Inspiration
The House Beer Series is based on the desire of Mediamatic (the organization that I am currently based out of here in Amsterdam) to have a light, refreshing and sessionable ale consistently on tap in their cafe/ restaurant this summer. Based on the style and for a host of other reasons, myself and head brewman Tobias decided to go for Saison as our house beer. This beer will be in the range of 5%, hopped with german hops (initially) and fermented with French Saison yeast.
This recipe is nearly identical in process/ recipe to all of the other beers we've made in this series, with the exception of the hopping. I figured that Cascade would be a nice starting place to experiment with this hoppy iteration. It's also what Tired Hands' SaisonHands is hopped with. The Cascade we got were smelling really amazing too. The amounts of each addition came from a still found in this Grimm Artisan Ales profile. We will most likely wind up refining this, but that will come soon.
Notes to come.
This recipe is nearly identical in process/ recipe to all of the other beers we've made in this series, with the exception of the hopping. I figured that Cascade would be a nice starting place to experiment with this hoppy iteration. It's also what Tired Hands' SaisonHands is hopped with. The Cascade we got were smelling really amazing too. The amounts of each addition came from a still found in this Grimm Artisan Ales profile. We will most likely wind up refining this, but that will come soon.
Notes to come.
The Recipe
Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: Saison
Boil Time: 90 min
Batch Size: 21 liters (fermentor volume)
Boil Gravity: 1.035
Efficiency: 65% (brew house)
Original Gravity: 1.042
Final Gravity: TBA
ABV (standard): TBA
IBU (tinseth): 56
SRM (ebcmorey): 6.5
Fermentables
3.07 kg - German - Pilsner (64.2%)
0.6 kg - Flaked Oats (12.6%)
0.51 kg - German - Wheat Malt (10.7%)
0.45 kg - Flaked Wheat (9.4%)
0.15 kg - German - Rye (3.1%)
Hops
6 g - Magnum, Type: Pellet, AA: 10.7, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 8.07
26 g - Cascade, Type: Pellet, AA: 6.9, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 8.18
132 g - Cascade, Type: Pellet, AA: 6.9, Use: Whirlpool for 30 min at 85 °C, IBU: 39.6
37 g - Cascade, Type: Pellet, AA: 6.9, Use: Dry Hop for 2 days
Mash Guidelines
1) Infusion, Temp: 39 C, Time: 15 min
2) Infusion, Temp: 65 C, Time: 60 min
3) Infusion, Temp: 68 C, Time: 30 min
4) Sparge, Temp: 76 C, Time: 15 min
Starting Mash Thickness: 4.6 L/kg
7 ml - Lactic Acid, Time: 60 min, Type: Other, Use: Mash
Yeast
Wyeast - French Saison 3711 Slurry from Saison #5
Pitch Rate: 0.75 (M cells / ml / deg P)
+Yeast Nutrient and Irish Moss
Water
Amsterdam source water
Post-Brewday Notes
Primary Fermentation @ 70F (21C) until 1.020
Secondary Fermentation @77F (23C) for 7+ days
Prime w/ cane sugar to 3.2 vol CO2.
Style Name: Saison
Boil Time: 90 min
Batch Size: 21 liters (fermentor volume)
Boil Gravity: 1.035
Efficiency: 65% (brew house)
Original Gravity: 1.042
Final Gravity: TBA
ABV (standard): TBA
IBU (tinseth): 56
SRM (ebcmorey): 6.5
Fermentables
3.07 kg - German - Pilsner (64.2%)
0.6 kg - Flaked Oats (12.6%)
0.51 kg - German - Wheat Malt (10.7%)
0.45 kg - Flaked Wheat (9.4%)
0.15 kg - German - Rye (3.1%)
Hops
6 g - Magnum, Type: Pellet, AA: 10.7, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 8.07
26 g - Cascade, Type: Pellet, AA: 6.9, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 8.18
132 g - Cascade, Type: Pellet, AA: 6.9, Use: Whirlpool for 30 min at 85 °C, IBU: 39.6
37 g - Cascade, Type: Pellet, AA: 6.9, Use: Dry Hop for 2 days
Mash Guidelines
1) Infusion, Temp: 39 C, Time: 15 min
2) Infusion, Temp: 65 C, Time: 60 min
3) Infusion, Temp: 68 C, Time: 30 min
4) Sparge, Temp: 76 C, Time: 15 min
Starting Mash Thickness: 4.6 L/kg
7 ml - Lactic Acid, Time: 60 min, Type: Other, Use: Mash
Yeast
Wyeast - French Saison 3711 Slurry from Saison #5
Pitch Rate: 0.75 (M cells / ml / deg P)
+Yeast Nutrient and Irish Moss
Water
Amsterdam source water
Post-Brewday Notes
Primary Fermentation @ 70F (21C) until 1.020
Secondary Fermentation @77F (23C) for 7+ days
Prime w/ cane sugar to 3.2 vol CO2.
Tasting Notes
June 6th, 2017: 1.001/2. Tastes raw still but has a nice hoppy aroma and that "funkier" flavour I've tasted in wlp644 in an IPA w/ a lot of hops. Very interesting. This flavour was something I was missing in previous iterations where the beer was quite clean and neutral. Somehow the Cascade have brought out more complexity in the beer, whether that be solely from the hops or the interaction between the hops and the yeast is worth exploring.
Flavor on June 8th, 2017 (after dry hopping, pre-packaging is exceptional. There is a pronounced Cascade character that I feel is taken about as far to the edge as you could with this beer without going overboard. It is still too early to say, but this is currently the best beer I have ever made (pre-packaging). The Cascade gives this beer a dank, citrusy, almost zest-like quality that is hard to pin-point. Maybe grapefruit as well - I would call is wet-fruit. This works really beautifully with the creamy/silky/smooth mouthfeel of the beer, the dryness of the finish, the lightly tart character from the 3711, and the stunning aroma of the beer. I wish that I could smell this beer forever. The color is also something I'm really excited about. Hazy, and just slightly above straw yellow- maybe a medium yellow. Can't wait for this to carbonate.
June 6th, 2017: 1.001/2. Tastes raw still but has a nice hoppy aroma and that "funkier" flavour I've tasted in wlp644 in an IPA w/ a lot of hops. Very interesting. This flavour was something I was missing in previous iterations where the beer was quite clean and neutral. Somehow the Cascade have brought out more complexity in the beer, whether that be solely from the hops or the interaction between the hops and the yeast is worth exploring.
Flavor on June 8th, 2017 (after dry hopping, pre-packaging is exceptional. There is a pronounced Cascade character that I feel is taken about as far to the edge as you could with this beer without going overboard. It is still too early to say, but this is currently the best beer I have ever made (pre-packaging). The Cascade gives this beer a dank, citrusy, almost zest-like quality that is hard to pin-point. Maybe grapefruit as well - I would call is wet-fruit. This works really beautifully with the creamy/silky/smooth mouthfeel of the beer, the dryness of the finish, the lightly tart character from the 3711, and the stunning aroma of the beer. I wish that I could smell this beer forever. The color is also something I'm really excited about. Hazy, and just slightly above straw yellow- maybe a medium yellow. Can't wait for this to carbonate.