2nd time lucky - feedback on BIAB small batch saison brewday please!

[lucus_j]

Hi all, after a semi-disasterous first attempt at small batch BIAB, I'm having a go at it again.

I'd be grateful for feedback on the brewday (the recipe not so much - ingredients are all here waiting to get brewed!) detailed below. Thanks in advance!

Saison - 11.5L batch size.
OG: 1.044 FG: 1.010 IBU:23 ABV: 4.5%

Grain bill 2.25kg:
Pilsner malt: 1500g
Flaked wheat: 250g
Pale wheat malt: 500g

Mash: 65C 60min (oven mash)
Boil: 60min

Hallertau Mittelfruh: 13g 5%AA @60min
Styrian Golding: 13g 3.7%AA @15min
Dextrose: 65g @ 10min
Protofloc: 0.2 tablet(!) @ 5min
East Kent Golding: 10g 5%AA @2min

Yeast: Lallemand Belle Saison @22C

I'm particularly concerned about getting water volume calculations right (I'll use bottled water). This is what I've got:

Equipment: 15L pot
Strike water: 9L 65C
Sparge water: 8L 75C
Grain absorption (@1L/kg): 2.25L
Pre-boil volume: 14.75L
Evaporation rate: 5L
Post-boil volume: 9.75L
Kettle loss: ~0.75L
Fermentor loss: ~0.75L
Top-up water required: ~3.5L
Batch size: 11.5L

Total water required: 20.5L

Priming - C02 level: 2.2 volumes.

Folks, be gentle with me! Thanks very much!

 

[Oneflewover]

I suspect that your fg will be lower than that, I think that belle saison is a diastaticus yeasts. But that's fine as a saison should be dry. In fact I'd be inclined to up the dextrose to say a couple hundred grams to make sure it's nice and dry, maybe even mash s couple temps lower. Grain bill looks good. Hopping schedule fine but I'd consider using h. Mittelfruh for bittering a bit of a crime . Can't comment on your liquor really as it's so equipment dependent. I'd probably aim for at least 2.5 vols CO2 as I like a fizzy saison

 

[lucus_j]

Thanks for the feedback! I had a look at my brewmate recipe and you're right; FG is lower than that at ~1.007
I'll take your advice and bump up the dextrose to nearer 200g

I read that step mash is beneficial for saisons using 'traditional' malts so was contemplating a step mash (60c for 20 mins, 66c for 45 mins and 75c for 10 mins) but I think, since I'm still a novice (and I think my malts are 'normal'), I'll mash at 64c (70c strike water temp) for the hour and sparge with 75c.

Hop choice - I'll know better next time!

CO2 vols - sounds good

Cheers