Saison. Grain bill inspired by that in Brewing Classic Styles, but with a pound of oats and OG of 1.055. Trying out the Cellar Science dry Saison yeast.
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10 lbs. pale malt
3.75 lbs flaked rice
0.5 lbs munich
1oz simcoe 60’
o.5oz galaxy 60’
1oz idaho 7 whirlpool 15’
0.5oz armarillo GR VGXP01 whirlpool 15’
3 packs 34-70 dry yeast
0.5oz armarillo GR VGXP01 dry hop at 35f 3 days
0.5oz Gakaxy dry hop at 35f 3 days
0.25oz simcoe dry hop at 35f 3 days
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Made a Belgian Golden Strong yesterday. Using Wyeast 3522 for this one.
17lbs Rahr North Star Pils
11 oz Aromatic Malt.
Mash @148
Mash P.H 5.27.
Fermenting @66
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No sugar?
I kegged my California Common this afternoon. It was a 2.5 gallon batch, and I think is going to be pretty nice. I also added dry hops to my “Halfcolt Pale Ale” and will cold crash and keg later this week.
Yes 1lb of table sugar also.
Later today I’m brewing a recipe I call “Nectaron Saison,” modified from the “Upright Saison Elani” recipe in the summer 2025 issue of Craft Beer and Brewing.
Nectaron Saison (3 gallon batch, full volume mash, 74% mash efficiency)
- 4 lb. 2 oz. 2-row malt (Rahr)
- 0.75 lb. white wheat malt (Briess)
- 0.25 lb. carapils (Briess)
- 0.5 oz. Hallertauer Mittelfrueh hop pellets (2.5% alpha), 75 minute boil
- 1 oz. Nectaron hop pellets (10.1% alpha), 10 minute whirlpool
- 1 pkg. Belle Saison yeast (Lallemand)
I’m doing a 60 minute mash at 147 degrees, 75 minute boil, and building up my water to hit a profile of 64 ppm Ca, 11 ppm Mg, 105 ppm SO4, 67 ppm Cl.
The recipe should hit around 1.044 s.g., 21 IBU, 3 SRM, and 4.8% abv.
My LHBS didn’t have the recommended yeasts in stock (B56 Rustic or Wyeast 3726), but they did have a few lingering packets of Belle Saison (now discontinued in homebrew sizes), so I snapped those up. I also struck out on the recommended Elani hops, but was suggested to try Nectaron instead. I’ve never used that hop before either, but the description seems to hit some of the similar tropical fruit / citrus notes, especially in the pineapple.
This is an experimental batch relative to my usual brews, but it’s been fun to think through the recipe. One of my “Brew Year’s Resolutions” was to do more 3 gallon batches, and an off-the-wall (for me) recipe like this is a good match for that philosophy.
Update: had a successful brew day, hit 1.045 s.g., pitched the yeast, and off it goes! I’m using an open fermentation at ambient temperature (~75 degrees).
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Marzen coming “soon”. Brew day is Friday
Today I brewed a hoppy Pils with El Dorado hops. El Dorado is a great hop all by itself.
97% Pils (Briess Synergy Select)
3% Bonlander Munich
El Dorado @ 60, 15, 1
SNS w/ Novalager slurry
1052 OG, 34 IBU
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I collected RO for tomorrow’s ‘NZ Pils’ brewday. Something for the upcoming Summer. Galaxy front w/three backup singers.
1.051
36 IBU
Pale, Malty, Soft Water
46% Brewer’s Malt
46% GoldPils
8% Wheat Malt
15/5/WP (IBU):
Nectaron 2.8/1.7/3.1
Motueka 1.8/2.1/3
Pacifica 1.8/2/2.8
Galaxy 5.8/4.7/5
I haven’t decided between S-189 or W34/70
Either way, I’ll use Tasty’s Lager fermentation schedule.
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Brewing a 100% El Dorado session pale ale today
Single infusion mash
OG 1.039
56% Crisp Maris Otter 19
33% Simpsons Golden Promise
6% Oatmeal
6% Biscuit Malt
0.6 oz El Dorado. FWH
2 oz dry hop in keg
WYeast 1968
Edit. Enjoying my Citra Session Pale Ale while I brew this one
Here’s to ghetto brewing
6 Likes
Bohemian-style pilsner today!
94% pilsner malt, 3% Caraforam, 3% melanoidin, bittered with Saaz at 60, 10, and 5, and Diamond lager yeast to hit 1.049 s.g., 1.014 f.g., 4.7% abv, 37 IBU, 5 SRM
Slight modification of a recipe I did two years ago…last one was close, so I made a few minor adjustments–mainly slightly increasing melanoidin.
Update: Just finished and am getting ready to transfer into the fermenter. I hit the numbers precisely - yes!
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Brewed a cream ale for the first time in sixteen years. Target was 1.049, landed at 1.050 - I can dig it. Pils, two-row, flaked corn, flaked rice, US-05. The grain bill was low enough that I did not actually need the stepladder to lift the malt pipe off the winch hook.
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It’s not the weekend, but a holiday, so today I’m brewing a Munich Helles that’s based on a recipe in BYO. I’ve done Gordon Strong-influenced recipes in the past (with Munich malt as a chunk of the base), but opted for a more stripped-down version this time around.
- 9 lb. pilsner malt
- 5 oz. Carahell
- 3 oz. Carafoam
- 0.65 oz. Perle hop pellets (6.3% alpha), 60 minute boil
- 1 oz. Hallertauer Mittelfrueh hop pellets (2.5% alpha), 5 minute boil
- Munich Lager yeast (WLP860) - dry yeast version
Targeting 1.045 s.g., 1.008 f.g., 17 IBU, 4 SRM, 4.9% abv. Building water from scratch to hit 55 ppm Ca, 61 ppm SO4, and 53 ppm Cl.
I’ll be doing a full volume step mash, with 45 minute rests at 144 and 160, and a 10 minute mash-out at 168.
When I visited White Labs in San Diego a few months back, I snagged some packets of their WLP860 dry yeast. I’ve been hanging onto them until the perfect batch; I’m very much looking forward to trying this dry strain!
Let us know how it turns out. For what it is worth, my Helles standard recipe is similar to yours - except I bump up the Carahell to half a pound and don’t use the Carafoam, instead I use a quarter pound of acidulated malt. It becomes a very yeast-driven malty lager. My current batch has a Novalager re-pitch with an ALDC addition. Finished in 6 days at terminal gravity (1.008) from 1.043. Lettting it lager out a couple weeks before racking to finishing keg.
Cheers!
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Brewed an American Pale Ale today. 1.054 Columbus, Simcoe, Amarillo, and Citra for around 35 IBU.
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Brewing another session pale ale tomorrow
Racking on top of my 1968 yeast cake
94% Maris Otter #19
6% Biscuit malt
Hop to approx 26 IBUs
Dry hop in keg with
I oz each of Mosaic, Amarillo, and Citra
Enjoying a beer while this one boils
Expected OG 1.039
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Brewed a Cream Ale this weekend. A good hot weather brew!
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