Batch No. 59 - No Simple Highway

No Simple Highway

Brewed - September 22, 2012

Style - Saison

Ingredients:

• 13.0 lbs. Weyermann Pilsner
• 1.5 lbs. Red Wheat
• 1.5 lbs. White Wheat
• 1.5 lbs. Belgian Caravienne
• 0.75 lbs. Flaked Wheat

• 1.75 oz. Perle (60)
• 0.50 oz. Saaz (30
• 1.00 oz. Saaz (10)
• 1.50 oz. Saaz (0)

• Wyeast #3711 French Saison (slurry from previous beer)

OG –1.046
Primary – 14 days
Secondary - ?? days

Kegged - ??

FG - 1.003 
Attenuation - 93.5%
ABV - 5.63%


Notes:

• A simple, sessionable Saison

• I ended up putting this in the rye whiskey barrel on 10/24/12; not much whiskey flavor remains and hoping to get more dry oak out if than anything; need to check soon and transfer it before much whiskey comes out

Batch #51 - Saison de Soufflé Fleur

Saison de Soufflé Fleur

Brewed - May 5, 2012

Style - Saison

Ingredients:

• 27.0 lbs. Pilsner
• 5.0 lbs. Red Wheat
• 2.0 lbs. Munich Light
• 1.0 lbs. White Wheat

• Perle - 3.0 oz. (60)
• Saaz - 2.0 oz. (30)
• Dandelion Tea - 32.0 fluid oz. (1.1 oz. dry dandelion leaf tea)

• Wyeast #3711 French Saison (1200 ml starter / 3 packs)

OG –1.068
Primary – 13 days
Secondary - ?? days

Kegged - ??


FG - 1.005 
Attenuation - 92.7%
ABV - 8.2%


Notes:

• Collaboration brew with fellow homebrewing aficionado Bob Zormeir
• After trying Fantome Pissenlit years ago, I have long wanted to try to brew a dandelion saison; with NHC coming up, this was one the beers I wanted to finally get brewed 
• In this case, we brewed the beer together and each are trying a different method with the dandelions
• On the fly, we scaled up a recipe that Bob has worked up; I had never brewed a 15-gal batch on this system, so it was a learning process
• I didn't estimate the pre-boil runoff correctly and we ended up with 13.5 gallons and overshot the targeted OG
• Bob took ~ 5 gallons home with him and when fermentation slows, he will be adding a tea he made with fresh dandelion flowers and a different saison yeast (Wyeast #3724 Belgain Saison I think)
• I made up some strong dandelion tea an dumped ~ 32.0 liquid ounces into the fermenter before the transfer; ~ 5 gallons were transfer on top and I will be adding more tea depending on flavor, strength, etc.
• The remaining ~ 3.5 gallons will be fermented as is with no dandelions and hopefully will turn out to be a tasting wheat saison 
• We both plan on serving our saisons at the NHC Club Night and it will be interesting to taste the different results 
• Mash at 152° and 90 min boil
• Start the ferment ~ 72° 

Updates:

• Wyeast #3711 is a workhouse and this was down to 1.005 in 13 days
• On May 18th, I added ~ 40 oz. of dandelion tea to 4.5 gals of saison in one keg; I have ~ 3.5 gals in the other and will either leave as is as a base or will use some to blend into the dandelion keg depending on how it tastes in a few weeks 

A little Saison tasting :)

Got together with some friends for the long-awaited and much discussed Saison blowout tasting.  Lots of tasty interpretations of the best beer style on earth.  Standouts for me were the Saison Dupont Dry-Hopping, Hill Farmstead Anna & Florence, Au Baron Cuvée des Jonquilles and Fantôme Saison of course!!

