Med Bag of Chips

Ham, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, and arugula.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard in a whole wheat wrap.

Fit Turkey Wrap

Fermented in red wine barrels. Complex fruitiness with subtle oak and balanced tannins.

Heat 4.5 gallons of brewing water to 165°F (74°C). Dough in the crushed grains to reach a mash temperature of 148–150°F (64–66°C). Hold the mash for 60 minutes to achieve a moderate fermentable profile consistent with a saison that will finish dry but retain some body.

Heat and Mash

Raise the mash temperature to 168°F (76°C) for 10 minutes to stop enzymatic activity, then vorlauf until the runoff is clear.

Mash Out

Sparge with water heated to 170°F (77°C) until you collect approximately 6.5–7 gallons of wort in the kettle. Bring the wort to a boil.

Once boiling, add 0.5 oz Saaz hops at 60 minutes remaining (bittering). With 15 minutes left, add 0.5 oz East Kent Goldings hops for aroma. If desired, add the 1 tsp white wine nutrient with 10 minutes left to support healthy fermentation in a wine-barrel-influenced environment. Total boil time: 60 minutes.

Boil Additions

Cool the wort quickly to 68–72°F (20–22°C) using an immersion chiller or equivalent. Transfer the cooled wort to your sanitized fermenter and aerate thoroughly — seasonals and many saisons appreciate good oxygen early.

Pitch the saison yeast (1 pack or appropriate slurry). Ferment initially at 68–72°F (20–22°C) to establish active fermentation for about 3–5 days, then allow the beer to free-rise up to 78–82°F (25–28°C) for several days to encourage estery/fruity saison character.

If using a used red wine barrel: sanitize and, if necessary, fill with hot water to check for leaks. If using oak chips: sanitize chips with a quick soak in boiling water or a sulfite solution. If you want a more controlled oak contribution, use 2–4 oz medium toast red wine oak chips in a sanitized addition bag.

Prepare Barrel or Oak

After primary fermentation has subsided (specific gravity stable for 3 days, typically 7–14 days), rack the beer gently into the prepared red wine barrel or into a secondary carboy with oak chips. If using a barrel, consider sulfiting lightly (Campden tablet equivalent) if the barrel wasn't recently used for wine to control unwanted microbes; follow sanitizer and cellar hygiene best practices.

Age in the barrel or on oak for 4–12 weeks depending on desired oak intensity. Taste weekly: the goal is to pick up subtle oak, tannin structure and red-wine-like aroma without overpowering saison character. If using oak chips, start tasting at 2 weeks.

Maintain fermentation-safe temperatures during aging (around 55–65°F / 13–18°C) to allow slow maturation and integration of wine barrel characteristics.

When barrel aging reaches the desired balance of fruitiness and oak, gently rack the beer off lees into a sanitized bottling bucket or keg. If you used a barrel previously containing wine and want to preserve some microflora complexity, avoid aggressive filtration.

If bottling, add 4 oz (by weight) cane sugar dissolved in a small amount of boiling water (cooled) to the bottling bucket to achieve moderate carbonation appropriate for a saison (approx. 2.4–2.8 vols CO2). Bottle and cap, then condition at room temperature for 2–3 weeks. If kegging, carbonate to similar volumes (2.4–2.8 vols) under CO2.

Priming / Carbonation

Chill and serve slightly warm for saison (45–55°F / 7–13°C) to showcase complex aroma. Pour gently to leave most sediment behind.

Pale Malt (2-row)

Vienna Malt

Wheat Malt

Caramel/Crystal Malt 10L

Acidulated Malt

Saaz Hops (4% AA) - bittering

East Kent Goldings Hops - aroma

Saison yeast (dry or liquid)

Red wine barrel (used) or red wine barrel chips (oak)

White wine nutrient / DAP

Table sugar (cane) - priming or backsweetening

Campden tablet (optional, if not using sterile barrel)

Brewing water (adjusted to moderate sulfate/chloride balance)

HI OAK AGED ZIN SAISON

Make HI OAK AGED ZIN SAISON Recipe in just 5h 36m. Fermented in red wine barrels. Complex fruitiness with subtle oak and balanced tannins.

HI OAK AGED ZIN SAISON

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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