Homebrew #7: Saison Typique

I know, it is pretty lame to name a beer before you even taste  it. However, since this is the second saison I brewed, I decided I need to use more descriptive and interesting names than just "saison" in order to keep things straight. Because saisons are traditionally regarded as French ales (from a French part of Belgium) I thought it would be appropriate to use a French word. I went with Typique because it translates into "typical" or "simple." My goal for this brew was to brew a very basic saison and see the flavors and aromas the yeast instills in the ale without being muddle by fruit, spices, or other adjuncts. It seemed appropriate to name such a simple but lofty goal of a beer Saison Typique.

Homebrew #4:  (Imperial) Saison had additions of crushed coriander and sweet orange peel during the boiled, and at flame out I threw in a bag with pink peppercorns that sat in the carboy throughout the entire period in the bucket. I am not going to go too much into the Imperial Saison since I did so in depth not too long ago, but overall it has a very hot mouth-feel to it that is in major part to the high alcohol percentage (~11.5%) which is accentuated by the peppercorns. If/when I brew this again, I think I will either take the peppercorns out before pitching the yeast or only letting them sit for a week or two (though I am not sure if it would be during primary or secondary).

But I digress. Saison Typique is inspired by a recipe in Brewing Classic Styles that was simply malted grains, hops, water, and yeast. It might sound lackluster, but the yeast is a huge part in the taste and smell of a beer. It is truly a simple recipe that is probably (somewhat) representative of the first farmhouse ales in French-Belgium.

Sparge 2 in the mash tun

Here it is...

Brew Day: 3/3/12

Target Info:
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.039
Original Gravity: 1.058
Bitterness (IBUs): 27
Est. ABV: 6.9%

Grains:
Pilsner (2 Row) Belgium    8 lbs 8.8 oz
Munich Malt:                            15.5 oz
Wheat Malt                               9.8 oz
Caramunich Malt                       2.7 oz

Mash Schedule:
Mash in: 12.9 quarts of 162*F water. Hold @ 147 for 90 minutes

The cane sugar

Sparge 1: 3.25 gallons of 168*F water
Sparge 2: 3 gallons of 168*F water

Pre-boil volume: 7.5 gallons
Pre-boil gravity: 1.040



Boil Schedule:
1.82 oz German Hallertauer hops    90 min
13.1 oz Cane Sugar                       60 min
0.75 oz German Hallertauer hops     0 min

I put the flaked hops into a
hop bag to prevent a lot
of sediment

*I lengthened the boil to 90 min to reduce DMS, but up to this point I have always been a little unsure what to do with the hop additions. I have been pushing them back to 90, but I have been reading you should just keep them where they are if you want the target IBUs to be correct. So in this recipe the IBUs would be less than the target since I pushed the first addition of hops back to 90 minutes. However, the hops I got are slightly more bitter than the ones in the recipe, so it should balance out (somewhat)*


Post-boil volume: 5.5 gal
Original Gravity: ???

*I got ahead of myself and pitched the yeast before taking a sample, so I didn't get a chance to take an OG reading. I am going to say it is pretty close considering I nailed the pre-boil gravity and post-boil volume. I am going to start printing out brew day sheets so I stop forgetting important figures*

2 packages of Wyeast Labs 3724 (Belgian Saison) yeast were pitched.

The primary fermenter rose naturally up to about 75*F. I am now holding it at 77 with a heater, but will let it come back down naturally in a day or two.