What are you drinking tonight 2020.

[Pennine]

Now it's time for @strange-steve 's lemon saison

Pours a really nice clear yellow straw colour, quite brilliant with plenty of carbonation and nice white head that hangs around the whole time.

Aroma is lemon zest, strawberries, with peppery phenols and maybe a estery solvent kick, a bit of hay and a slight bit catty (ammonia like).

Flavour is very citrusy lemon, plenty of saison peppery spice and cloves, it morphs into more citrus grapefruit and has a nice earthy and something bitterness, then a spicy pepper lingers in the back of the throat. The bitterness is very interesting it's earthy and citrusy I guess, not pithy but not citrus flesh either. It's very nice and I am not sure if I have experienced it before. I am not getting the catty in the aroma anymore it must have offgassed.

Overall this is quite an impressive hoppy saison the citrus flavours are really a treat. I am guessing you possibly bittered with Citra as I almost always get catty when it's used in the boil. It did dissipate quickly though and isn't really a bad thing just adds to the complexity. That is kind of how I would describe this beer, a very complex saison with some very bold aromas and flavours. The great thing is they mesh really well together and made it really enjoyable to drink from start to finish. The aroma is extremely bold and powerful.

Thanks for sending this one I can see why it won the competition, it's very unique. I need to dig up your recipe and then plan another citra saison soon!

 

[strange-steve]

Now it's time for @strange-steve 's lemon saison

Pours a really nice clear yellow straw colour, quite brilliant with plenty of carbonation and nice white head that hangs around the whole time.

Aroma is lemon zest, strawberries, with peppery phenols and maybe a estery solvent kick, a bit of hay and a slight bit catty (ammonia like).

Flavour is very citrusy lemon, plenty of saison peppery spice and cloves, it morphs into more citrus grapefruit and has a nice earthy and something bitterness, then a spicy pepper lingers in the back of the throat. The bitterness is very interesting it's earthy and citrusy I guess, not pithy but not citrus flesh either. It's very nice and I am not sure if I have experienced it before. I am not getting the catty in the aroma anymore it must have offgassed.

Overall this is quite an impressive hoppy saison the citrus flavours are really a treat. I am guessing you possibly bittered with Citra as I almost always get catty when it's used in the boil. It did dissipate quickly though and isn't really a bad thing just adds to the complexity. That is kind of how I would describe this beer, a very complex saison with some very bold aromas and flavours. The great thing is they mesh really well together and made it really enjoyable to drink from start to finish. The aroma is extremely bold and powerful.

Thanks for sending this one I can see why it won the competition, it's very unique. I need to dig up your recipe and then plan another citra saison soon!

View attachment 34540

Thanks mate, great review as always. It was bittered with CTZ, just cos it was high AA and I got it cheap, but I don't think it's as smooth as magnum which I normally use. There was some Citra in there but only as a dry hop. The recipe is here if you want a look, thanks again mate :hat:

 

[Pennine]

Thanks mate, great review as always. It was bittered with CTZ, just cos it was high AA and I got it cheap, but I don't think it's as smooth as magnum which I normally use. There was some Citra in there but only as a dry hop. The recipe is here if you want a look, thanks again mate :hat:

Well that explains the lemon and grapefruit. Cascade, citra and lemon zest. I also couldn't tell if you used belle saison or m29 although I was leaning toward belle saison. Yeah Columbus is not a mellow bitterness like magnum, but it's not bad either. I have been reading about warrior recently as a bittering hop too, I might buy some dme and do a small batch experiment with the 3 to see which I prefer. It's probably a style thing, but you definitely wouldn't think Columbus in a saison.

 

[Pennine]

This has been staring at me for while so I am trying it out tonight. Definitely not as good as the saison I just had, and this one is not a fruity dipa. It's just a good old fashioned piney, grapefruit and orange double ipa. Reminiscent of the good ole days or maybe boring old days before they hazies took over the world!

