Beer Notes Batch 4, Northern Brewer "Saison de Noel" (http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/saison-de-noel-limited-edition-extract-kit.html), a potential
Christmas Ale recipe for next year. Using Wyeast 3711 French
Saison, plan to ferment at 87F
1/15/2015 6:00pm Smacked Wyeast pack to begin starter process
7:00pm heated 3" water in heating tub to 87F
8:10pm boiled 650mL water to make a small starter
1/16/2015 7:10am fermentation is vigorous, 1/2" foam layer on
top. Temp down to 81F; the water around the
heater is very warm, so the thermostat turns
off. Will need to find a way to move the warm
water (bubbler, most likely.)
1/16/2015 9:30pm began heating 2 gallons of water in brew kettle,
1 gal of sparge water in secondary kettle. Yeast
starter is still foaming, but I put it in the
fridge to settle it anyway.
10:08pm water up to 155F, added specialty grains to
steep for 25 minutes
10:33pm began to sparge with 1 gal of 170F water
10:43pm boil begins, added 6lbs pilsen LME and 1lb
D-90 Candi syrup.
10:46pm returned to heat, added 1oz US Magnum hops
10:55pm finally returned to boil, started 60 minute timer.
10:58pm boil is much heavier, lots of creamy foam. Turned
heat down a little.
11:00pm All of the foam and green hop residue that
bubbled up broke and now its a rolling brown
boil, with almost no cream-colored foam
11:40pm Stirred in 1lb Briess Pilsen Light DME and
1 lb Briess Golden Light DME
11:44pm VERY close to a boilover!
11:55pm removed from heat, added 1lb corn sugar, put in
ice bath in sink.
1/17/2015 12:00am Wort down to 150F
12:12am Wort down to 100F, added to bucket with 2 gal
water. Had to add another half gal to get to
5gal. OG measured 1.072 at 80F (+2.5) . Wort tastes
surprisingly bitter considering how little
hops were used. Color is a bit like a reddish
brown ale, maybe similar to the color of Gulden
Draak (if I can recall.) Tastes a little like
cotton candy, definitely *not* like a brown ale.
12:22am decanted some of yeast starter wort, pitched yeast.
Starter wort actually tasted pretty good. Very
fruity but no overwhelming "bubble gum" or
"banana" flavors. Put bucket in a warm water bath
with a fish tank heater and bubble to distribute the
warm water. Wort started at 80F, but I was aiming
for 87F. HOpefully it will warm up.
6:40am Airlock is bubbling away, but the motion is a
little different than what I've seen in the past
(in carboys.) There is a pause for a second or
two, then the airlock moves up and down repeatedly
3 or four times. Its probably because the geometry
of the flat topped bucket is so different from the
graduated carboy. Temp only 78F. I'll
need to replace the heater.
1/18/2015 1:37pm Airlock still bubbling a lot, with the pause/bubble/
bubble/bubble rhythm. Area around fermenter smells
fruity and estery.
11:22pm Airlock still bubbling every 2 seconds or so, but
now the multi-bubbles happen every 3rd or 4th
bubble
1/19/2015 8:30am airlock still bubbling every 2 seconds, but fewer
multi bubbles
10:03pm airlock slowed slightly, bubbling every 3 seconds.
still the occasional multi bubble
1/20/2015 6:59am seems there is a little more time between bubbles,
but there are still occasional double bubbles and
sometimes the bubbles come much faster than other
times.
8:40pm about 5 seconds between bubbles now, still the
occasional double bubble.
1/21/2015 7:32am 7 seconds between bubbles, most bubbles are the
multi-bubble variety now.
8:00pm 9 seconds between bubbles, all bubbles are the
multi-bubble variety now.
1/22/2015 7:30am Still about 9 seconds between bubbles, all
multi-bubble, but there seems to be less
gas coming out each time. Its very strange,
compared to the exhaust from the carboy. Less
of a fruity, estery smell near fermenter.
1/23/2015 11:11am 15 seconds between bubbles
1/25/2015 11:06pm 24 seconds between bubbles
1/26/2015 11:23pm 37 seconds between bubbles, less gas released
with each airlock action
1/27/2015 11:02pm 1:15 between bubbles
1/29/2015 8:47pm racked to 6 gal carboy. Temp down to 64F, gravity
measured 1.010. It is a deep reddish brown, very much
like Hibernation Ale. The beer tastes far better than
I expected, less attenuated, lean and snappy, also
less phenolic than I had hoped. The high temperatures
helped develop some of the expected fruityness, but
it tastes more like a brown ale, more bitter and richer
than I expected. I also taste some dried fruit. It
stands to be an excellent beer, I'm very excited. I saved
some of the yeast slurry, will wash it over the next few
days.