Here's a mostly complete list:

• Au Baron Cuvée des Jonquilles
• Southampton Saison Faucille
• Fantôme Hiver (Winter) – 2008
• Boulevard Saison with Brett – Batch 1
• Blaugies Bière Darbyste
• The Commons Oat Saison
• Fantôme Saison – 2008
• Saison Dupont Dry Hopping (magnum)
• Saison Dupont
• Logsdon Seizoen
• Logsdon Seizoen Bretta
• Fantôme Chocolat
• Fantôme Brise-BonBons!
• Hill Farmstead Anna
• Hill Farmstead Flora
• Hill Farmstead Florence 
• Blaugies La Moneuse
• Fantôme La Dalmatienne
• Pelican Saison du Pelican
• Upright Flora Rustica
• Lebbe l’Amalthée
• Saison de Pipaix
• Géants Saison Voisin
• Southampton Cuvee des Fleurs
• Fantôme BBB Dark White

Batch #45 - Rye, Rye Rocco Brown Saison

Rye, Rye Rocco Brown Saison

Brewed - February 12, 2012

Style - Saison


Ingredients:

• 13.0 lbs. Weyermann Pilsner
• 3.0 lbs. Rye
• 3.0 lbs. Weyermann Vienna
• 1.0 lbs. White Wheat
• 1.0 lbs. Dextrose (added into the boil)
• 1.0 lbs. Chocolate Rye
• 0.5 lbs. Chocolate
• 0.5 lbs. Pale Chocolate

• 2.0 oz. Hallertauer (60)
• 1.5 oz. Hallertauer (40)
• 1.5 oz. Hallertauer (10)

• Yeast: Wyeast #3522 Belgian Ardennes (2 packs / 1200 ml starter)

OG – 1.062
Primary – ?? days
Secondary - ?? days

Kegged - ??

FG - 1.007
Attenuation - 87%
ABV - 7.1%


Notes:

• Mash 154° for 60 minutes
• Sparge at ~ 178°
• After a few days of primary I will toss in some dried orange peels into one carboy
• Slight variation of the first Divided Rye Saison; a little more chocolate and rye this time; much better efficiency too; also using only the Belgian Ardennes yeast b/c I liked that one much better last time

Batch No. 36 - Pumpkin of Destiny

Pumpkin of Destiny - Spiced Saison

A pumpkin saison?!?! Hell yea...spiced this with cinnamon and nutmeg...summer is in its last throes here, but that cloudy, melancholy weather is creepy in and this should be the perfect beer to drink in about a month or so.

Throw that pumpkin at the tree
Unless you think that pumpkin holds your destiny
Cast it off into the sea, bake that pie and eat it with me

Brewed - September 17, 2011

Style - Saison

Ingredients:

• 13.0 lbs. Weyermann Pilsner
• 3.0 lbs. White Wheat
  
• 1.0 lbs. Vienna
  
• 1.0 lbs. Flaked Wheat
  
• 1.0 lbs. Brown Sugar
  

• 2.50 oz. Hallertauer (60)
• 2-29 oz. cans of Libby's Famous Pumpkin (60)
  
• 1.0 oz. Czech Saaz (30)
• 1.0 oz. Czech Saaz (15)
• 0.6 oz. Cinnamon (10)
• 0.6 oz. Nutmeg (10)
  

• Wyeast #3711 French Saison (2 packs)

OG – 1.054
Primary – 14 days
Secondary - 14 days

Kegged - October 19, 2011


FG - 1.001
Attenuation - 98%
ABV - 6.9%


Notes:

• No starter b/c I ran out of DME...doh!!
  
• Mash 154° for 60 minutes
• Sparge at ~ 175°

The Fifth Element

I was in Salt Lake City last week for a quick business trip and took the opportunity to hit up Squatters Brew Pub and enjoy a nice dinner with one of my all-time favorite beers....the Fifth Element...a barrel-aged saison...pure yum

"Fifth Element is a delightfully complex and rustic "Old World" style Belgian farmhouse ale. Aged in American oak barrels for a year and bottle conditioned, this artisan Belgian ale is sure to refresh. "

Batch No. 34 - Loving Cup Saison

Loving Cup Saison

"Oh, what a beautiful buzz, what a beautiful buzzzzz"

Brewed - July 9, 2011

Style - Saison

Ingredients:

• 20.0 lbs. Weyermann Pilsner
• 2.0 lbs. Table Sugar (added into the boil @ 25 mins.)
  
