Saisons Practically Speaking

The Romantic Legend

  • Farmers & Thirsty Farm Hands
  • Whatever was on the farm, etc
  • Unfortunately...

Saison as a Style

  • Most of what we know comes from Brasserie Dupont
  • This is not to say there wasn't a long history of farmhouse brewing
  • Also, not every Saison needs Brett and mixed cultures!

Manifesto

  • Dry – Thou shall not make a Saison that is not dry.
  • Earthy – The best Saisons have a middle character of malt and earthy tones that set up the finish.
  • Spicy – You need tones on the palette that grab and wake you up. A cinnamon thing, a pepper bite, herbal, hot. 
  • Lively – Nothing worse than a “dead” Saison. The beer needs to be alive in the glass with plenty of carbonation.
  • Tangy? – Maybe, but it’s not actually a requirement. (nor is brett)
  • Yeast Driven – More than any other style, Saison is defined by its yeast.  Treated properly, the strains produce every one of the necessary characters for our beer. Damn the man and his ways.

Fermentation

  • Chill the wort to 62-64F (16.67-17.7C)
  • Oxygenate/Aerate the wort well
  • Pitch a very healthy starter
    • if it's a "Super Saison", I really prefer to do a yeast cake.
  • Place the wort in a temperature controlled environment at 63-65F (18.3C) for 3 days before letting ramp
    •  I tend to dislike overheated ferments
  • And...

Open Fermentation

  • The Dupont's (Wyeast 3724 / WLP565) are not fans of closed fermentation
  • A few theories - 
    • pressure sensitivity
    • carbonation toxicity
    • new evidence of the STA-1 gene expression show reduced activity at pressure
  • Experiments

How to Open Ferment

  • It all starts with good old aluminium foil and some Sani-Clean (or Star San)
  • Carboys: Easy, just cap the carboy with the foil and just lightly crimp it.
  • Buckets: Place the foil over the gasket port and secure the corners
  • Kegs and Conicals: Pull the lid, use the foil to cover the opening and put the lid (turned 90 degrees from how you install it) on top of the foil to hold it down.

Some Recipes

Cause you need to drink something!

 

Remember - Saison is a playground but be sensible.

Saison Ete - The Original

For 5.5 gallons at 1.069 OG, 4 SRM, 34 IBUs, 60 minute boil

Malt/Grain/Sugar

9.00 lbs Belgian Pils
3.00 lbs German Wheat
0.50 lbs Vienna Malt
0.25 lbs Acidulated Malt
1.00 lbs Sugar

Mashing

Strike 120°F for 20 minutes | Raise to 150°F for 60 minutes | Mash Out - 168°F for 15 minutes

Hops

1.75 oz Styrian Goldings 5.2%AA 60 minutes

2.00 oz Czech Saaz 3.0%AA 5 minutes

Saison Experimentale

Boil Time:  60 minutes
Original Gravity:  1.048
IBUs: 20.00
Malt/Grain/Sugar/Extract:

  • 8.75 lbs Pilsner Malt
  • 0.5 lbs Flaked Wheat
  • 1.0 lbs White Table Sugar

Mashing Instructions:
149F for 60 minutes

Hops:

  • 0.5 oz Magnum (12.9%) 60 min

Citra Saison

For 5.5 gallons at 1.058, 51 IBUs, 6.5% ABV
GRAIN BILL
6 lbs Pilsner Malt
4 lbs Wheat Malt
0.5 lbs Munich Malt
0.7 lbs White Table Sugar

MASH SCHEDULE - 149°F 60 minutes

HOPS
0.7 oz Magnum Pellet 12%AA 90 minutes
1.8 oz Citra Pellet 11%AA 5 minutes

OTHER INGREDIENTS
1⁄2 tablet Whirlfloc 10 minutes

YEAST
WY3711 French Saison

Clam Chowda Saison

Clam Chowder Saison

For 5.5 gallons at 1.058, 33 IBUs, 4.4 SRM, ~6.4% abv

Malt/Grain/Sugar
5 lbs Domestic 2 Row
3.5 lbs Maris Otter
1.5 lbs Oat Malt
1 lbs Wheat Malt
1 lbs Flaked Potatoes

Mash
- Rest at 149-151F for 60 minutes. Recirculate and batch sparge

 

Hops
0.6 oz Magnum 12.9% 60 minutes
0.5 oz US Fuggles 4.5% 10 minutes

Yeast
Wyeast 3711 French Saison Yeast

Other Ingredients Add at knockout and steep for 10 minutes
1.0 oz Bay Leaf
1 tsp Black Peppercorns
4 sprigs Fresh Thyme
8.0 oz Clam Juice (with clams)
1 tsp Salt

Questions

Resources:

A Guide to Saison and Saison Yeasts:

https://www.maltosefalcons.com/tech/guide-saisons-and-saison-yeasts