Brewed: May 7, 2016
This beer was brewed to use the washed Wallonian farmhouse yeast I had saved from B&B #1, which initially I had intended to recycle into a Belgian pale ale. However, my current priority is to refine this recipe into the best low-ABV, traditionally-inspired saison I can brew. In this process I am trying out a few different avenues I could take, with this batch being rye.
I followed a similar mash schedule as on the first batch, 45 minutes at 145F and 45 minutes at 152F. Of course the aim here is a low FG and light body. I switched up the hops based on what I had available (which was less than I expected), but will return to a Willamette / Strisselspalt combination for the next batch.
Grist was as follows:
6 lbs Bohemian Pilsner malt
0.5 lbs Rye malt
0.5 lbs Munich malt
0.5 lbs Flaked rye
0.5 lbs Flaked oats
0.25 lbs Corn sugar
It was hopped with 1 oz Fuggles at 60 minutes and 1 oz Tettnanger at 20 minutes. The boil was 90 minutes. Overall a smooth brew day though my lack of experience on the new Grainfather system contributed to being under-volume and over-gravity – something I may repair with dilution at bottling. OG was 1.055. FG was 1.003.
Fermentation was extremely healthy despite my having pitched the washed yeast without a starter and after 6 weeks in the fridge. Activity began at around 6 hours and regular bubbling continued until day 4 or 5.
Tasting Notes
June 19/2016 – Still a bit yeasty in flavour but a nice citrusy brightness to it. Drinks well. Will look forward to over the next couple months.