Brewing a Saison

[Brew Cat]

Well ive made gallons of mead and never boiled the honey. No problem. Like I said I buy my honey from local farm stands to support my neighbors and the local flora thing. Most of the stores here sell natural raw honey as well. That said in places like job lot I've seen some stuff mixed with agave. That I wouldn't use. Also the flowers collected from make a difference in taste for sure. I did make a mead with Orange blossom honey and fresh squeezed orange that was nice. Obviously that honey wasn't collected i NE but it was natural honey. The thing with mead is it uses a lot of honey about 2lbs or more per gallon that's why I generally add plenty of fruit. Plain honey mead is gross to me. 1lb/5gal that rate I can't see it tastes much but I never tried it so I'll take your word

 

[Dave Y]

the opinions are as numerous as the brewers.

Isn’t that the truth! I had the same concerns when used my first raw honey years ago. I definitely get and understand the ‘additional variable’ argument to just dropping raw honey into a fermenter, but I’ve used this method since I connected with my local beekeeper and the worst result I’ve had to date was ‘I don’t taste much by way of honey’. Unless I’m doing a Braggot, I want at least some subtlety.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

to get flavor from honey you need, pure honey preferably from a local farm, otherwise its just flavored sugar

 

[Brew Cat]

I heard a podcast one time with John Rowley from Rowley Farmhouse Ales in NM where he talked about mashing with lemons. Sounded very much in the rustic spirit of a "farmhouse" style beer, so I gave it a shot and have been doing it ever since. I simply quarter 1/2lb. lemons (usually 2) and add them directly to the mash. As you say, the lemons also work with my well water as the mash pH adjustment, though I have never been quite comfortable with what the exact concentration of acid the lemons actually add. I'll also add the zest from 2 lemons at flameout. Does this give me a great lemon presence in the final beer? Not really, but it does seem to add a bright acidity that I wouldn't get otherwise. At least, that's what I tell myself.

I think Ill dry the lemon slices and whirlpool them.

 

[Brew Cat]

Well the more I'm thinking of this the more this recipe is looking like my Summer Ale. The wheat and lemon is what I use all though I generally use Chico. My version of Sam Summer. My chamber is busy now so can't get the temperature for a Saison. My basement has an ambient of 65 so maybe I'll pitch the T58 and this will be this years Summer Ale version. Sort of a Blue Moon with lemon instead of orange. The Saison will wait for the proper yeast.

 

[Sandy Feet]

I have to do a double take every time someone talks about a 65-degree room this time of year when it is supposed to be 90 today, and my AC is set around 80
I would have zero problems brewing one right now in the garage.

 

[Brew Cat]

I have to do a double take every time someone talks about a 65-degree room this time of year when it is supposed to be 90 today, and my AC is set around 80
I would have zero problems brewing one right now in the garage.

Beautiful time of year here in CT