May Brew Review Thread - Saison

[Oneflewover]

I plan to drop the Vienna malt and try rye instead. I have did this previously

Yeah I think that the spicy earthy character it gives the beer works really well

 

[samale]

I am just about to keg my latest batch, it's hopped with Nelson. I will get you a bottle over when it's ready

 

[Oneflewover]

I am just about to keg my latest batch, it's hopped with Nelson. I will get you a bottle over when it's ready

Get the **** in!

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Simple is best I reckon in general. Surprised it was belle saison, you must have fermented it quite cool? I have to say that I didn't pick up the cardamom. I did get the late hopping but thought it might be something American . Nice beer.

Yes, annoyingly we had workmen round and I couldn't use the brewfridge in the shed, had to make do with a little heater under the fv. Probably got to 26c max.

 

[samale]

Get the **** in!

First time kegging a saison, it will be interesting to see how it compares. Already planning my next attempt
I need to get some rye

 

[SMP Brewery]

1/3 @Oneflewover Saison

First off.. I loved the bottle :) Opened with a nice hiss and poured with a lovely white head and really well carbonated.

Hints of spice on the nose along with some citrus.

It was bubbly dry effervescent that was so refreshing with no hint of how strong it is, also had a sweetness that lingered on the tongue after the spice notes had disappeared.

I loved this beer, it went down a treat.. Thanks

 

[SMP Brewery]

2/3 @pilgrimhudd

Again a nice hiss when opening, lovely straw colour to this one, didn't smell too much when first poured but after it warmed up had an overriding smell I couldn't place until someone on here has mentioned nutmeg, that was it.

I got hints of lemon and slight banana? on this one, light on the malt and very clean.

The mouth feel from the bubbles again belied the amount of alcohol which I could only detect once I finished, every sip left you wanting for more, the head lingered all the way down the glass.. Lovely.. good job I only had one.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

My last guest saison, this one from @Broken Toe

The appearance of this beer is again on point with almost clear golden yellow beer topped with a fluffy white head. Carbonation is plentiful so is just right for this beer with bubbles drifting up from the bottom of the glass throughout, maintaining a thin head to the bottom of the glass.

The aroma is also as expected with spicy lemon citrus and just a hint of grainy malt. The aroma is clean and fresh.

The flavour is also clean lemon citrus, white pepper which starts fairly subtle and builds toward the finish, and doughy bread malt. The bitterness is well balanced to the point you almost don’t notice it to start but like the pepper it too builds toward the finish. There are no off flavours and that finish when it comes is very dry and clean, nice.

This is another well made saison that’s true to style, fairly light bodied (again, not thin) due to high attenuation, and is very enjoyable.

Thanks BT, great job!

 

[Broken Toe]

Last one to review @Broken Toe saision
Lovely looking beer perfectly carbonated nice soft white head. That gets refreshed with a constant stream of bubbles
Very subtle aroma with a bit of clove and some banana and again these are evident in the taste. Very dry finish that is perfect in the fading sunshine.
A very well made beer
Cheers.

My last Saison, also from @Broken Toe.
Great clarity and perfectly carbonated. The aroma is of peppery phenols. Flavour wise, it’s yeast forward with the balance towards pepper over stone fruit esters. A light grainy malt and noble hop character adds to the overall balance of the beer. Its well attenuated with a long dry finish, I ripped through it no time.
I don’t think I’ll be brewing the GH saison again. I liked all of the guest brews, and all had very different personalities. This style is going to be a summer staple going foward.
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My last guest saison, this one from @Broken Toe

View attachment 69875

The appearance of this beer is again on point with almost clear golden yellow beer topped with a fluffy white head. Carbonation is plentiful so is just right for this beer with bubbles drifting up from the bottom of the glass throughout, maintaining a thin head to the bottom of the glass.

The aroma is also as expected with spicy lemon citrus and just a hint of grainy malt. The aroma is clean and fresh.

The flavour is also clean lemon citrus, white pepper which starts fairly subtle and builds toward the finish, and doughy bread malt. The bitterness is well balanced to the point you almost don’t notice it to start but like the pepper it too builds toward the finish. There are no off flavours and that finish when it comes is very dry and clean, nice.

This is another well made saison that’s true to style, fairly light bodied (again, not thin) due to high attenuation, and is very enjoyable.

Thanks BT, great job!

Thanks guys lovely to hear the feedback and I'm glad you enjoyed them. Most of the recipe was pretty standard, I went with summer saaz ( for no other reason than for the name), I actually managed to harvest yeast from a bottle of Dupont which, although I believe it's their finishing yeast, have a nice clean profile. I'm bummed out that during a power cut I lost my jar of it!

 

[SMP Brewery]

3/3 @jceg316

I

This opened to only a slight hiss and had very little head unfortunately.

It had a hint of Orange & Coriander smell to it, but the lack of carbonation made it taste a bit thin.

Was this transferred from a keg as I'm not sure what happened there.

 

[SMP Brewery]

Also forgot to say thanks to @Alastair70 for this, it’s now turned into one of my favourite styles which I wouldn’t have brewed probably prior to this

 

[Alastair70]

Survey results are in, thank-you to the 10 other people who submitted responses.

