Recipe: Namur (Third Edition) [Batch #106]

Retro post as I'm going through old homebrew notes to try to organize them. This one came up as I was trying to locate my notes for a batch that "dry hopped" with basil in a keg. Full recipe and timeline posted below.

The recipe for the full batch is as follows:

Batch Number: 106
Brew Date: July 16, 2016
Bottle/Keg Date: See notes below.
Batch Size: 20 Gallon
OG: 1.042 (est. and measured)
FG: See below.
Fermentation Temperature: See notes below

IBU: 30.0 (modified Tinseth)
ABV: 4.9% (est.)
SRM: 4.0

Mash: Single infusion for 60 minutes at 150*F.
Boil: 60 minute

Fermentables

25.00 lb French Pilsner (70%)
7.00 lb Wheat, Flaked (20%)
3.5 lb Acid Malt (10%)

Salts & Water

5.0g Calcium Chloride (all added directly to the kettle)
10.0g Calcium Sulfate (all added directly to the kettle)
12.0g Sodium Chloride (all added directly to the kettle)

Resulting water profile is as follows:

Mash pH (est.): 5.22
Calcium: 68
Magnesium: 12
Sodium: 51
Chloride: 104
Sulfate: 79

Hops

9.0 oz Strisselspalt (3.5 AAU, but see below), pellet, at 60 minutes
3.0 oz East Kent Goldings (7.2 AAU, but see below), pellet, at 10 minutes
3.0 oz Hallertau Tradition (4.4 AAU, but see below), pellet, at 10 minutes

Other

4 tsp. Wyeast Yeast Nutrient at 10 minutes

Yeast

Imperial Organic Rustic

Notes

07.13.2016: Starter based on http://yeastcalculator.com

Have two cans of Imperial Yeast "Rustic" canned on May 19, 2016. Per site, these are at 62% viability. Each can has 200 billion cells, so this means there are currently 248 viable cells.

For a 1.040 beer (20 gallons), I need 567 million cells. Per the calculator, four liters of 1.030 wort with intermittent shaking will get me to 586 viable cells.

Added 245g of DME to 3L of water plus 1/4 tsp of yeast nutrient. Boiled 10 minutes, chilled, and pitched into a 5L flask with a can of starter wort and a pint of water. The flask is covered with sanitized foil.

07.15.2016: Per past order notes, Saaz hops were ordered in March 2012 so should be from the 2011 harvest and are almost five years old at this time. Per http://brewerslog.appspot.com/HopAlphaCalc, alpha acids have gone from 3.4 to 1.5 even though they have been stored in the original package at 10*F. Will decide whether to use them based on aroma upon opening the package.

Dupont mash schedule: "113°F (45°C) mash-in, gradually raised to 162°F (72°C) over more than 90 minutes." https://beerandbrewing.com/VMvilisAAKGj51nr/article/belgian-beer-youre-probably-doing-it-wrong. IBUs are around 32 and carbonation is approximately 3.5 volumes.

From Farmhouse Ales: "Note: Brasserie Dupont uses a different approach, favoring a “rising temperature” infusion mash. Dupont starts with an initial temperature of 113 ° F (45 ° C) and continuously heats the mash (while constantly stirring) by approximately 0.5 ° F (0.25 ° C) per minute over the course of 108 minutes (1: 48) until the mash temperature reaches 162 ° F (72 ° C). The intention is to maximize fermentable sugar production in order to get the characteristic attenuation (when an appropriate yeast strain is used) and low terminal gravity of 1.0 to 1.5 ° P (1.004 to 1.006 SG)."

07.16.2016: Saaz hops are from 2011. Ordered in March 2012 from Northern Brewer.

Mashed in at 124*F and then ramped too quickly. At 152*F after 15 minutes. Turned off the flame at this point and let it go for 60 minutes longer. Mash temperature of 148*F 30 minutes after the flame was turned off. At 146* 40 minutes after the flame was turned off. At this point, turned the burner back on low to start heating toward mash out. At that point, bumped the burner up to quickly get it to 170*F. Took about 10 minutes to go up to 170*F. Turned off the pump, shut the valve from the boil kettle, and let the mash drain to the kettle. Kettle temp is at 182*F.

By the time the mash was empty, the kettle was at 200*F. At this point, it's about 2.5 hours fromwhen I turned on the water to start filling the kettle.

The kettle has approximately 25.75 gallons of wort.

Per http://brewerslog.appspot.com/HopAlphaCalc, Strisselspalt that is from 2014 (so about 600 days old) is now at 2.4 AAU instead of 3.5 AAU. Per same, 2014 Hallertau Tradition marked down from 4.4 to 3.4 AAU. Per same, 2015 EKG marked down from 5.1 to 4.3 AAU at 270 days old.

