Blackberry Farm’s Classic Saison is named so to pay homage to the traditional beers of the Wallonia region of Belgium and to honor simplicity. “It’s basically a lager beer with different yeast,” explains Daniel Heisler, the head brewer at Blackberry Farm Brewery in Walland, Tennessee.
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: Our style of beer-making here sacrifices efficiency and cost for quality and authenticity, which is something every homebrewer can do.
OG: 1.055
FG: 1.006
IBUs: 33
ABV: 6%
MALT/GRAIN BILL
We use floor-malted barley and wheat for an authentic Old-World flavor.
8.5 lb (3.9 kg) Pilsner malt
1 lb (454 g) Munich malt
1 lb (454 g) wheat malt
4 oz (113 g) Cara-Pils Malt
HOPS AND ADDITIONS SCHEDULE
1 oz (28 g) EKG [5% AA] at 60 minutes
0.5 oz (14 g) each EKG [5% AA] and Saaz [3% AA] at 30 minutes
0.5 oz (14 g) each EKG and Saaz at flameout
YEAST
1 packet of White Labs WLP565 Belgian Saison
DIRECTIONS
Mash at a saccharification rest of 145°F (63°C). Step mash if possible, resting at 121°F (50°C) and 133°F (56°C) for 15 minutes respectively before heating to 145°F (63°C).
Hops charges should include classic noble varieties such as CZ Saaz and UK Golding. I like a large flame-out addition for lots of noble hops flavor.
With WLP 565, fermentation can be tricky. It likes to slow down drastically about 75 percent of the way through. I prefer to start fermentation cool (64°F/18°C) and free rise into the high 80s Fahrenheit (low 30s Celsius). WLP 565 will ferment down to a SG of 1.006 given enough time. As the beer cools back down, it will continue to ferment, though slowly. Patience is key.
Once terminal gravity is achieved, bottle with 8 g/l dextrose to achieve 4−4.5 volumes of CO2 for that classic spirited bubble. If you don’t wait for the beer to achieve terminal gravity, you’ll get over-carbed bottle bombs.