Brew a Belgian Saison

Saison, it is a simple beer with an amazing complexity of taste. This is produced predominantly by the yeast. There is no need to add fruit, spices or various citrus zests to a saison recipe to achieve a delicious beer. Done well, this is one of the most complex tasting beers styles, yet brewed with a simple grist and hop list. Let’s look at how to brew a Saison Belgian style.

The story and history of this beer is as rich as the ale itself. Saisons were brewed by farmers with whatever grains and fermentables they had available at the end of summer. These beers were usually stored for the winter period. The beer was then brought out as refreshment for the farm workers to drink, whilst they toiled in the fields over the next summer.

I can only pass this story on, the truth or accuracy I can’t vouch for, as I’m no historian. However, the story does fit for the range of ingredients which can be found in Saison recipes. Also, there is no doubt about the fact that Saisons taste better after a period of storage and aging.

Below is the recipe I’m using to brew a Belgian Saison. There are notes of Saison Du Pont in my recipe design, as I’m using the same yeast strain, and also EKG and Styrian Goldings hops. Howevr, this malt bill produces a slightly darker and marginally sweeter ale.

Belgian Saison Recipe Ingredients

Measuring Up

The first job is to weigh out the grains and mill them in the MattMill Master. These are milled to 1.1mm.

I then weigh out the minerals for a balanced water profile.

The minerals and salts are then added to 25 litres of water.

The Mash

Once the water is at the ‘dough-in’ temperature of 40°c, the malt pipe is installed, and the grains are poured in.

Always give the newly poured grains a good stir to remove dry lumps. Then the filters are installed, and the mash re-circulation is started.

Once the mash temperature is up into the 60’s (celcius) then a ph reading is taken. I’m looking for a ph of about 5.2, so 5.24 I’ll take.

After a mash of 30 minutes at 65°c and another 30 minutes at 71°c, the mash is complete and looks crystal clear.

A quick iodine test shows that there is a complete conversion of starches to sugars. If there was still starch present, then the iodine would turn purple/brown.

Start the Boil

The grains are removed and the temperature is increased to start the boil. Whilst the temperature is coming up, I’ve measured out the hop additions for my saison recipe. From left to right, Fuggles, East Kent Goldings and Styrian Goldings.

Once the wort is at a rolling boil, the first hops (Fuggles) are added for 60 minutes.

At 10 minutes to run on the boil, the East Kent Goldings are added.

Now I need to add the candi sugar, before I get too close to the end of the boil. This will give it time to dissolve. It is best dissolved in the hop basket. By doing this, it won’t melt to the kettle bottom or burn to the element.

It’s the candi sugar, I find, that helps to add some of the Belgian to the Saison. This is because, it not only dries out the beer a little, but it also aids the formation of the banana/clove often associated with Belgian beers.

When the 60 minutes boil is complete, cool the wort to 74°c. At this point, whirlpool the Styrian Goldings for 15 minutes.

Cooling and Transfer

Once the wort is cooled to pitching temperature, a gravity sample shows an Original Gravity of 1.050.

With the wort settled and cleared for 30 minutes, it is transferred to the Speidel fermentor.

Fermentation

There’s only one way to brew a belgian saison, and that’s to add the appropriate yeast. I’m using White Labs WLP565, I’m not going to add oxygen with the aeration stone, as I find saison yeasts to be solid fermentors, and the oxygen from splashing the transfer should be enough.

After only 6 hours, the fermentation is well under way.

Fermentation lasts for about 14 days, however I like to leave my beers on the yeast for a while longer to help clean up any lingering off-tastes.

Fining and Carbonation

After 3 weeks in the fermentor, the Saison is ready to transfer to the unitank for clearing and carbonating. To make this process easier, I have a 2 to 1 haul line set up over the middle of the tanks. I raise the fermentor just high enough to start the gravity transfer, then once it’s going, I raise it higher for a little more transfer speed.

As you can see below, the beer is already quite clear straight from the fermentor.

However, there is a haze to it that will be cleared with the addition of gelatin finings.

A test of the final gravity shows it has attenuated to 1.005. Final gravity is important when you brew a saison. It does not want to be too high. We want a nice dry finish. Not a s dry as a French version, but certainly not sweet.

Once the Saison has cleared, I force carbonate it to achieve approximately 2.5 volumes CO2 in the bottle. I then bottle it with a Blichmann beer gun, and cap it for storage.

How is the finished Saison?

On opening, there is a reassuring hiss, which indicates that the carbonation has gone well.

Upon pouring, the beer pours absolutely clear, and holds a nice head. The foam head is almost iridescent white, and holds up for a long time, which is the wheat malt in the grain bill doing it’s job.

The aroma is of tropical fruit, a slight hint of banana and the unmistakable herbal/grassy spice smell that is so identifiable in a saison.

When it comes to tasting, the very initial sip is so clean and light, that the immediate thought is that you’re drinking a pale lager. Then the tastes of fruit and spices come forward, and there is no doubt that this is a saison.

The tropical fruit aromas have turned into flavours, with the slight hint of banana coming out as well. As with the smell, next comes the herbs and spices, mellowed by the light caramel from the candi sugar and honey malt. At the end of the sip, there is a lingering after taste of spicy pepper.

This is truly a summer classic. It is so easy to drink, but so complex at the same time. I’m not sure this batch will last out in the beer storage for long…..

To watch the full brewday video on YouTube click here to see how I brew a saison.