7 hours after chilling, wort is at 78*F. Pitched after decanting and adding 120 seconds pure O2. Fermenting in a Blichmann conical.

Temperature controller is set at 74*F. I usually pitch saisons in the low-70s and let it gradually go up to 80+*F, though should be fine given the yeast. Bob at Saint Somewhere pitches around 80*F and lets it go to 90*F: http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2014/06/american-saison-reimagining-farmhouse.html

Dave Logsdon also suggests pitching at a high temperature: http://www.babblebelt.com/newboard/thread.html?tid=1108752780&th=1191674019&pg=&tpg=1

Blaugies pitches around 80.6*F: https://farmhousebeerblog.wordpress.com/2015/07/12/yeast-brasserie-de-blaugies/

07.17.2016: At 12 hours, probe showed 77*F with 1*F differential, so bumped to 80*F.  Plenty of obvious fermentation activity as I can hear it chugging along inside the conical. I also lifted the weight setting on the lid hatch to let pressure escape.

82*F at 24 hours. 

07.18.2016: At 36 hours, bumped to 84*F.  86*F at 48 hours.

07.19.2016: At 60 hours, very little activity left and the krausen is gone. Turned off the heater since we were leaving for vacation, but should stay plenty warm in the garage since it's supposed to be over 90*F all week.

07.24.2016: Temperature is at 78*F.

07.25.2016: Turned heater back on at 83*F with a 1*F differential.  Gravity reading yesterday was 1.012 but that seems unreliable as there was so much carbonation that it wasn't all gone after the sample sat out all night after being heavily agitated.

07.29.2016: I checked this morning and the beer has a pellicle. I'm guessing this is from the stainless thermowell not being properly cleaned, or from general infestation of all of my equipment.

07.31.2016: Turned off the temperature control.

09.24.2016: Added 15g of macerated lime basil to the keg in the keezer in a hop bag. Did not wash beforehand. Clean from garden. No pesticides or any other chemicals used.

12.17.2016: Rustic keg tastes incredible. Strain does very, very well with some time and under pressure. Likely some Brett involved given that it's my equipment (and that there was a pellicle in the fermenter!).  Filled barrel with Vert, Rustic with Saaz and Basil, and base Rustic.  Tapped Rustic 3726 with Sudwerk dregs.  Need to save cake.

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.

Science & Art #4: Blend & Tasting Notes

This is my fourth blend in the Science & Art Series, a group of blended saisons and wild ales. The components of this blend were Demeter Vert, Namur (Meyer Lemon), and Flowerfield. The idea behind blending is to create something that's better than the sum of its parts. Here, I had three beers that ranged from okay to quite good, with each one either having something that I didn't quite like (Namur and Flowerfield), or that were almost there, but could use an extra boost (Demeter Vert).

Demeter Vert was going to be the star of the show, as the lime saison base was something that I really enjoyed. I've been tweaking the recipe for that one across batches and think that I have most things generally dialed in, but this batch was lacking a bit of extra oomph. I think this is due to the fact that this beer was my first time using my yeast/bacteria Blend 05, and the Brett and bacteria weren't a big enough portion of the blend. Based on that, I was looking for something that could give this base a bit more flair.

For each of the previous versions of Science & Art, Citrine -- which is my house blonde wild -- had been a component of the blend, adding some acidity and fund. In this case, I was looking for something that was clean and not really funky, though I was hoping for a bit of acid to boost the overall flavor profile. My first thought was Namur (Meyer Lemon), which was just far too lemony. That beer was my first time using Meyer Lemon (or any type of lemon, for that matter) in a beer, and it was far too much. I was a bit surprised by this, as the use was generally in line with other citrus beers that I've done (Demeter Auran, the above-discussed Demeter Vert, and a few others), and those generally have hints of citrus without being too overpowering.

The lemon juice that was used alongside the zest in that batch of Namur created a good amount of acidity, and the beer itself was very clean and not at all funky, so after a few quick small-scale blends with Demeter Vert, I knew that I'd like to add that to the blend. That blend was still a bit citrus-heavy (though not obviously heavy on either lemon or lime), so I looked for something else to add in.

The perfect answer was a bit of Flowerfield, which is a collaboration that I did with Matt over at Stickman Brewing (he runs A Ph.D in Beer) over Memorial Day weekend 2014. We brewed that as a blonde Brett saison with Nelson Sauvin. To ferment that batch, I used the Yeast Bay Saison/Brettanomyces Blend and I wasn't a huge fan of the profile. There was something in the finish that was slightly acidic and just didn't quite agree with my palate, though others enjoyed it. (Matt, for one, agreed with me.) There wasn't anything wrong with the beer, so I didn't want to get rid of it, but I though blending would be a good option for some of what was remaining in the keg.