 

[lupinehorror]

 

[samale]

This is my house saison recipe, it scored 44 in a BJCP competition a couple of years ago. Even though it's 25% rye malt, the rye flavour is fairly subtle but blends beautifully with the yeast flavours:

Rye Saison

Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 20
Original Gravity (OG): 1.056
Final Gravity (FG): 1.003
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 6.9 %
Colour (SRM): 4
Bitterness (IBU): 23

Grain Bill
----------------
3.500 kg Pilsner (70%)
1.000 kg Rye Malt (20%)
0.250 kg Granulated Sugar (5%)
0.250 kg Rye Malt, Dark (5%)

Hop Bill
----------------
20 g East Kent Golding @ 90 Mins
20 g East Kent Golding @ 15 Mins
20 g East Kent Golding @ Flame out

Notes
----------------
Ferment at 23°C with Wyeast 3711 - French Saison (M29 would be a fine dry sub)

Water profile:
Calcium 90
Sulphate 95
Chloride 85
Bicarb 20

I am going to give this a go tonight. I have brewed two Saison. One heavily hopped with Sorachi ace the other with cardamom and coriander. I think it might be a good idea to make a traditional Saison and understand the base recipe before making changes. I only have belle Saison yeast .

 

[Clint]

I'm doing a Saison this week....
4kg pilsner,1kg Munich,500g carapils,250 torrified wheat.
It'll be either with EKG and celeia or Hallertau hersbruker and saaz depending on my memory of what's in the freezer!
Abv about 6%,IBU around 26...MJ 29...ticks all the boxes in Brewers Friend...
Thoughts please!

 

[Pennine]

I'm doing a Saison this week....
4kg pilsner,1kg Munich,500g carapils,250 torrified wheat.
It'll be either with EKG and celeia or Hallertau hersbruker and saaz depending on my memory of what's in the freezer!
Abv about 6%,IBU around 26...MJ 29...ticks all the boxes in Brewers Friend...
Thoughts please!

Sounds great with any of those hops. Carapils might be on the heavy side. Maybe cut it in half or out all together.

 

[strange-steve]

This Black Sheep golden ale. It's quite nice, easy drinking with a pleasant biscuity malt flavour and floral hops. I'm picking up quite a bit of diacetyl which I don't really mind, but I know some hate it. Excuse the much too poncy glass.

 

[Pennine]

Last one for the night, pizza making in progress and movie will be starting soon.

A too young festbier! it's still good, just inexperienced.

 

[Pennine]

This Black Sheep golden ale. It's quite nice, easy drinking with a pleasant biscuity malt flavour and floral hops. I'm picking up quite a bit of diacetyl which I don't really mind, but I know some hate it. Excuse the much too poncy glass.

I'd buy it just for the label.

 

[samale]

Easy drinking red pale ale. While I get the ingredients ready

 

[strange-steve]

I think it might be a good idea to make a traditional Saison and understand the base recipe before making changes. I only have belle Saison yeast .

I think you're right, unadulterated saison is an under-appreciated style. I've only used belle saison once but have been very happy with it

 

[Clint]

Sounds great with any of those hops. Carapils might be on the heavy side. Maybe cut it in half or out all together.

Carapils...yeah I was wondering...

 

[Ajhutch]

This has been staring at me for while so I am trying it out tonight. Definitely not as good as the saison I just had, and this one is not a fruity dipa. It's just a good old fashioned piney, grapefruit and orange double ipa. Reminiscent of the good ole days or maybe boring old days before they hazies took over the world!

View attachment 34545

ooh I’ve never had that but Juicebox is one of my favourite beers. Will have to hunt one down.....

 

[Ajhutch]

Some days just call for a non-sharing sharer.

 

[Clint]

Some days just call for a non-sharing sharer.

Sharing...go wash your mouth out!

 

[Ajhutch]

I’m not sharing it.....! Too good for that. At some point I’m going to need to get my wife into sour beer though, since I have about 60 litres either bottled or fermenting

 

[strange-steve]

Some days just call for a non-sharing sharer.

How is it? I also appreciate that you have a proper glass for it :hat:

 

[Ajhutch]

I’ve had this bottle for a year actually, and I saw v3 got released recently. It’s nice, really bright acidity and a bit of earthy funk, really well balanced. It’s got a pretty pronounced flavour that reminds me of really oaky Chardonnay, so I suspect it’s barrel character.

I really like these guys beers and their respect for tradition. This uses all the lambic techniques, turbid mash, spontaneous, barrel fermentation, blending etc. But they don’t call it lambic because lambic is Belgian.