1/30/2015 11:49pm temp down to 63F
2/14/2015 Boiled 24oz water with about 4.5oz corn sugar (I had a hard
time measuring this weight with any precision. I took what
I thought was 5 oz out of the bag, but the remaining weight
of the bag was 9oz. I put
some back in the bag and settled on what seemed to be 4.5 oz.)
The final gravity of the beer was still 1.010 (8.4% ABV), unchanged
from the previous "final" measurement when I racked to secondary.
There was very little yeast in the bottom of the carboy.
I then siphoned the beer out of the carboy into the bottling
bucket, and filled 48 12oz bottles. I put half of them
on top of the fridge, where the temp is about 70F, and the
other half on the beer production area near the furnace,
where the temp is about 66F. This beer tastes excellent
already, before carbonation. It is strong, has a nice
dried fruit complexity and isn't overly sweet. The
combination of the magnum hops, dark candi syrup and
dark malts make for excellent bitterness, while the frutiness
of the saison yeast is much more subtle than I hoped.
2/26/2015 8:50pm opened a bottle to see if it was carbonated. It was not.
Not even a little. Will leave the case on the fridge, try
again next week.
3/6/2015 8:30pm I poured the beer down the center of the glass, which gave
the beer a 1/2" off-white head that rapidly dissipated to leave
a small layer of bubbles, similar to a long-aged old ale.
Definitely less bubbly than I would expect for the style,
but it is good enough to drink now.
4/8/2015 9:15pm The last few have been far more bubbly; lots of very fine bubbles
make a smooth off-white head and the foam overflows the glass unless precautions
are taken. The flavor has developed into a smooth, slightly tart, slightly fruity
strong beer (only 8.5% but you feel it after just one.)
The beer is very good now.
5/30/2015 10:55pm Many of these have been overcarbonated lately, and I've been pouring them straight down the center of the glass. When I allow them to stay bubbly they taste too fizzy and slightly
metallic. This one, however, was far less bubbly, had large loose foam (rather than a tight, small bubble head typical of beer) and no head to speak of. It is also far better than the ones I've had recently. Lots of rich, dark fruit, slightly tart, slightly dry. It is really good. I'm not sure why these beers have been so
erratic. Sometimes it has been transcendent, sometimes it has been weird and bland.
2/20/2016 8:40pm Finished the last bottle tonight. It wasn't bad, but wasn't great. It really didn't have any
of the "spicy funk" promised by the yeast label. It was definitely dark and definitely had some cherry
flavors, but it was not really that interesting. It was definitely hot, even the last bottle that had aged over
a year. I made a mistake in amping up the alcohol. I am thinking about making a Saison de Noel again
this year, but I won't be making it this way.
Christmas Ale recipe for next year. Using Wyeast 3711 French
Saison, plan to ferment at 87F
1/15/2015 6:00pm Smacked Wyeast pack to begin starter process
7:00pm heated 3" water in heating tub to 87F
8:10pm boiled 650mL water to make a small starter
1/16/2015 7:10am fermentation is vigorous, 1/2" foam layer on
top. Temp down to 81F; the water around the
heater is very warm, so the thermostat turns
off. Will need to find a way to move the warm
water (bubbler, most likely.)
1/16/2015 9:30pm began heating 2 gallons of water in brew kettle,
1 gal of sparge water in secondary kettle. Yeast
starter is still foaming, but I put it in the
fridge to settle it anyway.
10:08pm water up to 155F, added specialty grains to
steep for 25 minutes
10:33pm began to sparge with 1 gal of 170F water
10:43pm boil begins, added 6lbs pilsen LME and 1lb
D-90 Candi syrup.
10:46pm returned to heat, added 1oz US Magnum hops
10:55pm finally returned to boil, started 60 minute timer.
10:58pm boil is much heavier, lots of creamy foam. Turned
heat down a little.
11:00pm All of the foam and green hop residue that
bubbled up broke and now its a rolling brown
boil, with almost no cream-colored foam
11:40pm Stirred in 1lb Briess Pilsen Light DME and
1 lb Briess Golden Light DME
11:44pm VERY close to a boilover!
11:55pm removed from heat, added 1lb corn sugar, put in
ice bath in sink.
1/17/2015 12:00am Wort down to 150F
12:12am Wort down to 100F, added to bucket with 2 gal
water. Had to add another half gal to get to
5gal. OG measured 1.072 at 80F (+2.5) . Wort tastes
surprisingly bitter considering how little
hops were used. Color is a bit like a reddish
brown ale, maybe similar to the color of Gulden
Draak (if I can recall.) Tastes a little like
cotton candy, definitely *not* like a brown ale.
12:22am decanted some of yeast starter wort, pitched yeast.
Starter wort actually tasted pretty good. Very
fruity but no overwhelming "bubble gum" or
"banana" flavors. Put bucket in a warm water bath
with a fish tank heater and bubble to distribute the
warm water. Wort started at 80F, but I was aiming
for 87F. HOpefully it will warm up.