After messing around with the ratio of the three beers using a pipette and sample glasses, I settled on a blend that was four parts Demeter Vert, one part Meyer Lemon Namur, and one part Flowerfield. From there, I transferred into a bottling bucket, mixed in the priming sugar, and bottled. Since the Flowerfield portion was already kegged and carbonated and the Meyer Lemon Namur was in bottles, I needed to reduce the sugar so that I didn't get too far over my goal of 3.0 volumes of CO2. (Since the Namur was in bottles, I added that portion last, slowly pouring from chilled bottles into the bottling bucket with the neck submersed in the liquid in the bucket.) Given this, I decided to put the target at 2.2 volumes (almost purely guesswork) in the priming calculator, and then used that as my sugar level for bottling.

And now for the tasting notes, which are coming around 3.5 months after I bottled up the blend.  For tasting notes from others, you can follow the beer here on Untappd.

Appearance: Clear, bright light yellow with a fluffy white head. Good retention and plenty of lacing as it went down. Visible carbonation bubbles rising through the liquid. Has just about all it needs for a saison. I generally don't pay too much attention to whether my saisons are clear or hazy so long as they have a nice head of foam and good retention, as hazy beers seem a bit more rustic, which is something I don't mind at all when dealing with saisons with Brett and/or lactic acid bacteria (LAB).

Aroma The citrus citrus isn't too strong in the nose, and is mostly generic but tending a bit more toward the lemon. Lime there as well. I'm glad that most people haven't been able to pick out the exact citrus, as one of my goals here was to really knock down the lemon of the Namur variant, while preserving the lime from Demeter Vert. At this point, I think I was pretty successful there, likely only picking out the distinct citrus fruits as I know what went into the beer. As it warms, there is also a bit of an almost honey-like character, mixing with a bit of apricot. Maybe a bit of green grape there as well, which could be coming from the Nelson Sauvin that was used fairly heavily in Flowerfield.

Flavor: Lightly tart with just a hint of backing grain. Very clean without any funk, focusing in on the light acidity and citrus character. Maybe a bit simple, but I wasn't looking for this to be an overly-complex beer. The citrus character is just about where I want it, with some Brett-induced fruitiness in the background. The light acidity comes from the citrus, as well as from whatever lactic acid bacteria are now in this fermenting blend. (I typically use buckets that I use a carboy brush to clean, so there are plenty of scratches for LAB from dreg batches to take hold.)

Mouthfeel: Again, quite light, and also extremely crisp. The carbonation is high without gushing or being too bubbly. Clean finish, not much lingering taste. This would be a great beer for the summer, though I'm not sure I'll have much, if any, last until then. The Yeast Bay Wallonian Farmhouse is the base yeast for the fermentation blend of Demeter Vert, and I think it contributes a nice bit of body in beers that are otherwise bone dry. That's certainly apparent here. The water profiles of the base beers also likely contribute to this, as I tend to go relatively heavy on the chloride for saisons, where it seems like many other saisons are too sulfate heavy for my tastes. 

Overall: I'd describe this as simple, but elegant. Really easy drinking and is something that I'll try to re-create in the future, potentially all in the same beer by using the base for Demeter Vert and then adding in just a touch of Meyer Lemon and also maybe dry hop with some Nelson.

Namur (Satsuma Mandarin): Tasting Notes

This was a portion of the second iteration of Namur, which is a rotating mix of blonde saisons.  While most of the Namur batches are clean, I've done a few variants that take things in different directions.  This one is included, as here I added the juice and zest of Satsuma mandarins, and used a blend of Wyeast Biere de Garde (WY3725), Crooked Stave, and miscellaneous saison dregs.

I have delayed getting these tasting notes done until now, as I previously thought that the Satsuma was too strong.  Based on that, in the future I'd plan to use 25-33% less juice, though probably about the same amount of zest.  Based on my experience working with citrus in saisons, the juice comes through and is a lot more pungent in small doses compared against zest, where it's mostly aroma without an excessive amount of flavor contribution either way.  Side note: The Meyer Lemon portion is still excessively lemon-y to my palate at this point, so I'm waiting for that to subside a bit, though in the interim I may use it as a blending component to brighten up a base.

Appearance: Gusher!  Light peach color with residual haziness.  Good retention, although not a great deal of lacing as it goes down.  Based on the aforementioned gusher status, not sure if the retention is related to sediment being kicked up, or instead the fruit content of this beer.

Nose: Heavy on the Satsuma character even though this beer was brewed over six months ago at this point.  A bit one dimensional, but the character is something quite nice on a hot summer day like this.  A bit of backing funk.

