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.