Saison L 04. 2024 Recipe
Make Saison L 04. 2024 Recipe in just 6h . Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
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Brew (All-Grain, 20 L batch)
Hops & Bittering
Yeast & Fermentation
Finings & Priming
Adjuncts & Water Chemistry (optional)
Method
Brew (All-Grain, 20 L batch)
- 1
Mill and Heat Water
Mill the grains (if not using pre-milled grain). Heat approximately 20 L of strike water to 74°C to achieve a mash-in temperature of 66°C after adding the grain bill (target mash temperature 64–66°C).
- 2
Mash In
Add the crushed grains to the water and stir thoroughly to eliminate dry pockets. Target mash temperature: 64–66°C. Hold for 60 minutes. Check mash pH during the middle of the mash; aim for pH 5.2–5.4. If pH is high, add small amounts of lactic acid (up to the optional 2 ml) or rely on the acidulated malt included.
- 3
Mash Rest & Protein Breakdown
Optional 10–15 minute protein rest at 50–55°C is not usually necessary with modern malts, but you may perform a short rest if using large percentages of wheat and oats to improve lautering. Keep mash at main rest (64–66°C) for the remainder of the hour.
- 4
Mashout
Raise mash temperature to ~76°C (mashout) for 10 minutes to stop enzyme activity and improve wort fluidity for lautering.
- 5
Sparge
Recirculate (vorlauf) until runnings are clear, then sparge with ~6 L of water at 75–78°C to collect around 24–26 L of wort pre-boil (account for kettle/burner losses to end with ~20 L in fermenter).
Hops & Boil
- 6
Bring to a boil
Bring collected wort to a rolling boil. Watch for boil-overs when the wort first starts to boil.
- 7
Bittering Addition (60 min)
Add 12 g Perle hops at the start of the boil (60 minutes remaining) for bittering. Boil for 60 minutes total.
- 8
Late Hop/Flavor Addition (5–10 min)
With 10 minutes remaining in the boil, add 10 g Saaz hops. If using orange peel and coriander, add them in the final 5 minutes to preserve volatile aromatics.
- 9
End of Boil
Turn off the heat and prepare for chilling. Optionally add Irish moss or other kettle finings at 10–15 minutes left in the boil.
Chill, Transfer & Fermentation
- 10
Chill Wort
Chill the wort quickly to ~20–24°C using an immersion chiller, plate chiller, or ice bath. Rapid chilling helps clarity and reduces infection risk.
- 11
Transfer and Aerate
Transfer chilled wort to a sanitized fermenter. Top up to target volume if necessary to reach ~20 L. Aerate the wort vigorously (shake, splash, or use an aquarium pump) to provide oxygen for healthy yeast growth. Add yeast nutrient if using.
- 12
Pitch Yeast
Pitch the saison yeast at the manufacturer-recommended cell count or rehydrated dry yeast per package instructions. Target fermenter temperature: 20–24°C initial; many saisons appreciate a warmer fermentation profile, ramping up to 25–28°C after active fermentation begins to encourage esters and phenolics. Expect vigorous fermentation with possible temperature rise of a few degrees.
- 13
Primary Fermentation
Ferment for 7–10 days at your chosen range (20–24°C ramping warmer). Monitor gravity; saison yeast often attenuates very high and can finish low (1.002–1.006).
- 14
Secondary or Warm Conditioning (optional)
Optionally allow a week of free rise to 25–28°C to finish attenuation and dry out the beer further, then condition at 18–20°C for a few days to settle yeast and allow flavors to integrate.
Packaging & Conditioning
- 15
Prepare for Bottling
When fermentation is complete and gravity is stable over 3 days, sanitize bottles and equipment. Dissolve 120 g corn sugar in 250 ml boiling water, cool, and add to bottling bucket to prime the batch (for ~2.4–2.6 volumes CO2; adjust amount for desired carbonation and final temperature).
- 16
Bottle or Keg
Transfer beer to the bottling bucket, mix gently with the priming solution to avoid oxygenation, then fill and cap bottles. Alternatively, transfer to a keg and force carbonate to desired level.
- 17
Conditioning
Condition bottles at room temperature (20–24°C) for 2 weeks for carbonation, then cellar at cooler temperature for additional maturation. Saisons often benefit from several weeks to months of aging for peak integration, but they are enjoyable young as well.
Optional Additions & Water Adjustments
- 18
Adjuncts
If using orange peel and coriander, add them in the final 5 minutes of the boil as noted. For subtle character, keep additions small; you can also dry-hop very lightly post-fermentation for novel aromatics, but keep quantities conservative.
- 19
Water Chemistry
If adjusting water, add gypsum or other brewing salts to the strike water before mash to reach a slightly sulfate-forward profile (enhances dryness and hop perception). Use acidulated malt or lactic acid to bring mash pH into the 5.2–5.4 range.