Flavor: Starts out with a nice orange zest character and light backing acidity.  Touch of bitterness on the backend.  Orange really carries everything through here, and is not so much an accent as it is the dominant character of the beer.  Could use a bit more backing yeast character and/or funk.  Oak could work too.  It's enjoyable as it is, though could use a bit more depth.

Mouthfeel: Light and crisp, slightly puckering.  Fairly-heavy carbonation level despite the initial gushing.  Dry and thirst-quenching.  The acidity is certainly fruit-derived, but is at a really nice level.

Overall: It's a one-dimensional beer, but that's not the worst thing in the world for a summer slammer.  The next time I do this, I'll certainly make sure to do something a bit different with at least half the batch, whether it's aging on oak for a bit more depth and mouthfeel and/or blending with something that's a little more earthy and funky.

Namur (Batch 03): Tasting Notes

Tasting notes for the clean portions of Batch 03 of Namur, which consisted of fermenting a single batch of wort with four different yeasts/blends: (1) Yeast Bay Wallonian Farmhouse, (2) Yeast Bay Saison Blend, (3) Yeast Bay Saison/Brettanomyces Blend, and (4) and East Coast Yeast Farmhouse Brett (Saison Blend).

Tasting notes (with dates of sampling) for the Wallonian Farmhouse and Yeast Blend are below.  I wante to give the YB Saison/Brettanomyces Blend and ECY Farmhouse Brett (Saison Blend) a bit more time before I finish tasting notes there, as I thought that ECY portion was a bit bland early on after bottling.  Hopefully that will develop a bit further.  The YB Brett portion was nice and fruity, and seemed to have a bit of tartness to go with the initial fruitiness.

Yeast Bay Wallonian Farmhouse

Yeast Bay Wallonian Farmhouse

Bright clear golden yellow with a fairly-thick fluffy white head.  Good retention and moderate lacing as it falls.

Nose starts out with ripe fruit and faint spice, though initially difficult to pinpoint any one thing in particular. A bit chalky.  Notes of mango and peach.  Perhaps the faintest touch of banana.  Faint tartness and a bit of earth into the flavor.  Quite dry; very crisp.  Touch of a backing grain with hints of lemon.

Overall, quite nice, especially given that this was fermented around 70*F.  I love the general characteristics of this yeast, and am really looking forward to pushing the temperature higher the next time I use it.  I can see this turning into a house yeast, and am quite curious to see how it'll do with some Brett C and Trois.

Yeast Bay Saison Blend

Bright and clear, more of a light orange color than the Wallonian.  Big white head and decent retention.

Nose has moderate fruit, more citrus notes than the tropical character in the Wallonian Farmhouse.  Perhaps an orange marmalade.  Mild grain and faint spicing.  Lots of fresh fruit.  Flavor is super light and crisp, with backing orange and just a touch of pepper.

Mouthfeel is very light, yet at the same time a bit creamy.  Might be a bit more glycerol coming out of one of the yeasts in this blend.

As with the Wallonian, I'm really impressed with this.  I'll definitely be going with this again, and am very curious to see how the blend evolves over a few batches, and also how it performs at higher temperatures.

Namur (Batch 04): Recipe

This is a short post, as the recipe is just a bit different than the recipe for Namur (Batch 03) that I posted last week with different hops and yeast. Here went with a more lemon and lime character, using Sorachi Ace and and Wakatu. I pitched Wyeast's 3726 Farmhouse Ale, as well as Sanctification dregs to one of the buckets. However, the "clean" bucket ended up getting Brett as well.  I've been fermenting in buckets with the lids loosely set, and didn't think about that this time.  Not surprisingly, some Brett got into each the portion that only received 3726.  At around 4 weeks, each portion looked and tasted basically the same.

 The biggest difference here is that this one is going to secondary with soaked oak cubes. One with white wine-soaked oak cubes, and the other with gin-soaked cubes. The latter may also then get some lime juice and zest at the end.

Here are the full details on the new batch:

Batch Number: 83

Brew Date: April 6, 2014.

Bottle Date:

Batch Size: 10 Gallon

OG: 1.049

FG:

Fermentation Temperature: 70-72* F

IBU: 28.4

ABV: 6.2%

SRM: 3.6

Mash: Single infusion for 60 minutes at 150* F

Boil: 60 minute

Fermentables

10.0 lb Dingeman's Belgian Pilsner

3.0 lb Wheat, Flaked

2.0 lb Spelt, Raw

1.0 lb Oats, Flaked

1.0 lb Rye, Flaked

1.0 lb Acid Malt

Salts & Water

5.0g Sodium Chloride (all into the kettle)

3.0g Calcium Chloride (all into the kettle)

1.0g Gypsum (all into the kettle)

Resulting water profile is as follows:

Mash pH (est.): 5.44

Calcium: 51

Magnesium: 11

Sodium: 39

Chloride: 88

Sulfate: 36

5mL lactic acid added to the sparge water to get it to a pH around 5.5.