6:40am Airlock is bubbling away, but the motion is a
little different than what I've seen in the past
(in carboys.) There is a pause for a second or
two, then the airlock moves up and down repeatedly
3 or four times. Its probably because the geometry
of the flat topped bucket is so different from the
graduated carboy. Temp only 78F. I'll
need to replace the heater.
1/18/2015 1:37pm Airlock still bubbling a lot, with the pause/bubble/
bubble/bubble rhythm. Area around fermenter smells
fruity and estery.
11:22pm Airlock still bubbling every 2 seconds or so, but
now the multi-bubbles happen every 3rd or 4th
bubble
1/19/2015 8:30am airlock still bubbling every 2 seconds, but fewer
multi bubbles
10:03pm airlock slowed slightly, bubbling every 3 seconds.
still the occasional multi bubble
1/20/2015 6:59am seems there is a little more time between bubbles,
but there are still occasional double bubbles and
sometimes the bubbles come much faster than other
times.
8:40pm about 5 seconds between bubbles now, still the
occasional double bubble.
1/21/2015 7:32am 7 seconds between bubbles, most bubbles are the
multi-bubble variety now.
8:00pm 9 seconds between bubbles, all bubbles are the
multi-bubble variety now.
1/22/2015 7:30am Still about 9 seconds between bubbles, all
multi-bubble, but there seems to be less
gas coming out each time. Its very strange,
compared to the exhaust from the carboy. Less
of a fruity, estery smell near fermenter.
1/23/2015 11:11am 15 seconds between bubbles
1/25/2015 11:06pm 24 seconds between bubbles
1/26/2015 11:23pm 37 seconds between bubbles, less gas released
with each airlock action
1/27/2015 11:02pm 1:15 between bubbles
1/29/2015 8:47pm racked to 6 gal carboy. Temp down to 64F, gravity
measured 1.010. It is a deep reddish brown, very much
like Hibernation Ale. The beer tastes far better than
I expected, less attenuated, lean and snappy, also
less phenolic than I had hoped. The high temperatures
helped develop some of the expected fruityness, but
it tastes more like a brown ale, more bitter and richer
than I expected. I also taste some dried fruit. It
stands to be an excellent beer, I'm very excited. I saved
some of the yeast slurry, will wash it over the next few
days.
1/30/2015 11:49pm temp down to 63F
2/14/2015 Boiled 24oz water with about 4.5oz corn sugar (I had a hard
time measuring this weight with any precision. I took what
I thought was 5 oz out of the bag, but the remaining weight
of the bag was 9oz. I put
some back in the bag and settled on what seemed to be 4.5 oz.)
The final gravity of the beer was still 1.010 (8.4% ABV), unchanged
from the previous "final" measurement when I racked to secondary.
There was very little yeast in the bottom of the carboy.
I then siphoned the beer out of the carboy into the bottling
bucket, and filled 48 12oz bottles. I put half of them
on top of the fridge, where the temp is about 70F, and the
other half on the beer production area near the furnace,
where the temp is about 66F. This beer tastes excellent
already, before carbonation. It is strong, has a nice
dried fruit complexity and isn't overly sweet. The
combination of the magnum hops, dark candi syrup and
dark malts make for excellent bitterness, while the frutiness
of the saison yeast is much more subtle than I hoped.
2/26/2015 8:50pm opened a bottle to see if it was carbonated. It was not.
Not even a little. Will leave the case on the fridge, try
again next week.
3/6/2015 8:30pm I poured the beer down the center of the glass, which gave
the beer a 1/2" off-white head that rapidly dissipated to leave
a small layer of bubbles, similar to a long-aged old ale.
Definitely less bubbly than I would expect for the style,
but it is good enough to drink now.
4/8/2015 9:15pm The last few have been far more bubbly; lots of very fine bubbles
make a smooth off-white head and the foam overflows the glass unless precautions
are taken. The flavor has developed into a smooth, slightly tart, slightly fruity
strong beer (only 8.5% but you feel it after just one.)
The beer is very good now.
5/30/2015 10:55pm Many of these have been overcarbonated lately, and I've been pouring them straight down the center of the glass. When I allow them to stay bubbly they taste too fizzy and slightly
metallic. This one, however, was far less bubbly, had large loose foam (rather than a tight, small bubble head typical of beer) and no head to speak of. It is also far better than the ones I've had recently. Lots of rich, dark fruit, slightly tart, slightly dry. It is really good. I'm not sure why these beers have been so
erratic. Sometimes it has been transcendent, sometimes it has been weird and bland.
2/20/2016 8:40pm Finished the last bottle tonight. It wasn't bad, but wasn't great. It really didn't have any
of the "spicy funk" promised by the yeast label. It was definitely dark and definitely had some cherry
flavors, but it was not really that interesting. It was definitely hot, even the last bottle that had aged over
a year. I made a mistake in amping up the alcohol. I am thinking about making a Saison de Noel again
this year, but I won't be making it this way.