• 1.0 lbs. Belgian CaraVienne
  
• 0.5 lbs. Belgian Aromatic
  
• 0.5 lbs. Carapils
  

• 1.25 oz. Styrian Golding (60)
  
• 1.54 oz. Hallertauer (60)
• 2.0 oz. Czech Saaz (10)
• 2.0 oz. Czech Saaz (5)
• 1.0 oz. Coriander (5)
• 1.0 oz. Orange Peel (5)
  

• Wyeast #3726 Farmhouse Ale (slurry from Adam / 1500 ml starter)

OG – 1.072
Primary – 14 days
Secondary - 32 days

Kegged - August 24, 2011


FG - 1.010
Attenuation - 86%
ABV - 8.12%


Notes:

• Mash 152° for 60 minutes
• Sparge at ~ 175°
• 90 min boil
• lower mash temp and thinner mash volume to help attenuation

• 1/2 of this batch was dumped into the uncleaned keg of the Scrizzel Berliner Weiss, which has leftover brett dregs coating the keg
• part of the reason was that it was during of a long day and frankly I didn't want to clean the keg, but also of course I was curious how much flavor the brett dregs would impart on the beer esp. after it had already from the berliner weiss
• I carbonated that keg up for Adam's wedding
  
• the second 1/2 is still sitting in the keg at the brewspace and I haven't even carbonated it yet, but will do so soon; no brett in that one
  

Batch No. 32 - Divided Rye

Divided Rye Saison

Brewed - May 14, 2011

Style - Saison

Ingredients:

• 13.0 lbs. Weyermann Pilsner
• 3.0 lbs. Rye
• 3.0 lbs. Weyermann Vienna
• 1.0 lbs. White Wheat
• 1.0 lbs. Dextrose (added into the boil)
  
• 0.75 lbs. Chocolate
  

• 2.0 oz. Hallertauer (60)
• 1.0 oz. Czech Saaz (40)
• 1.0 oz. Czech Saaz (10)
  

• Yeast #1: Wyeast #3711 French Saison (1 packs / 800 ml starter)
• Yeast #2: Wyeast #3522 Belgian Ardennes (1 packs / 800 ml starter)

OG – 1.054
Primary – 14 days
Secondary - 11 days

Kegged - June 11, 2011


Wyeast #3711 French Saison:
FG - 1.004
Attenuation - 92.6%
ABV - 6.6%


Wyeast #3522 Belgian Ardennes:
FG - 1.007
Attenuation - 87%
ABV - 6.2%


Notes:

• Mash 154° for 60 minutes
• Sparge at ~ 178°
• Estimated OG was 1.061 and I measured at 1.054
• Used a different yeast in each 5 gal. carboy so I can see the difference in fermentability, flavor impact, etc.
  

Batch No. 31 - Story of the Ghost

Story of the Ghost Saison

Brewed - May 14, 2011

Style - Saison


Ingredients:

• 20.0 lbs. Weyermann Pilsner
  
• 4.0 lbs. White Wheat
• 2.0 lbs. Weyermann Vienna
  

• 1.0 oz. Hallertauer (90)
• 1.5 oz. East Kent Goldings (90)
• 1.0 oz. East Kent Goldings (45)
  

• Wyeast #3463 Forbidden Fruit (2 packs / 1500 ml starter)
  

OG – 1.070
Primary – 14 days
Secondary - 36 days

Kegged - July 6, 2011

FG - 1.010
Attenuation - 85.7%
ABV - 7.9%

Notes:

• Mash 154° for 60 minutes
• Sparge at ~ 178°
• 90 min. boil
• Estimated OG was 1.078 and I measured at 1.070

• Inspiration for this beer came from one of my favorite breweries, Brasserie Fantome, which brews some of the world's best and most creative saisons.
  

Treatment:

• Will be adding some fruit juice during primary fermentation
  

Beer Updates

Don't have my detailed tasting notes with me right now, but I'm really happy with the Saison, Belgian Blonde and Berry Wheat. The Belgian Triple is very strong and not really to style, but tastes pretty good.