Hops

5mL HopShot at 60 minutes

4.0 oz. Wakatu (8.0 AAU) at flameout

2.0 oz. Sorachi Ace (12.0 AAU) at flameout

Other

2.0 tsp. Wyeast Yeast Nutrient at 10 minutes (double the normal amount to provide extra FAN, per the suggestion in Phil Markowski's Farmhouse Ales)

Yeast

Wyeast 3726 Farmhouse Ale

Russian River Sanctification dregs (both eventually, per the notes below)

Notes

04.06.2014: Brewday.  2L starter of Wyeast 3726 has been on stir plate for 24 hours.  Was previously stepped up twice from an old vial, previously having done a 2L starter of 1.020 wort on 02.18.2014.  Should have about 350 billion cells per yeastcalculator.com.  Split the starter evenly between buckets, not decanting.  Added the dregs from a bottle of Russian River Sanctification (Batch 007) to one of the buckets.  Each received 30 seconds of pure oxygen prior to pitching.

Had a big problem with the mash.  The tube between the spigot and the false bottom nipple somehow came off during sparging.  Will find out if hot side aeration is an issue, as eventually had to dump the mash into a pot to find out what the issue was after trying to reach in with Blichmann gloves to no avail.

04.07.2014: At 12 hours, good krausen and sitting at 70* F, with temperature controller at 72* F with +/- 2* differential.  I bumped it up to 74* F on the controller, which should likely set things at 72* F.  At 36 hours, bumped it up another two degrees on the controller, hoping to get fermentation to 74* F.  At 48 and 60 hours, bumped controller setting to 78* F and 80*F, respectively.

04.12.2014: Turned temperature down to 70* F to prepare water bath for Batch 084.

04.13.2014: Removed both portions from water bath and will continue at room temperature.  Portion with straight WY3726 is at 1.008.  Flavor profile is pretty bland with mild melon and a touch of spice.  Portion with Sanctification dregs is at 1.006 and is similar, but has a slightly-stronger profile.

04.30.2014: The straight 3726 portions appears to have a Brett infection, likely because I hadn't sealed the lids and there's quite a bit of Brett floating around that area with other open fermenters.  Today, transferred that straight portion (about 4 gallons) to a keg with 28g of oak cubes that have been soaking in gin since 02.16.2013.  The Sanctification portions was also about 4 gallons, and was transferred to a keg with 28g of oak cubes that have been soaking in Verdejo wine since 03.03.2013.

08.12.2014: At around 3.5 months, I checked in on these batches, which have been sitting in pressurized kegs since the end of April (I had checked a few times before as well).  I think that the gin version needs a bit more time (and I'll likely add some lime zest as well), but the white-wine version was doing quite well.  The last time I did something with these Verdejo cubes -- Dionysus #2 -- it ended up a bit too oak for my tastes, and that was at 5-6 months, so I think this may be the sweet spot.  It also just so happens that I'm nearly out of draft beer, so it was time for this one to transition over.  Tasting notes should be up within the next few weeks.

Namur (Batch 03): Recipe

A bit behind on the posts lately, having been busy with work and getting our garden up and running.  Hopefully the latter translates into plenty of backyard produce being used in my beers over the next few years.  I'll surely find a thing or two that will be ready for use later this summer or in the fall, but am really looking forward to being able to use a wide variety of fruits as those plants progress over the next few years.  At the very least, I'll have plenty of herbs to experiment with in saisons this year.  Over the next few days, I should have up a good number of tasting notes posts, as well as at least three more recipe posts.

This was my third time brewing Namur.  I figured this would a good time to test out the three Yeast Bay saison strains/blends that I'd ordered, as well as East Coast Yeast's Farmhouse Brett (Saison Blend).  From The Yeast Bay, I had Wallonian Farmhouse, Saison Blend, and Saison/Brettanomyces Blend.  I brewed up a 10-gallon batch alongside a late-boil charge of Belma, hoping for nice yeast complexity and a bit of citrus and fruit from a relatively-pungent hop variety.

Here are the full details on the new batch:

Batch Number: 82

Brew Date: March 15, 2014.

Bottle Date: 04.13.2014 (clean strains) and 04.30.2014 (Brett portions)

Batch Size: 10 Gallon

OG: 1.048

FG: Varies (see below)

Fermentation Temperature: 70-72* F

IBU: 28.5

ABV: 5.9%

SRM: 3.4

Mash: Single infusion for 60 minutes at 149* F

Boil: 60 minute

Fermentables

11.0 lb Dingeman's Belgian Pilsner

5.0 lb Wheat, Flaked

2.0 lb Rice, Flaked

1.0 lb Acid Malt

Salts & Water

4.0g Calcium Chloride (all into the kettle)

1.0g Gypsum (all into the kettle)

3.0g Sodium Chloride (all into the kettle)

Mash pH should have been right around 5.4-5.45, though I didn't take a measurement this time.

