Friday, June 10, 2016

Recipe: Noble Namur [Batch #102]

This was a batch of Namur, which is my "plain" saison that's generally fermented clean.  I ended up pitching some bugs into the 3724 portion when it stalled at 1.024.  However, a separate 5-gallon portion was fermented with Omega's Saisonstein's Monster and got down quite low.  That portion I dubbed "Noble Namur" given the use of classic hops in combination with the clean saison yeast profile.

In the end, I really, really enjoyed the Saisonstein's Monster portion and will definitely be making a full batch of this again in the future, simplifying the malt bill quite a bit  (this one was more of a "get rid of some stuff" profile) so that it's essentially a pilsner fermented with a saison yeast that's more peppery and earthy rather than fruity, even though I generally prefer saisons that fit into the latter category.

Finally, the water profile on this one was a bit more sulfate-heavy than my typical saison, as I wanted the bitterness to stand out a bit more.  Although, in the end, this one ended up just a bit too bitter, so I'd probably pull back the IBUs to 25-30 the next time around.

The recipe for the full batch is as follows:

Batch Number: 102
Brew Date: October 2, 2015
Bottle/Keg Date: See notes below.
Batch Size: 20 Gallon
OG: 1.033 (est.)
FG: See below.
Fermentation Temperature: Started at 72*F and ramped up to 82*F.
IBU: 36.0 (modified Tinseth)
ABV: 4.1% (est.)
SRM: 3.0

Mash: Single infusion for 60 minutes at 154*F.
Boil: 60 minute

Fermentables

12.00 lb French Pilsner (46%)
7.00 lb Wheat, Flaked (27%)
2.00 lb Munich (8%)
1.81 lb Acid Malt (7%)
1.50 lb Oats, Flaked (6%)
1.50 lb Rye, Flaked (6%)

Salts & Water

1.1g Calcium Chloride (all added directly to the kettle)
13.1g Calcium Sulfate (all added directly to the kettle)
17.5 Sodium Chloride (all added directly to the kettle)

Resulting water profile is as follows:

Mash pH (est.): 5.24
Calcium: 68
Magnesium: 12
Sodium: 77
Chloride: 128
Sulfate: 102

Hops

9.0 oz Strisselspalt (3.5 AAU), pellet, at 60 minutes
4.0 oz Sterling (8.0 AAU), pellet, 90 minutes after flameout (30-minute hopstand)

Other

4 tsp. Wyeast Yeast Nutrient at 10 minutes

Yeast

Wyeast 3724 (Dupont)
Omega Saisonstein's Monster

Notes

10.02.2015 Mash temp 152*F.  4oz of Sterling added after 1.5 hours natural cooling. Temp was 165*F.  After removing the hops, I let the wort sit for approximately 8 hours before pitching at 68*F with temperature regulator set at 72*F and the differential set at 1*F.

30 seconds of oxygen to each 5-gallon portion.  The 3724 packs were both manufactured on 08.11.15. Omega Saisonstein was packaged on 09.01.15.  Controller probe placed in the carboy with the Omega.

10.03.2015: At 24 hours, moved to 74*.

10.04.2015: At 48 hours, loved to 76*. Moved to 78* and 80* at single-day intervals. Continued to 82* at next day. Leaving at 82*.

10.15.2015: Omega at 1.002. 3724 at 1.024.  Controller turned down to 70*F.  Planning to add bugs to the 3724 carboys.

10.16.2015: Created a blend of Saccharomyces Trois, Brett C, Brett Drei, and ECY 03-B plus dregs from Demeter Automne and Demeter Facile.  250mL and split between each 3724 carboy.  The temperature is sitting at 69*F.  Eventually got down to less than 1.002.

11.10.2015: Kegged Noble Namur. FG is 1.001 and pH is 4.51.

4 comments:

  1. Man I'm glad to be reading your stuff again. This one looks great. I haven't used Saisonstein's yet but have been thinking about it. Super interesting strain. Seems to be a big time attenuator too.

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    1. Definitely a monster in terms of attenuation, and I really liked the flavor profile.

      I'm done with all the recipe posts for the beers that went into the barrel, so now I'm working on a comprehensive post related to the barrel!

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  2. I've noticed that you use a lot of NaCL. I take it you use Di or RO water? What do you feel the NaCL adds to the flavor of the beer?

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    Replies
    1. I use a dual-stage filter that removed chlorine and chloramine from my tap water. I had that water tested and build the profile off of that.

      I usually try to get the sodium level to around 50ppm. It helps enhance the flavors a bit and round out the mouthfeel.

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