow is a white flowering plant that is found in Eastern Washington and many other areas; it is edible and is used in several herbal remedies
  
• some of the yarrow used was picked while backpacking in the Two Medicine area of Glacier National Park
  
• first time using a bunch of spices as well and i was nervous about quantities, esp. adding too much ginger and yarrow
• a small scale would be a good item to pick up so I can better measure the weights of the spices
  
• a hectic brewing day, including smashing my hydrometer and rushing to my buddy's place in the middle of the boil to borrow one...fun, fun
  
• fermentation not quite as vigorous as the first saison, but still going well - wort ended up being quite muddy brown and the krausen was dark green from the yarrow
  

My one shot during the mini-sparge



After yarrow was added

Batch No. 17 - Rêve de Wallonia

Rêve de Wallonia (Dreams of Wallonia)

Brewed - July 25, 2009

Style - Saison
Source - Tasty Brew / Northern Brewer

Ingredients:

• 6.0 lbs. Light DME
• 1.0 lbs. Wheat DME
• 1.0 lbs. Dextrose
• 2.0 lbs. American Crystal 10L
• 1.0 lbs. Belgian Carapils
• 1.0 oz. Styrian Goldings (60)
• 1.0 oz. Styrian Goldings (15)
• 1.0 oz. Styrian Goldings (0)
• Wyeast #3724 Belgian Saison
• 750 ml starter w/ 1/2 cup DME

OG - 1.074
Primary -64 days!!
Secondary - 28 days

Bottled - October 25, 2009

FG - 1.010
Attenuation - 86.5%
ABV - 8.4%

-------------------------------------------------------------------

2.5 gallons spiked with Brettanomyces Claussenii

Date - September 27, 2009
Secondary - 189 days

Bottled - May 19, 2010

FG - 1.008
Attenuation - 89.2%
ABV - 8.65%

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes:

• my first saison!!!
• Wallonia is the region in southern Belgium where the saison style originated
• starter was very active prior to pitching
• slight extension of boil time b/c I missed the 15 min. hop addition
• used 5 gal carboy and blow off tube
• airlock activity w/in 6 hours; I will always use a yeast starter!!
• forgot to add the dextrose at the end of the boil, so the next day I dissolved it in water, boiled to sanitized, cooled and dumped into the carboy (this was about 18 hours after the yeast was pitched; it was already going strong, but went wild when the sugar was added
• keeping track of fermentation temps, but have mostly been in the low 80's so far
  

Fermenting away in the kitchen to keep warm

Summer Brewing

So last summer I basically closed shop for the warm weather months and decided not to even toy with the higher temps and slow cooling condo. Yet I've come to learn that there are several yeasts that can handle the higher temps and in a few cases, are recommended to ferment at 80 degrees or higher. Saison yeasts are good examples and I will be brewing two different types in the next few weeks.

But the wee heavy I brewed last weekend needed to stay near 70 degrees during primary fermentation. By late Sunday morning it was pushing 80 degrees, so I covered it with a wet towel, made an ice bath and tried to keep my pantry cool by covering the windows. It worked well and was just a tad below 70 degrees for several days.

Batch No. 16 - Heavy Things

Heavy Things

Brewed - July 18, 2009

Style - Scotch Ale
Source - Northern Brewer kit

Best Commercial Example (IMO): Alesmith Wee Heavy

Ingredients:

• 12.0 lbs. Gold LME
• 0.5 lbs. Simpsons Crystal
• 0.375 lbs. Dingemans Biscuit
• 0.125 lbs. Simpsons Roasted Barley
• 1.0 oz. Brewer's Gold (60)
• Wyeast #1728 Scottish Ale
  

OG - 1.086
Primary - 7 days
Secondary - 91 days

Bottled - October 24, 2009

FG - 1.028
Attenuation - 67.5%
ABV - 7.6%

Notes:
- extract was almost 4 months old: better to brew than throw away!!
- used yeast starter for the first time; activity w/in 5 hours and full blow krausen w/in 12
- I was a little rusty w/ some big spills near the end
- so hot!! ran out of ice and cooling the last 10 degrees took a while