Le Saison Noire
Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 9:46AM Le Saison Noire
As seen being brewed by Chip Walton in this video. Recipe below.
For an easy gathering of ingredients, click here.
Extract with Speciality Grains
OG: 1053
FG: 1.008-1.009
Recipe notes from creator Kris England:
Right from the middle of French Flanders, this black saison is one of the most complex beers you will ever brew. An explosion of malt-derived dark fruits (think plums and sultana raisins) blends extraordinarily well with deep notes of toast and nut. A robust citrus and peppery disposition with an astonishingly smooth finish reminiscent of a top shelf espresso makes this beer entirely unique. Try it in a carbonnade or as a braising liquid for beef roast.
Primary fermentation: 75°-90°F, approx. 1 week
Secondary fermentation: 65°-75°F, 2-3 weeks
Chip's Notes:
7/8/10 - Brewnight - pegged the OG right on. Pitched starter. Fermenting the beer fairly warm - about ambient 80F in my dining room.
7/12/10 - After four days it was down to 1.020, but now comes the time for patience. Saison yeasts are infamous for stalling out, then surging again after a while. So, I'm going to stay the course (for now) and not add any other yeast, etc. Just ride it out. It's a nice dark brown color with great clovey, spicey, pepper nose and similar taste with cinnamon and raisins mixed in.
THE RECIPE
Fermentables:
- 6 lbs. Pilsen Malt Syrup
- 1 lb. Pilsen Dry Malt Extract
Speicality Grains:
- 1 lb. Belgian Caramunich
- 0.5 lb. Belgian Carafa III
Hops:
Kris originally suggested 2 oz. of Argentine Cascade, but I never much like them. So I went with enough Styrian Goldings to bring it to about 7%AA.
- ??oz. Styrian Goldings - enough to make about 7%AA
Yeast:
- I made a starter with White Labs 566 Belgian Saison II
Steep grains in 2.5 gallons of water as it heats from tap-cool to about 165F..... or about 30 minutes.
Boil time is 60 minutes. All malt extract (syrup and dry) and hops go in at the 60 min. mark.
Cool to 80F or cooler. Pitch yeast (starter).
Reader Comments (2)
Any updates on this? Sounds like a tasty brew.
There will be an on-screen tasting note as part of Brewing TV Episode 29 "Clemifornia Dreaming," which posts on January 28th, 2011 @ BrewingTV.com.
Written tasting notes will post on same day.
Cheers, Matt! (and everyone else)