I've only opened one 12 oz. of the Peach/Mango Wheat and it was WAY over carbonated. Ended up with only 1/3 of the beer after all the foaming and quick pour into a glass. Flavor-wise it didn't taste infected or anything, but I think the problem stems from the filtering problems during siphoning/bottling and maybe too much residual sugar left in the fruit. The Berry Wheat on the other hand (bottled with same amount of sugar) has a really nice carbonation level. More reports to come as I open more bottles.

Here are photos of the Belgian Blonde and Saison - both very tasty!

Batch No. 23 - Summer Saison

Summer Saison

I love saisons, so wanted to do a nice, light, sessionable version for the summer.

Brewed - May 29, 2010

Style - Saison
Source - NHB / NHB

Ingredients:

• 3.15 lbs. Pilsen LME
• 1.0 lbs. Pilsen DME
• 1.0 lbs. Bavarian Wheat DME
• 0.3 lb. Flaked Wheat (partial mash)
• 0.5 lbs. Belgian Caravienne (partial mash)
• 1.0 oz. Kent Golding (60)
• 1.0 tsp Irish Moss (15)
• 1.0 oz. Styrian Goldings (10)
• 0.25 oz. Saaz (10)
• 0.75 oz. Saaz (KO)

• Wyeast #3711 French Saison
  

OG – 1.046
Primary - TBD
Secondary - TBD

Bottled - TBD

FG - TBD
Attenuation - TBD
ABV - TBD

Notes:

• Partial Mash 2 gals @ 150 for 60 mins; sparge w/ 2 quarts 170 water
• 750 ml starter
• Target fermentation temp in the low 80’s
• Net from sparge ~ 2 gallons
• 1.006 gravity at transfer

Tasting Notes - Brett Beers

Tasting notes of both brett beers side by side with the regular versions on May 19, 2010:

1. Rêve de Wallonia

• clear dark orange with good pop upon opening
• steady carbonation and thin egg white head lingering
• fizzy green apples with a sharp lemon peel and musky grains
• pale malt, stale lemons
• texture is thin and silky with a mild leathery or thin syrupy feel
• stale lemons and malt; mild earthy tones and slightly “dirty”
• anything but popping with freshness
• stale fruits, caramel and light orange
• very interesting side by side with the brett version
• quite dry with stale fruits in the finish
• husky and earthy with stale lemons
  

2. Rêve de Wallonia w/ Brett

• quick carbonation that would have gushed over if I didn’t pour into a glass
• same dark orange appearance with more spotty head that fades quickly once out of the bottle
• slight yellowish hue to it
• obvious pineapple brett, leather and zesty lemons
• more fruity notes here and zesty spice as opposed to the more husky and musky notes of the regular version
• lots more bitterness too which is kind of surprising
• orange peels with slight sour zing and silky, leathery texture
• really like the nose but quite bitter to me
• texture is thin with sticky dry finish
• much of the husky-ness is gone and certainly tastes a little cleaner and drier
  

3. Saison de Deux Médecine

• mild gusher as expected
• light gold with soapy white head fading slowly; steady bubbles
• lemons, pepper, dried yarrow, a little ginger
• fresh, floral nose
• mildly medicinal flavors from the yarrow
• light, lemony texture
• light and dry with very clean mouthfeel
• much crisper and cleaner than the Wallonia
• much more of what I expected going in too
• get the ginger with nice floral and dried flowers
• quite nice overall and very happy with this except for that fact that as I only bottled ~ 2 gallons of finished product, it’s almost all gone!!
• would like it to be a little more complex or yeasty though
• aside from the carbonation, I’m very happy with this batch
  

4. Saison de Deux Médecine w/ Brett

• slight hiss upon opening with slight white head fading quickly
• more vibrant gold in color with next to no bubbles
• pineapple brett, lemons and ginger on the nose
• very clean again with little to none of the bitterness found in the Wallonia w/ brett
• crisp, light fruits and most of the medicinal qualities gone away
• less of a leathery texture than expected
• beer is very clean to begin with, so I think that helps the brett shine more and pop with freshness and fruity flavors
• dried flowers, oranges and ginger – yummy!!!
  