Resulting water profile is as follows:

Mash pH (est.): 5.43

Calcium: 59

Magnesium: 12

Sodium: 48

Chloride: 84

Sulfate: 38

Hops

5mL HopShot at 60 minutes

4.0 oz. Belma (11.6 AAU) at flameout

Other

2.0 tsp. Wyeast Yeast Nutrient at 10 minutes (double the normal amount to provide extra FAN, per the suggestion in Phil Markowski's Farmhouse Ales)

Yeast

Yeast Bay Wallonian Farmhouse

Yeast Bay Saison Blend

Yeast Bay Saison/Brettanomyces Blend

East Coast Yeast Farmhouse Brett (Saison Blend)

For expiration dates, the Yeast Bay Wallonian Farmhouse had a best by date of 06.17.2014, and pitched full vial into 2 gallon portion, no starter.  The Yeast Bay Saison Blend had a best by of 06.17.2014, and pitched full vial into 2 gallon portion, no starter.  The Yeast Bay Saison/Brettanomyces Blend had a best by date of 08.17.2014, and pitched full vial into 2 gallon portion, no starter.  East Coast Yeast 03 has a prep date of 02.03.2014.  Given the volume of the ECY "vials," I used only half of the vial into the 2 gallon portion.

Notes

03.15.2014 Brew day.  20 seconds of pure oxygen to each.  After 12 hours, small krausen on each and sitting at 67 degrees.  Bumped controlled up to 72F with temperature differential set at 2.  Should stay around 70.

04.05.2014: Moved from water bath to room temperature area to make room for Batch 083.

04.13.2014: Bottling day.  The Wallonian portion was a bit over 2 gallons, and received approximately 52g of priming sugar mixed in heated water, aiming for 2.7 volumes.  Yield is 14 500mL bottles.  FG is 1.004.  Taste is very smooth.  Lots of mango and other tropical fruit with a hint of tangerine.

04.30.2014: Bottling day for the Brett portions.  The Yeast Bay Saison/Brett portion is also over a bit over two gallons, so using approximately 52g of priming sugar with heated water to get at 2.7 volumes.  Yield is 14 500mL bottles.  FG is 1.002.  The East Coast Yeast 03 portion is also over a bit over two gallons, so using approximately 52g of priming sugar with heated water to get at 2.7 volumes.  Yield is 14 500mL bottles.  FG is 1.001.

Namur (Batch 02): Recipe

This is my second time brewing Namur recently, and I basically stuck with the recipe from last time, mostly just increasing the fermentation temperature in an attempt to shift the balance more toward esters and away from the more peppery phenolics. The first batch was too heavy on the spice, so I transferred that one to a keg with Brett Trois and some white wine-soaked oak cubes, and plan to bottle it after it's had six months or so.  I also brought down the gravity to 1.050, though that was more of a factor of me hitting too high of a gravity last time.

To keep things interesting, I decided to do a 10-gallon batch, with the base only comprising half of overall volume.  For the remaining 5 gallons, I split 2.5 gallon portions out for a dose of Meyer lemon juice and zest, and Satsuma mandarin juice and zest.

Here are the full details on the new batch:

Batch Number: 75

Brew Date: December 14, 2013

Keg Date:

Batch Size: 10 Gallon

OG: 1.054

FG: 1.005

Fermentation Temperature: 79 F

IBU: 31 (Tinseth)

ABV: 6.4%

SRM: 3.7

Mash: Single infusion for 90 minutes at 150 F

Boil: 90 minute

Fermentables

19.5 lb Dingeman's Belgian Pilsner

Salts & Water

10.0g Calcium Chloride (all into the kettle)

5.0g Gypsum (all into the kettle)

9.0g Baking Soda (all into the kettle)

8.0mL of 88% lactic acid were used to adjust the pH in the kettle.  I opted to use the baking soda to get the sodium to where I wanted it, but in the future I'll use non-iodized table salt, and that way not worry about raising the kettle pH.

Satsuma Mandarins

Resulting water profile is as follows:

Mash pH (est.): 5.41

Calcium: 101

Magnesium: 12

Sodium: 50

Chloride: 98

Sulfate: 76

Hops

1.0 oz. Calypso (17.0 AAU) at 60 minutes

3.0 oz. Calypso (17.0 AAU) at flameout

Other

2.0 tsp. Wyeast Yeast Nutrient at 10 minutes (double the normal amount to provide extra FAN, per the suggestion in Phil Markowski's Farmhouse Ales)

2.0 ea. Whirlfloc tablet at 10 minutes

Prepping the Meyer Lemons

The Satsuma portion got 7 grams of zest as well as 200mL of fresh juice. The Meyer Lemon portion got 7 grams of zest plus 75mL of fresh juice.