1. How may times a year do you think the swap should run?
10 votes for 4 times. 1 vote for "As many as possible! I have done 6 in the last six months and I'd swap all of them"
Result - 4 brews it is.

2. What interval would you like to see between brewing and swapping?
9 votes for 1 long turn around (6 months). 2 votes for all short turnaround (8 weeks)
Result - We'll include a slow burner next year

3. What broad styles would you like to brew for a 2 month turnaround?
Top 3 - Pale Ale 8 votes, Belgian beer 8 votes, Speciality IPA 7 votes

4. What styles would make a good ‘slow-burner’ brew?
Top choice - Imperial Stout 9 votes

5. What sort of style direction do you think works best?
9 votes for narrow. 2 votes for broad
Result - narrow

6. Comments/suggestions
3 responses. Only what I've mentioned above!
I love the idea of swapping and tasting others brews. im really excited about it.
I think that sticking with less common styles would be best


So. We've got a plan for next year. A pale ale style thats not an IPA, an impy stout, a belgian beer and a Speciality IPA. With sub-styles to be selected nearer the time.
I have to agree with the less common style comment myself, this swap is perfectly suited for brewing outside your comfort zone.

 

[Agentgonzo]

@Hazelwood Brewery @FirebladeAdam . Here is my recipe. 23L batch

OG 1.049, FG 1.003, EBC 8.2, IBU 25
6% ABV

No water additions (my water profile is hard)
3.8kg Pilsner
1kg Munich 1
Mash @65C for 60 minutes
60 minute boil.
Hop additions:
25g Challenger (7.5% AA) 60 minutes
15g Challenger (7.5% AA) 15 minutes
1 sachet of Belle Saison, dry pitched directly into the fermenter.
Fermented 14 days @20C.
Bottle conditioned.

@Alastair70 , I still have yours in the fridge. We've been drinking more wine these past few weeks instead of beer, but I plan on drinking it this evening (unless we open more wine )

 

[Agentgonzo]

I've just finished tidying up the garden, so perfect weather for a refreshing saison, this one from @Alastair70

On opening, it gave a gentle hiss and needed a little bit of encouragement to encourage a head. I over poured slightly, and by the time I got a photo or has turned out cloudier than intended (the photo makes it look a lot worse than it is) - a nice reddish hue.

On the first nose, there was an overpowering sour scent (like a geuze) but after 30 seconds it has fully discipated, so this may just be the initial burst of gases accumulating in the head of the bottle.

A second nose and it's much gentler. Some rich fruit scents mixed with a touch of dark toffee, and just a subtle hint of those geuze scents.

On the tongue, the beer sparkles so has enough carbonation for a refreshing beer (unless you subscribe to the "rules of brewing" that says it must be monstrously fizzy). First flavour is a hit of red berries, mixed with a slight sourness that gently unfolds into soft biscuity malt tones that fade with a dry finish and a light tartness left on the tongue and the edges of the mouth. Well balanced for bitterness as it's not at the forefront, by balances the malt flavours. The residual gentle tartness lingers on until the next sip.

A very intriguing beer, not like any I've had before. The gentle sour/tartess is hard to describe, but I would try to describe it as what you would get if you did a mix of a 75% amber beer and maybe 25% geuze/framboise/kriek, but (but far less fruity than the kriek/Framboise).

Definitely hits the mark as a thirst quencher after farm (garden) labour! Thank you.

I'm very keen on seeing the recipe!

 

[Agentgonzo]

... and I can definitely tell it's over 7%... The crossword is getting harder and harder

 

[Alastair70]

... and I can definitely tell it's over 7%... The crossword is getting harder and harder

Another cruciverbalist! What are you doing. I’m still muddling through Thursdays Times, it’s been a busy weekend.

 

[SMP Brewery]

I’m ready for the next one now

 

[Alastair70]

My last Saison, this one from @samale. Apologies for the poor photo, the head picked up with a gentle swirl, lasted for the whole pint and laced the glass. I drank it beside the BBQ, just like I did with the @Hazelwood Brewery Saison and the similarities didn’t end there.
The aroma had a light funk with a bit of spice thrown in. The carbonation was spot on and the last sips were just as lively as the first. Bready malt flavours balanced really well with lemony citrus hops and peppery yeast phenols. It was the perfect accompaniment to the beer can chicken that I ate with it.
Cheers @samale, what a great way to sign off on a great and varied selection of Saison’s.

 

[Agentgonzo]

Another cruciverbalist! What are you doing. I’m still muddling through Thursdays Times, it’s been a busy weekend.

Times quick cryptic. Currently working our way through printouts from September 2021.... We've fallen a bit behind

 

[samale]

My last Saison, this one from @samale. Apologies for the poor photo, the head picked up with a gentle swirl, lasted for the whole pint and laced the glass. I drank it beside the BBQ, just like I did with the @Hazelwood Brewery Saison and the similarities didn’t end there.
The aroma had a light funk with a bit of spice thrown in. The carbonation was spot on and the last sips were just as lively as the first. Bready malt flavours balanced really well with lemony citrus hops and peppery yeast phenols. It was the perfect accompaniment to the beer can chicken that I ate with it.
Cheers @samale, what a great way to sign off on a great and varied selection of Saison’s.


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Glad you enjoyed it, it's a great style of beer to brew.