Bottling of brett beers

Date - April 4, 2010

Bottled both brett beers today in part b/c I was thinking of entering them into the Puget Sound Pro-Am and needed some carbonation if I wanted to do so. Because the brett takes hold of anything plastic or porous, I used old equipment here and it will be set aside for future brett beers only. It was kind of time to replace some stuff anyways, so I purchased new hoses, siphons, bottling wand, etc. for all regular beers.

Nothing else really different here compared to other bottlings, but I was concerned about carbonation and possible bottle bombs w/ the brett. For a few weeks, I put the bottles in a big plastic bin and then left in my shower during the day to contain any possible mess.

1. Saison de Deux Médecine w/ Brett

• 1.006 at bottling ~ 6.55% ABV and 89.3% attenuation
• the brett took it from 1.014 to 1.006 FG and 75% to 89.3% attenuation
• last time I used ~ ½ cup of sugar for just over 2 gallons of end product and it turned out quite over-carbonated; so ¼ cup per gallon is a little high
• so this time I used closer ~ 1/5 cup of sugar per gallon (slightly under ½ cup total) and the end product (based on bottle filling) was 2.25 gallons
• carbonation still seems like kind of a crap shoot to me though and is something I need to try to understand better in terms of volume of CO2, etc. that you want for certain styles and how to achieve that based on sugar and OG/FG
  

2. Rêve de Wallonia w/ Brett

• 1.008 FG at bottling ~ 8.7% ABV and 89.2% attenuation
• the brett to it from 1.010 to 1.008 FG and 86.5% to 89.2% attenuation
• less impact of the brett (in terms of numbers) in this beer
• same approximate sugar amounts used here

First sample - Saison de Deux Médecine w/ Brett

February 17, 2010 - After 143 in the secondary, I pulled my first sample the Saison de Deux Médecine w/ Brett and did a side by side with the a bottle of the regular version. Honestly, I was just excited that it wasn't disgusting!! The surface of the beer in the carboy has a spotty light white, almost puss looking foam on top, but tasted great. Still a way off from bottling though.

1. Saison de Deux Médecine w/ Brett

• Pulled sample, so no carbonation
• Clear light gold w/ fruity brett and zing on the nose
• Yarrow seems covered up a bit
• Dry with mild sweetness and sticky mouthfeel
• Zing with leathery brett and mild fruit
  

2. Saison de Deux Médecine

• Over-carbonated like the other bottles
• Slight haze and dull yellow
• Lemony yarrow with ginger and citrus flavors
• Chalky and smooth
• Lots of ginger in this bottle

Old Tasting Notes #4

Old tastings notes from January 9, 2010 - look, I just made it to 2010!!

Rêve de Wallonia

• clear light copper with huge 3” eggy white head
• musky, floral nose with fruit, lemons and a yeasty bite to it
• drinks smooth with a raw earthy, lemony tone to it
• creamy mouthfeel with nice, dry spice in the finish
• lots of yeasty texture this time and husky flavors and very dry finish
• raw lemons and sugary
• much drier than I remember and more fruity too
  

Heavy Things

• clear light brown with thin white head
• plenty of carbonation
• caramel, apples dry malts and brown sugar
• seems like slight oxidation to me even though quite young
• green apples too that seem a little off to me (old malt?)
• dates and nuts with a very slight fruity twang
• texture is thin with raw malts, sugar and caramel
• will have to revisit soon as it seems slightly off
• brewed with old malts that sat in my apartment for 4+ months
  

Old Tasting Notes #3

Old tasting notes from November 30, 2009:

Saison de Deux Médecine

• slightly over-carbonated with slow gush if not poured quickly
• muddy yellow with fizzt white head
• mainly yarrow with some sweetness of honey, dry malt and a touch of ginger/orange peel; really nice nose overall
• not overly earthy, but plenty of yarrow
• more sweetness could help here I think against the yarrow
• not much spice, but get some ginger
• yeast flavors are not present, which is a disappointment
• maybe a less “neutral” Belgian yeast next time?
• maybe the yarrow trumps the yeast?
• not exactly what I was going for, but far from the disaster I had feared at times
  

The Curtain Wit

• clear, light orange with bubbly white head to the edges
• ginger, coriander, oranges and a husky sweetness
• thin texture and fruity mouthfeel
• very balanced and drinkable
• a little bready too with lemons and grass
• nice, sticky fruity texture
  

