Saison Faible is the clean petit saison that I brewed for the first time recently, using solely Saccharomyces as opposed to the blend of Saccharomyces, Brettanomyces, and bacteria that is used in my rustic saison, Farmhouse Mild. Of course, I can never entirely get away from wild fermentations, so I took the other 5-gallon portion of this batch and fermented it with Ambrosia Blend 003, which utilizes the grown up dregs from a bottle of the November 2013 batch of Hill Farmstead Anna.
This batch of Faible was fermented with East Coast Yeast Saison Brasserie Blend (ECY08), which is described as "both fruity and spicy characteristics accompanied by dryness." It was hopped with Calypso, Citra, and Simcoe.
Appearance: Hazy golden color with just a touch of a peach hue. Dense, rocky white head with good retention and plenty of lacing as it fades down to a thin cap and collar.
Aroma: Slight tropical fruit notes along with some bread dough. A very slight hint of bubblegum. Some mild pear and honeydew.
Flavor: Juicy Fruit is what immediately comes to mind for me. Tropical fruit and very light orange peel in the background. Honeydew and melon. A touch of pepper and a very mild lingering bitterness in the background. Dry with a hint of tartness through the finish. As it warms, there's a touch of bread dough in the background. I've noticed quite a bit more of the bread dough if I have nearly any other beer ahead of this one.
Mouthfeel: Light with effervescent carbonation. Just enough body to keep it from seeming thin. A slight lingering bitterness through the finish. Very faint pepper in the aftertaste.
Overall: I'm very pleased with how this one came out, especially with it being my first time using this strain/blend. I'm very curious to see how this is going to perform in subsequent generations, as well as with a bigger beer. I of course had to mix it with something wild, so I am already using the second generation of this blend, combined with Brett C and Brett Trois, in the new batch of Demeter Auran.
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