Imperial Rustic

Ingredients
1

I just kegged a batch of saison fermented with Imperial Rustic.  It has a pretty interesting flavor - tart and dry with a bit of citrus and maybe some bubblegum?

It fermented from 1.054 to 1.004, which is around 92% AA.  I’m looking forward to seeing how it tastes when it’s cold and carbonated.

I pitched and held at 68 for two days, then let it rise to 74 over the next 4 or 5 days.  I think it was done some time ago, but I didn’t get around to kegging it until today, which is 2 weeks from pitching.

The double cell count is nice; no starter for this batch.

2

I still have some bottle conditioned Rustic saison left, and I used basically the same temp profile and ended up @ 1.004 as well. It’s a really nice beer.

3

I get a lot of bubblegum in the aroma, but not much in the flavor until third or fourth generation. I don’t think I ever got it that low, but I don’t add much simple sugars.

4

Jon,

Do you remember what temp(s) you mashed yours at?

5

Though I’ve been step mashing a lot, this one was a straight 149F for 90 mins, Rob.

6

I’ve done the same, 149 for 90 minutes and went from 1.054 to 1.004/5 if I recall.

7

Never got bubblegum with Blaugies but it has a particular aroma and taste.  Pretty hard to pin it down but I have seen cassia as a descriptor.  Kinda like cinnamon but I could see one pick it up as bubblegum-ish.  House saison uses 10% white sugar instead of 90m mash (30m) and I hit single digits.  I used a similar ferment schedule but plan to take it into the 80s with some heat on next one.  Also plan to try hochkurz too.

8

To me, it’s  pretty earthy and spicy mostly, with a little fruitiness in aroma, but not so much in flavor.

9

YES! I’m not alone. I’ve been using this yeast a bit, and I swear there are cinnamon and cedar notes to it. I absolutely love this yeast.

10

I used a hockkurz mash on this one (150° for 40 minutes and 163° for 30 minutes).

11

I have a straight-up saison fermented with 3726 (Wyeast equivalent to Rustic; Blaugies) with 9% turbinado invert.  It started at 1.046 and is currently at 1.005, but I’m expecting about 003-004 as the true FG.  Pitch at 72F, natural ramp to ~82F over 24hrs, assisted ramp to 90F over 12hrs (36hrs post-pitch), left there for 4 days, primed and kegged.  I have yet to pick up on cassia, but definitely get the bubblegum/juicy_fruit character plus some lower-level underlying earthy/woody quality.  Hochkurz 146/160/170 for 45/20/15min.

12

Thanks Jon. Good to know as I was concerned about going too low with a mash rest for fear of a higher gelatinization temp (currently working with Barke Pilsner and Pale malts). I have about 8% sugar going into the boil and will prob just do a 60-75 min mash.

13

Mine is at 06 now, and I get earthiness and spice too. My split w 565 is at the same gravity. Pitched at 65 and let it go in the laundry room. Only got up to about 70. When it slowed I put it outside and let it go to 85. I was surprised how different the 2 yeasts are. I went 147/161/171. Really like the Rustic, thanks for the recommendation Jon.

14

Kegging my Rustic today. Both the 565 and Rustic are finished at 04. Rustic is earth, spice and fruity. It is more complex with a smoothness I don’t get in the 565. My 75 year old Mother tried their final gravity samples. In her words, “I’m digging that Rustic, when that one is finished bring me a growler.” [emoji1] 565 seems to have more hop bitterness, where the Rustic is a touch more sweet.

15

That’s funny. Definitely better bring her a growler. :smiley:

16

I finally got around to tapping this keg.  I’m not really picking up bubblegum anymore.  The finish is very nice: dry and tart with some citrus (grapefruit and lemon?).

For having the same final gravity, it tastes a lot dryer to me than would a similar beer fermented with 3711.

I’m only on my first pint, but I think I prefer the flavor of 3711 or 3724.  This seems a bit more mild, but maybe I should try fermenting it warmer or using it in a blend.

17

Does anyone else find that this yeast drops out really quickly?


IMG_1565.jpg

18

3726 drops pretty bright for me, but is somewhat dependent on grain choice usage too.

19

Yeah,  I think it drops pretty easily compared to most saison strains.

20

I was brewing with a chest crud and somehow let my starters of WY3724 (started the night before) get up to one at 97F, the other at 101F, by leaving the temp controller probe outside of the fridge for an hour or two before pitching.  doh!

Anyway, pitch temp in each of 2 buckets including starter + one additional activator packet (59% viability) into 1.055 SG wort, was at 92F.  I held it via 2-stage temp controller and thermowell to 91F for a day and then dropped it to 90F, and as expected both fermenters stalled at 1.032, as recorded on day 5 of the ferment.

FWIW, it was Mosher’s Saison Buffoon recipe, mashed at 149F for 90 minutes, and 10% piloncillo sugar added at the beginning of the boil.

One day later I totally lucked out and from my LHBS got two cans of 4-days-since-canned Rustic Saison and pitched them pretty cold (1 per 5.5 gal bucket), per their pitching directions, and since then have maintained the 90F ferment beer temp.

3 days later beer was at 1.016, and 2 days after that, which is today, the beer is at 1.007, and I gently stirred both fermenters for good luck and to hurry it along at the high temp on day 11 of the ferment.

The co-ferment is nice although the Rustic dominates.  The hydro sample today is still quite clean flavor, and the main impression now is that juicy fruity flavor, plus some background flavor from limited additions of orange peel, coriander and grains of paradise added last 5 minutes of the boil.  Based on reading this thread I expect the beer will finish at around 1.004 in 2 or 3 more days, and probably no more than 4 days from now I’m expecting to cold crash a day or 2 and then keg and carbonate in the kegerator, and let it condition for at least 3 weeks.  Do you think that after it’s carbed in the kegerator that it would be better to condition in the wine cellar at 57F, or in the kegerator at 34F?  Or would that matter?  I expect that flavors would complex and come together more quickly at the higher temp when conditioning.

I’m used to getting some bubblegum from the 3724, but don’t get that any more after the co-ferment yeast addition.

I wish I had not gotten distracted with the temp controller probe on brew day, but I sure hope that at this temp it will still yield a clean enough flavored beer.  So far I’m satisfied that I’ll enjoy the final beer.