Rêve de Wallonia

• light orange with slight haze; pale gold against the light; white head to the edges
• husky nose with lemons and faint spice
• drinks quite dry and a little flavorless at first
• mild yeasty texture with dry spice, some sweet malt and sugar
• lots of body and sweetness
• certainly not the typical saison that I was going for (Dupont)
• yeast notes are mild and finish is not as dry
• husky is an overall characteristic that I think is from the fermentation struggles and some of the specialty malts
• I want more grassy notes
• Two Medicine is a much more cohesive and rounded beer to me
  

Heavy Things

• nicely carbonated with thin tan head and ruby red color
• nutty caramel, fruity sweet aromas
• not as rich or meaty or sweet as I’d like
• thin body with sweet, dry malt; some candy flavors with dried fruit and brown sugar
• need more body for sure (as with all my beers)
• maybe too fruity and would like some slight smoke
• has a “cheap” candy sweetness to it

Bottle Time - Heavy Things & Wallonia

Heavy Things - bottled on October 24, 2009

• 1.028 ~ 7.6% ABV with 67.5% attenuation
• clear, light brown
• candy rich, malty with a sticky woody note to it
• sweet caramel with dark fruits and quite nice overall
  

Rêve de Wallonia - bottled on October 25, 2009

• 1.010 ~ 8.4% ABV with 86.5% attenuation
• in the end the attenuation is quite good, but had hoped for lower (and drier)
• dense dark orange
• fruity and quite sweet
• thicker texture and mouthfeel than anticipated
• nose has a husky zing to it with tropical fruits and lots of dry spice

Old Tasting Notes #2

Old tasting notes from September 27, 2009

Saison de Deux Médecine

• slight gusher upon opening…doh!! First time I’ve had that problem
• hopefully an over-carbonation issue and not an infection of some kind
• this was different in terms of bottling b/c I estimated sugar based on 5 gallons and then adjusted to 2.5 gallons, but the finished product here was just over 2 gallons, so too much sugar seems like an issue here
• but wonder if dried wildflowers have strange impact on carbonation?
• anyway, back to the beer!
• dark gold, mostly clear with trace white head once in a glass
• floral, kind of dirty with ginger, obvious yarrow aromas
• lots of roots, yarrow stems, earthy
• very smooth and almost silky mouthfeel; vegetal finish and aftertaste
• not much Belgian yeast flavor or influence is one of my first impressions
• lots of yarrow and comes off a little “dirty” or dusty to me
  

The Curtain Wit

• clear light orange with trace white head
• aromas of honey, mild orange peel, ginger and coriander
• coriander comes out most on first sip
• light texture, smooth drinking with minor ginger zing
• not cloudy as I expected and maybe a tad darker as well
• dry, fruity finish yet not quite as flavorful as I had hoped
• some orange and light ginger; soft mouthfeel
• clean, tasty and super drinkable

Wallonia Update / Brettanomyces

Updates on the Wallonia saison and finally time for Brettanomyces......

September 17, 2009

Pulled a sample of Wallonia....

• gravity down to 1.012
• getting clearer w/ fruity lemons and orange on the nose
• sample has a sharpness to it with dry, husky, sweet malt and dried fruit
• very dry on the finish but overall still on the sweet side
• at this point it has been in the primary for over 50 days!!!
  

September 27, 2009

Finally transferred the Wallonia today. All in all in spent 64 days in the primary!! To me that is crazy and scary on many levels, but this sucker just would not ferment. The sample at transfer is just a hair over 1.010. I had hoped it would be more like 1.006, but I still got over 86% attenuation.

And now that it is finally transferred into the secondary, it is finally time to break out the big, bad brett!! I'm splitting the package of brettanomyces claussenii, so the 2.5 gallons of Two Medicine has been patiently waiting for this day.

I split open the package and split the yeast evenly ~ 100 ml each. Wow, brett smelled amazing with sour pineapples and thick fruity nose; color is muddy dark yellow.

Now the waiting game begins for the brett to do its thing and I’ll bottle in maybe 5 months?

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!!