Hoppy Saison w/Brett

Beer Recipes
1

I’ve been really liking a real dank hoppiness to my beers as of late. I’ve been kicking around the idea of a funky saison with a lot of dank hop character to it to go for a dank/funky/spicy combo. I’m kind of shooting for a bale of grass, sprinkled with pepper and coffee grounds, rolled up in a sweaty horse blanket and stored in a damp basement for a few months. And yes, this is appealing to me  ;D

Process-wise, I’m thinking of doing an initial ferment with 3711 then racking to a secondary with Brett L for several months. I plan on doing a massive dry-hop just prior to bottling. I do want to get a significant amount of Brett funk, so I was toying with the idea of adding some lactose at the end of the boil to leave some food for the Brett after the saison yeast has done its part.

This is my first time trying something like this, so any feedback or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

[quote]Title: FunkinDank

Brew Method: Partial Mash
Style Name: Saison
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 3 gallons
Boil Size: 3.5 gallons
Efficiency: 70%

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.065
Final Gravity: 1.013
IBU (tinseth): 33.76
SRM (morey): 15.23

FERMENTABLES:
3 lb - Dry Malt Extract - Extra Light (52.6%)
1.5 lb - Rye (26.3%)
0.2 lb - Dark Chocolate Malt(3.5%)
0.5 lb - Vienna (8.8%)
0.5 lb - Victory (8.8%)

HOPS:
0.1 oz - Columbus (AA 13.6) for 60 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil
0.2 oz - Columbus (AA 13.6) for 10 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil
0.2 oz - Apollo (AA 20) for 10 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil
0.2 oz - Nugget (AA 14) for 10 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil
0.2 oz - Simcoe (AA 12.2) for 10 min, Type: Leaf/Whole, Use: Boil
0.8 oz - Columbus (AA 13.6) for 7 days, Type: Pellet, Use: Dry Hop
0.8 oz - Apollo (AA 20) for 7 days, Type: Pellet, Use: Dry Hop
0.8 oz - Simcoe (AA 12.2) for 7 days, Type: Leaf/Whole, Use: Dry Hop
0.8 oz - Nugget (AA 14) for 7 days, Type: Pellet, Use: Dry Hop

MASH STEPS:

  1. Infusion, Temp: 157 F, Time: 60 min

YEAST:
Wyeast - French Saison 3711
Starter: No
Form: Liquid
Attenuation (avg): 80%
Flocculation: Low
Optimum Temperature: 65 F - 77 F
Additional Yeast: Brett L
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2

Personally, I love Brett and hops combined.  I generally pair a pale belgian-inspired beer with Brett. Brux and citrus type hops (Citra, Amarillo, Centennial, etc.) to complement the fruity Brett. characteristics.  Can’t say I haven’t ever thought about doing a dark Belgian and dank hops together before.  Could be interesting?  Could be a train wreck?  It’s homebrewing, I say go for it and let us know how it turns out. :smiley:

Not sure I would add the lacose.  Did you mean maltose?  I would lean towards adding malto dextrin.  You could also add some oats, wheat, spelt, in addition to your rye in your partial mash if you are looking for some dextrins and food for the Brett.  Some of the tannins from your hops will also help boost up your body from the 3711 and Brett taking the gravity way down.

Are you using chocolate malt or chocolate?  If you are using the malt, I would think carafa would be a better choice, IMHO.

3

I actually wanted a bit of malt bitterness, so I was leaning towards chocolate malt or roasted barley. If that’s going to be too abrasive with a dry, hoppy beer, maybe I’ll go with something like Blackprinz or Midnight Wheat instead.

4

I made a Sierra Nevada Bigfoot clone and split the 10 gallon batch. Half with WLP001, and the other half with WLP545 and that “belgian barleywine” got oaked. Its only about 4 months old and its going to be fantastic. Dank American C hops work great with Belgian yeasts. Looking back  I wish I would’ve added some Brett in with the oak too.

5

I have used choc/black malt to color a Flanders, and I’m surprised at how so little roasted malt can still give off astringency in the finished product. When you get THAT dry, the astringency lingers longer than the prickliness of the acid.

I’d go with a debittered black if you’re just looking for color.

6

I’ll second this as reflecting my experience/preference.