Yeast

WLP585 (second generation; the cake is from the first batch of Namur, built up according to some rough calculations)

Wyeast 3725//Crooked Stave/Miscellaneous saison dreg blend, for the citrus portions.

Notes

12.14.2013: 30 seconds of oxygen to the main 5 gallon portion and 20 seconds to each of the 2 gallon portions.

Pitched at 68 F. 12 hours later, the temperature was at 66 F. At the 24 hour mark, added to a water bath. Water was in the upper 70s, and I set an aquarium heater at 72 F. At 36 hours, the beer and the bath are sitting at 79 F ,so either the heater is over-active, or the beer is actually raising the temperature of the water. There's quite a bit of exposure between the bucket and the water, as the bucket only has 4 gallons and started to float up a little bit, so I used bungee cords to keep it in place, though there's still room for water underneath the bucket.

01.25.2014: Bottling day for the Meyer Lemon and Satsuma Mandarin portions.  Brief notes on each:

Meyer Lemon: FG of 1.004. Final pH of 4.0. Aiming for 2.75 volumes of CO2, so added 54g of table sugar to keg. Yielded eight 750mL bottles.

Satsuma Mandarin: FG of 1.004. Final pH of 3.8. Aiming for 2.75 volumes of CO2. Added sugar directly to bottles, uses 5.5g for each 750mL bottle and 2.75g for the one 375mL bottle. Ended with yield of nine 750mL bottles plus one 375mL bottle.

07.22.2014: Tasting notes for the Satsuma Mandarin portion.

Namur: Recipe

I have heard very good things about White Labs Saison III offering; specifically, that it's pretty low on the spice profile while putting off quite a bit of fruit and just a bit of tartness.  I finally grabbed two vials from Northern Brewer earlier this month.  Unfortunately, since it's a summer platinum strain, the vials were a bit dated.  I ended up doing a 2L starter for each vial, based on the output from MrMalty's pitching calculator.

The first time I brewed Namur, it was a test of a variety of saison strains, including some strains pulled from bottle dregs.  Unfortunately, I forgot to adjust the mash pH during that brewday, and ended up pulling far too many tannins for the mash, making the beer unpleasant.  I plan to retry the experiment sometime in the near future.

Batch Number: 72

Brew Date: November 9, 2013

Keg Date:

Batch Size: 5 Gallon

OG: 1.064

FG: 1.008

Fermentation Temperature: 68 F

IBU: 29 (Tinseth)

ABV: 7.4% (est.)

SRM: 4.3

Mash: Single infusion for 90 minutes at 151 F (targeted 150).

Boil: 90 minute

Fermentables

12.0 lb Dingeman's Belgian Pilsner

0.44 lb Acid Malt

Salts & Water

6.5g Calcium Chloride (all into the kettle)

3g Gypsum (all into the kettle)

5.5g Baking Soda (all into the kettle)

The acid malt was used to adjust the mash pH.

Resulting water profile is as follows:

Mash pH (est.): 5.47

Calcium: 104

Magnesium: 12

Sodium: 49

Chloride: 100

Sulfate: 73

Chloride / Sulfate Ratio: 1.37

Hops

3mL HopShot at 90 minutes

1.0 oz. Citra (12.9 AA) at flameout

Other

1.0 tsp. Wyeast Yeast Nutrient at 10 minutes (double the normal amount to provide extra FAN, per the suggestion in Phil Markowski's Farmhouse Ales)

1.0 ea.  Whirlfloc tablet at 10 minutes

Yeast

WLP585 (2 older vials build up via 2L starters two days in advance)

Notes

11.09.2013: Gave 45 seconds of pure oxygen prior to pitching the yeast.  Fermenting in a 6-gallon bucket in the main unfinished portion of the basement, closer to the boiler to provide a bit of extra heat.

11.14.2013: Beer has never developed a thick krausen, but is still going along.  Measured fermentation temperature this morning is 72 F.

11.23.2013: Beer at 1.010.  In general, the phenol to ester balance was a bit too high for me, so I decided to add Brett and white wine-soaked oak cubes to this portion of the batch, letting the Brett work with the phenols.  I'll use this cake to make another batch, fermenting at a higher temperature, and also provide less oxygen and some simple sugars.  According to White and Zainasheff's Yeast (pp. 12, 35), lower oxygen levels and increased simple sugars should provide more esters than I achieved this time around.

