Saison recipe

[Clint]

Hello all
Looking at my books and online Saison beers seem to primarily brewed with Pilsner malt...I don't have any...can I sub with pale?
If not I need some bits from MM so could wait til later to order to see if I can catch the window for malt orders...
I also have a load of frozen fruit off the allotment... raspberries, tayberries, gooseberries..can I use these?
What's your "go to" Saison?

 

[Sadfield]

Yes.

 

[Dorst]

With Saisons simpler is better in my opinion. My go-to recipe is 90 percent pilsner / 10 percent malted wheat. Spelt is also a malt that works really well in Saisons. Replacing Pilsner with Pale ale malt should be fine.

Since the star of the show is the yeast and dry-ness I would stay away from caramalts and fruits. Depending on the strain - ferment warm (28C) to get the most flavour out of the yeast.

 

[MickDundee]

I’ve done the GH saison before and it turned out nicely. I also did a citra saison using my usual APA grainbill (50%pale 50% Vienna) which turned out very nice too albeit lacking in citra.

My second upcoming brew is a slightly tweaked clone of Brooklyn Sorachi (it uses a load of sugar and a Belgian yeast whereas I’m subbing the sugar for more malt and using a saison yeast). Malt bill probably won’t be a million miles away from the one @Dorst outlines above - 5.5kg pilsner malt and whatever wheat malt and torrified wheat I have left over from my Berliner Weisse and Belgian Wit brews (meant to be 700g wheat malt and 500g torrified if both GEB and I have weighed the grains correctly).

 

[prog99]

I liked the look of the ipa mentioned in this thread that uses a saison yeast. Grain Bill too low for OG?

 

[Clint]

Well...I decided that as I needed some hops,yeast and a new auto syphon I'd add some pilsner malt and a bit of Vienna for the Saison...
Waited til Malt Miller was open for malt orders...then his web site went into a bit of a melt down ...took me about 15 minutes to add everything to my basket..then before I could buy it shut off malt orders again...so I got my order in without the malt....pah!
Should of added the lot to basket this morning and zoomed in when they opened for malt orders...lesson learned!
I'll go with pale...
Ordered some Victoria Secret hops...persuaded by the wife...as she's a Vicky...the things I do to keep the peace!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Well...I decided that as I needed some hops,yeast and a new auto syphon I'd add some pilsner malt and a bit of Vienna for the Saison...
Waited til Malt Miller was open for malt orders...then his web site went into a bit of a melt down ...took me about 15 minutes to add everything to my basket..then before I could buy it shut off malt orders again...so I got my order in without the malt....pah!
Should of added the lot to basket this morning and zoomed in when they opened for malt orders...lesson learned!
I'll go with pale...
Ordered some Victoria Secret hops...persuaded by the wife...as she's a Vicky...the things I do to keep the peace!

Vienna malt and Vic Secret hops - now you’re talking!!

 

[Clint]

Well I got no Vienna...so might add a bit of Munich...dunno what to go for with the Saison...might just do pale and a bit of wheat with EKG..

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Well I got no Vienna...so might add a bit of Munich...dunno what to go for with the Saison...might just do pale and a bit of wheat with EKG..

Wheat and pale sound perfect!

You’re gonna have to move closer Clint, I could sort you out with some Vienna.

 

[Pennine]

70% pale or pilsner
25% malted wheat
5% crystal or munich
bitter lightly with magnum
plenty of Citra for flavor and aroma
be-134 is my favorite so far

 

[Clint]

Wonder if I could use carapils...got a few kg of that...
Just seen that Pennine....I got all that in stock...

 

[strange-steve]

I agree with @Dorst, simple is good for a saison. Pale, wheat, and EKG sounds perfect to me. Skip the carapils, it should be as crisp and dry as possible. If you want a dry yeast then M29 is a good one.

 

[Clint]

I do believe I ordered the M29 today...that's that sorted then!
Cheers all!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Hey! Pst! @Clint

...Gooseberries.

 

[Ajhutch]

Hey! Pst! @Clint

...Gooseberries.

Agreed!

 

[Sadfield]

70% pale or pilsner
25% malted wheat
5% crystal or munich
bitter lightly with magnum
plenty of Citra for flavor and aroma
be-134 is my favorite so far

BE-134 is great. I must get some, it's been a while.

 

[prog99]

Wonder if I could use carapils...got a few kg of that...
Just seen that Pennine....I got all that in stock...

Assume you've tried a classic (non messed around with) saison before?

 

[Clint]

I've had various bottled...none of which I can remember the names of except Brewdog electric India,and I've done the New world kit..and the GH Saison from the Bible...

 

[dwhite60]

I think saison is one of those styles where most anything goes. It's a "farmhouse" style beer. I suppose historically they used whatever was available around the farm to make it. Oats, rye, spelt, sorghum, millet etc. As long as it tasted like saison and didn't leave any dead bodies it was probably fine.

 

[Zephyr259]

My recipe is base of pilsner or pale, 15% munich, 7.5% malted wheat. About 30 IBU and I use a mix of EKG and Saaz. That has a bit of backbone to it but still dry. It turned into my pale ale grist too although I've since switched the wheat for flaked barley as I use that way more than wheat.