Darkened Juniper and Orange Saison (5Gal PM)

[mashani]

Is still Saison/Belgain season at my house, so a 5 gallon one for fall/winter consumption. Wanted something different and festive and amber colored - and wanted to brew enough of it to be sure some would still be around for festive occasions.

As are all of my 5 gallon batches, it's partial volume with top up due to pot/stove restrictions. (16Q pot).

75 minute BIAB Partial Mash @147 (oven mash) of:

2# German Munch malt
2# White Wheat malt
6oz D180-L Candi Syrup - late addition @10 minutes (keep it dry but add color and a bit of dark fruit flavor to play with the juniper and orange and hop/yeast spice flavors, but will add no burnt/roasty flavors - do not want those)
4# MoreBeer Pils extract - late addition @10 minutes

1/2oz 11%AA Magnum @60
1/2oz Styrian Goldings (4%) @20
1/4oz Bitter Orange, 1/4oz Sweet Orange, and 1/4oz cracked dried juniper berries @15
Add late extracts and 1/4oz Styrian Goldings (4%) @10
1/2oz Bitter Orange, 1/2oz Sweet Orange, and 1/2oz Santium hops @5

1.053 OG. Something like 27-30 IBU but it will seem more because of dryness and bitter orange (it will likely be 6.5% AA or more due to how much Bella ferments out things, it will finish in the 1.00? range). Around 13-14 SRM.

Cooled, split between my 2 LBC's, topped each up to 5 gallons, pitched a full pack of Bella Sasion into each @64 degrees. Will let free rise in temp as high as it likes for the most part - as long as it doesn't go much above 80. It probably won't go more then 77-78, it's not very warm here this summer. I was considering using Belgian Saison in one batch, but I don't think I can get it into the 90s and I won't use that yeast unless I can.

Santium comes across as a slight orange like citrus on top of Tettnanger/Hallertau floral aromas and should work wonderfully here to add a nice counter point to the earthy/spicy stuff and bring out the orange. At least that is the theory.

From experience, the amount of Juniper I used should be just barely identifiable if you really ponder what you are tasting - as in it will be subtle - not gin like at all. Although it might pop a bit more with the dry beer this is going to make. But I've used 1/2oz in a 2.5 gallon batch and it still was not too much (although less subtle), so I'm sure this amount is safe.

[BigPapaG]

Looks nice... Should be pretty dry with the low mash temp and the Belle...

Santium's a winner...

[mashani]

Yeah it will be dry. I've had 1.05ish 100% extract (morebeer pils) beers ferment out to 1.002 with Bella. It's nuts

That's why I used some Munich. I don't want this sweet, but I want you to notice some malt presence.

[mashani]

Bottled at 1.001. And I think it's got Brett too (hurray for summer air at my house!), so I carbed it lightly as it's probably going to drop another point or two in the bottle. There isn't much in there for the Brett to munch on but it will munch what it can.

[BigPapaG]

Bottled at 1.001. And I think it's got Brett too (hurray for summer air at my house!), so I carbed it lightly as it's probably going to drop another point or two in the bottle. There isn't much in there for the Brett to munch on but it will munch what it can.

Yikes!

[mashani]

Yikes!

It's gonna be dry with a capital D LOL. Both fermenters seem to have gotten the Brett in equal measure, so I think it got into the pot when the lid was off as I was racking the wort to the fermenters after chilling. When I split a batch I alternate back and forth between the two a little bit at a time in case there is wort stratification to try to end up with as equal a balance between the two. So I guess I got some cells into both. It's mellow but it's there.

I did have the insane border collie posse over here kicking up the air which does not help LOL.

Both fermenters are getting the bleach bomb treatment, but that doesn't really prevent it in the future.. fall/winter help more, it seems to go into hibernation for some reason.

[BigPapaG]

Brett Wranglers they are those Border Collies!

[Kealia]

We have to all gather at Mashani's house someday. Your beers sound damn good and very different from the mainstream stuff (IPAs, Stouts, etc.).

[mashani]

Cracked my first trub bottle of this. I don't notice the brett so much, only really as a bit of hay on the nose. It may develop more as it ages, but I don't think there is much here for it to eat, so probably not too much. For the most part the nose is of orangey and woodsy terpenes. A little bit floral, but just a little. I have the trub bottle from the other fermenter in the fridge, so we will see if that one has more of an apparent brett vibe.

The flavor is as above but with a touch of malt and hints of stone fruit. The juniper is mellow enough that you probably would not identify it as such if you didn't know it was in there. Also a bit tart lemony citrus and bit of peppery spice from the yeast, and earthiness from the styrians. It's less tart then an all pils or all pale malt saison would be using Bella, but still has that vibe. It has a little bit of bubblegum, which I'm not sure where it came from. It has more mouth feel - a bit silky - then would be expected at 1.001, but that's not uncommon with French Saison yeast. It has some magic trick that I don't understand that does this.

It is lacing my glass from top to bottom.

EDIT: The juniper comes out a bit more as it warms, but I still am not sure I'd "ID" it as juniper without knowing I put it in there. I am getting a touch of bubblegum too. I guess my fermentation temps got higher then I thought when I wasn't looking. (I honestly didn't bother looking, I just let it do what it was gonna do, it's a saison after all, the yeast likes doing it's own thing and is hard to screw up).

That or I have a new kind of Brett living in my house. Just what I need LOL.

Color is a bit too dark for a saison in theoretical style terms - more like a middle of the road American amber (14 SRM ish). I expected that, it's not a biggle to me. It is clear, yeast has totally floc'd out in the bottle which I didn't expect this soon, and it has no chill haze.

It's not too bitter - is balanced like a saison - although with all these other flavors going on it might be better with a little bit less magnum to let a bit more malt shine though - but only due to the beastly fermentation characteristics of the yeast. Although it would then seem more like a Belgian specialty ale of some sort then a saison. It will probably balance more to this direction as it ages a bit too regardless.

I like it. I'm not sure what if anything I would do different except perhaps use a little bit less magnum. But I won't commit to that until after it ages. This should age well. You could probably just make this with T-58 and get the more malty vibe with similar flavors. It would make a good holiday beer like that.

EDIT: I think this would be good with Belgian Saison yeast, or a blend of Belgian and French. I do not think a stronger bubblegum note would be out of place here based on the little bit I'm getting.

I'd take a pic but my camera was stolen by SWMBO and I don't know where she put it.

[Brewbirds]

Another Mashani brew bookmarked though I'll try avoiding the Brett when I brew it.

Mashani if I missed this sorry to re-hash but where did you get the dried berries and do you get them whole or already cracked?

[mashani]

If you can't get them from your grocery store, then Whole Foods has them. I got them dried/whole and then crushed them myself with a rolling pin.

[mashani]

FYI, I have consumed about 1.5 gallons of this stuff already. I'm sort of addicted to it. I guess I have to make this again next year for sure. I'm gonna have to hide some of it if I want to consume some of it with age.

[John Sand]

Thanks for posting, Mash.
I made my Not a Rare Vos Clone about this time last year. With all the mistakes, it turned out a real hit. I'm thinking of making some changes, and repeating my mistakes. I'll post when I brew.