Day 16: 'Tis the Saison

[arne]

Hi all! Thanks for all the great beers so far, it's been a blast tasting such a wide range of beers and ciders!

This is my offering to the Great Calendar of the Advent, a Holiday-style Belgian-y beer with some warming spices and a mild kick to it. Belay that "mild kick" remark, it may be more along the lines of a mild kick to the teeth - the ABV calculates out to 9.7%.

The mash schedule on this one is a bit wacky, but hey - who doesn't love a good decoction mash?

Recipe as follows:

12# Belgian Pilsner
3# Abbey Malt
1.5# Honey Malt
1.5# Special B
0.25# Carafa I
0.25# Oak-Smoked Wheat

0.5oz Styrian Aurora @ 0 mins
1.5oz Styrian Aurora @ 45 mins
2.0oz fresh chopped ginger @ 45 mins
0.25oz crushed cardamom @ 55 mins
1.0 cinnamon stick @ 55 mins

Mash Schedule! Started with 25L of water. 
122F for 40 mins
148F for 60 mins
158F for 30 mins
170F sparge 

OG 1.082
FG 1.009

Brewed on the 9th of October, 2014. Racked to secondary 20th of October, 2014. Bottled 17th of November, 2014. 

Oh! And, the most important part - 'Tis the Saison thanks to Wyeast #3711, French Saison. Hence the 88% apparent attenuation, this yeast is truly a holiday miracle. 

[thejiggyfly]

Well I can't comment on the beer, because it's not day 16 and I refuse to cheat, but I'm excited for this one because I submitted the first saison. I think this is a fairly broad style of beer, and it looks like we have two unique offerings.

I coincidentally used the same yeast, and was equally joyed with it's performance. Based on the recipe here, I expect this will be a great beer.

What was your fermentation temperature?

[arne]

I fermented at whatever the ambient temperature in my house was - so from 60F to 65F, depending on how warm the day was.

This 3711 is an incredibly versatile yeast, the fact that it ferments so incredibly dry, almost like a wine yeast, is a big point in its favor, at least in my book.

[Kyle H.]

Your boil addition times are counting from the beginning of the boil right? Or did you boil cinnamon for 55 minutes?

[Kyle H.]

By drinking the beer I have answered my own question. The spices are pretty subtle, but defiantly there. Good beer Arne. This beer hides it 9.7% very well, I can see myself getting into trouble drinking this! Bravo!

[tony]

Thanks for the brew, very nice balance of malt with wyeast 3711 plus spices. This beer is very drinkable (i.e. borderline dangerous) for an almost 10% ABV.

Thanks
Tony

[scott22]

Agreeing with others about the magic of 3711 and the insidious nature of this near 10% ale. I wouldn't mind a little more spice. Overall, a very nice beer. Me want more.

[thejiggyfly]

As I said earlier, I was excited about this beer yesterday, and it delivered today. This beer is very similar to mine in that I don't get much saison character. Perhaps that's the nature of 3711? I will certainly be trying this yeast again in the future.

I think Goldilocks would have chosen this beer based on spice character, and the 9.7% would have her stumbling into whichever bed.  So easy to drink.  Very enjoyable and thanks for sharing.