Northern Brewer/Lemondrop Saison @Mase posted this it's my fourth brew using the BIAB method 10 liters/2.6 gallons... I usually give half of my beer away to the Air Force service members I work with; they love free beer after all it's the best kind... I've had good results bottling so I usually put up a dozen 12oz bottles (5 liters) to share and transfer the rest to keg. My post boil SG on this was 1.060 (refractometer) and 1.063 (hydrometer) this morning eight days in I pulled a hydrometer sample and it reads 1.002... I put a small sample in the fridge to cool down for a tasting. The lemon nose is there as well as on the tongue, there is so much flavor up front when you take a sip but very dry after you swallow, I may not be sharing any of this batch... Pitched yeast @ 68° then chilled it down to 65° and held for four days then raised it up to 68° 1 degree each day over the next three days and held it there. The Wyeast (French Saison 3711) was very fresh when purchased (2 weeks old) Efficiency: 81% Attenuation: 97% Alcohol By Volume: 8.01% (ABV Calc) Original Recipe URL My Recipe 10 liters/2.6 gallons
I used @CRUNK mash schedule that was posted as an experiment when I brewed this... that may have contributed the high brew house efficiency of 81%
I got no problem with that recipe...I do one that's very similar, though I throw in some Sorachi Ace in the late boil. It doubles down on the lemon and provides an herbal/dill gravitas that balances the almost candy-like lemon nose and flavor of the Lemon Drop and makes for a nice backdrop for the pepper and spice of the Saison yeast. Good work!
Here are my next steps planned for this beer... 1) After two weeks in the primary I'll rack to a secondary 3 gal carboy that's been purged with CO2 and cap it 2) Put it back in the mini fridge @ 69° for another two weeks 3) Keg 5 liters of it with 8-10 #'s of pressure on top and let it sit @ room temp for one more week before chilling it down to drinking temp 4) Cap and bottle a dozen 12 oz bottles If I see @J A up in Austin I'll give him a couple for review
Lemondrop Sasion Update: I brewed this on May 26th almost two months ago using the mash schedule that @CRUNK had posted and after fermentation I conditioned it for two weeks or better in the big fridge located in the garage then bottled the entire 10 liter batch. It's been in the bottle four weeks now so I handed some of it out yesterday to several officers (05's - 06's) I work with at the AF base to take home. I put one in the fridge last night to chill and after mowing the lawn I was thirsty so I poured this into a nice tulip shaped glass... I must say the carbonation and head retention on this batch is outstanding and the brew exceeded my expectations... and at 8% ABV it's a keeper.
