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Recipe: Late Harvest Dark Saison
Much like a great schwarzbier, the combination of color and drinkability makes this one as rewarding in winter as it is refreshing in summer.
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Earlier versions of this recipe included simple sugars or candi syrups, but I found they added medicinal/hot flavors. I don’t find this amount of rye to be a problem, but feel free to add rice hulls if your system is prone to stuck mashes.
For more on this riff on a classic Belgian style, see Make Your Best Dark Saison.
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.050 (12.4°P)
FG: 1.010 (2.6°P)
IBUs: 26
ABV: 5.1%
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Earlier versions of this recipe included simple sugars or candi syrups, but I found they added medicinal/hot flavors. I don’t find this amount of rye to be a problem, but feel free to add rice hulls if your system is prone to stuck mashes.
For more on this riff on a classic Belgian style, see Make Your Best Dark Saison.
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.050 (12.4°P)
FG: 1.010 (2.6°P)
IBUs: 26
ABV: 5.1%
[PAYWALL]
MALT/GRAIN BILL
3 lb (1.4 kg) Maris Otter
3 lb (1.4 kg) Vienna
3 lb (1.4 kg) rye malt
8 oz (227 g) chocolate rye
4 oz (113 g) Weyermann Carafa Special I
4 oz (113 g) Special B
4 oz (113 g) Caramunich
HOPS & ADDITIONS SCHEDULE
1.5 oz (43 g) Fuggles at 30 minutes [19 IBUs]
1 oz (28 g) Styrian Goldings at 10 minutes [7 IBUs]
4 oz (113 g) dried cranberries, coarsely chopped, at secondary
YEAST
Wyeast 3711 French Saison, LalBrew Belle Saison, or similar
DIRECTIONS
Mill the grains and mash at 152°F (67°C) for 90 minutes. Recirculate until the runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge and top up as needed to get about 6 gallons (23 liters) of wort, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the schedule. After the boil, chill to about 72°F (22°C), aerate the wort, and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 72°F (22°C) for 7 days or until primary fermentation is complete and gravity has stabilized. In a muslin bag, add the cranberries and leave for 2–3 days. Crash for 48 hours, then package and carbonate to about 2.5 volumes of CO2.