Given my plans, I racked to a purged keg that included 1 ounce of Verdejo-soaked Hungarian oak cubes, which were boiled prior to being soaked in the Verdejo.  They had been soaking since March 2013.  I also added a vial of White Labs Brett Brux Trois.  

Ambrosia Namur: Recipe

I've wanted to do a saison yeast experiment for a while now. Yesterday I finally had the opportunity to brew 8 gallons of saison, which I separated into nine separate 1-gallon jugs. The goal of this is to eventually develop a house saison for Ambrosia Ales. The name of this beer is Namur, after the Belgian province in the Wallonian half of the country.

Batch Number: 59
Brew Date: February 18, 2013
Bottle Date:
Batch Size: 8 Gallons

OG: 1.050
FG: 1.004 (est.)
IBU: 30.1
ABV: 6.0% (est.)
SRM: 3.3
Mash: Single infusion for 90 minutes at 150 F.
Boil: 60 minutes

Fermentables

8lb 8oz French Pilsner
2lb 8oz Red Wheat, Torrified
2lb 8oz Wheat, Flaked
1lb 0oz Oats
0lb 12oz Rye, Flaked
0lb 6oz Rice Hulls

Hops

1.25 oz Calypso (12.8% AAU) at 60 minutes
1.75 oz Calypso (12.8% AAU) at flameout

Yeast

See below

Notes 

02.18.2013 - Brewday. Hit the smack packs of 3711 and 3724 at 8:30 am. Both of these got a bit slushy during the shipment here, so hopefully they swell. The Tired Hands HandFarm dregs mostly froze in the mini fridge when I put them in to crash. The bottom of the vessel was not frozen, so hopefully the yeast there were fine. The top layer with Brett may have suffered. I'm still going to use all three since it's only three quarters to a gallon of wort for each, and I can always redo the experiment with these in the future as this recipe shouldn't be difficult to replicate.

Mashed for 90 minutes. Initial mash pH looked to be around 5.5 based on pH strips, so I added a tablespoon of 5.2 buffer. This is my first time using the new false bottom. Had to vorlauf much more than was typical with the stainless steel braid. Ended up vorlaufing three times for about 1.5 gallons. After that, mash ran clear. Got approximately 8 gallons to be divided between the 9 jugs. OG measured at 1.050. Going to use Mr. Malty to determine the approximate pitching rates given the small batches. Gave each jug 6 seconds of pure oxygen. Finally, each jug got two drops of Fermcap.

Set the chest freezer to sit between 69 and 75 based on dual temperature controls. One is on the chest freezer and the other is on Fermwrap. The chest freezer is set at 74 with a differential of 1 degree. The Fermwrap is set at 70 F with a differential of 1 degree.

Yeast Rundown:

• Wyeast 3711 French Saison: Manufactured November 18, 2012. Decided to use the whole package since it partially froze in transit.
• Wyeast 3724 Belgian Saison: Manufactured December 19, 2012. Decided to use the whole package since it partially froze in transit. 
• Wyeast 3725 Biere de Garde: Harvested from Demeter Auran (3725) on February 2, 2013. Mixed with a bit of water and used approximately 50mL of slurry.
• White Labs 565 Saison I: Best before May 9, 2013. Used about half of a vial after clearing with sanitized water and mixing in a Pyrex container. 
• White Labs 566 Saison II: Best before April 12, 2013. Used about half of a vial after clearing with sanitized water and mixing in a Pyrex container. 
• White Labs 568 Belgian Style Saison Ale Blend: Best before May 9, 2013. Used about half of a vial after clearing with sanitized water and mixing in a Pyrex container. 
• White Labs 670 American Farmhouse Blend: Best before April 5, 2013. Used about half of a vial after clearing with sanitized water and mixing in a Pyrex container. 
• Tired Hands HandFarm Dregs: Harvested from Tired Hands HandFarm bottle on January 15, 2013. Ended up with approximately 60 mL of thick slurry after pouring out all the beer (which smelled quite sour and oxidized). Hopefully this works out.
• Miscellaneous Saison Blend Dregs: Harvested from Demeter Auran on February 2, 2013. Mixed with a bit of water and used approximately 50 mL of slurry.  Coming from Demeter Auran, this makes this a third generation use for the blend.

02.19.2013 - Temperature 12 hours after pitching continues to sit at 70 F ambient. One of the jugs has a good krausen on it, while a few others have a bit of foam. Will check back at 24 hours.  At 24 hours, all but the Tired Hands and saison dreg blends were going strong.

02.20.2013 - At 36 hours, Tired Hands blend is going strong as well.  Saison dreg blend still hasn't done much.  At 48 hours, everything is going strong, with the temperature holding between 70 and 71.

02.21.2013 - At 60 hours, all still going well.  Some appear to be near completion of active fermentation.  Temperature holding between 71 and 72.