Summer Saison Help

[ARock_DK]

I want to brew my first saison and I was looking for some advice/constructive views on the little recipe I have cooked up. I am trying to go for an unconventional, light hoppy easy drinking saison for the maybe three days of sunshine we get in Denmark.

Here is my recipe (if the numbers look weird it is because it is converted from metric):
4.4 #s Marris Otter
4 #s Belgian Pilsner
0.44 #s caramel/cystal 40
1 # Belgian wheat malt

I want to use citra as the hop (I have a bunch I am dying to use) but not sure of the hop schedule. I want it to be a bit on the hoppy side but not take away from the yeast.

Yeast: WLP670 American Farmhouse Blend

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[motorneuron]

Haha, my cousin was just in Denmark but left before the sun came out. Too bad for him!

The traditional saison malt bill uses more like 80% pils, and then adds some wheat and some Munich or other character malt to get a little bit of malty flavor. I don't know how the Maris Otter would go--I think it's unlikely to be bad. I would probably recommend against the crystal, though. Saisons are supposed to be quite dry and attenuated; the yeast will ensure a good mouthfeel.

Actually, as I look at it, it seems to me that you may have something more like a Belgian pale ale in mind. That's good because you can make it quite hoppy. However, note that your yeast (670) has some brett and some lacto in it, and it will take months for those flavors to reach prominence. If you want something that will be done sooner, or at least won't continue to change, use a normal saison strain--565, 566, or 568 (a blend).

 

[ARock_DK]

Oh where in Denmark was he. The weather has been rather good lately (amazingly).

Yeah I built this recipe from one I saw here on the site and also from the fact I actually have those malts on hand. Good advice on the crystal I think I will get rid of it. Should I add some sort of sugar to make it dryer?

Shouldit age in the carboy or the bottle to being out Brett? I didn't know it was in there, it was the only saison-ey type strain my online brew shop has in stock. We don't have many LHBS here

 

[motorneuron]

I think he was mostly in Copenhagen, but traveled around a bit. He had a great time!

You should keep it in the carboy while it ages. Brett can handle sugars that normal yeast can't, which means that if you bottle it too soon, you'll wind up with bottle bombs. To really develop the interesting flavors, you'd want a long time--maybe even a year--but sourness should take less time to develop. Give it at least a few months in the carboy.

 

[kingwood-kid]

If you're comfortable with the challenge of harvesting yeast from a bottle of beer, you can buy some Saison Dupont. Just grow what's in the bottom of the bottle to a respectable size and ferment away. I've made a half-dozen saisons from the yeast I got from one bottle of Dupont. I wish hop pellets would multiply like Gremlins...WLP550 isn't exactly a saison yeast, but it's closer than almost anything else and makes a very tasty beer.

Maris Otter will be perfectly fine for the grain. I made a saison once from 6lbs MO and a 1lb box of shredded wheat cereal. A little sugar would help if you want it bone-dry, but it's not essential. Mashing at 148ish for 90 minutes should get you in the same neighborhood.

 

[PghMakesMeDrunk]

I'll also be doing my 1st Saison in the next week. My LHBS was out of Pilsner malt so I went with Briess 2 row instead and Flaked and White Wheat. Don't know how its going to turn out, but I got 565 and I'm gonna use Nelson Sauvin and Citra hops.