Saumur – Champigny, Loire Valley, France

Domaine Nerleux Cabernet Franc

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

Complex fruitiness with subtle oak and balanced tannins.

Heat 4.5 gallons of mash water to about 166°F (to end mash at 152°F). Dough in the crushed grains to achieve a mash temperature of 150–154°F; stabilize at 152°F. Hold for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even temperature and full conversion.

Mash-in and rest

Raise mash temperature to 168–170°F for 10 minutes to rest and reduce viscosity (mash-out). This helps with lautering and yields a slightly drier finish appropriate for a saison with balanced body.

Mash out

Vorlauf until wort runs clear and then sparge with 3.5 gallons of 168°F water. Collect enough wort to yield about 6.5–7.0 gallons of pre-boil volume depending on system losses.

Bring collected wort to a vigorous boil. At the start of the 60-minute boil add 1.0 oz Saaz hops (first-wort or at start). Boil for 60 minutes total. With 15 minutes remaining add 0.5 oz Hallertau Blanc or Styrian Golding and the 1 tsp yeast nutrient. Turn off heat at end of boil.

After flameout, cool the wort to ~180°F and add 0.5 oz Nelson Sauvin for a 15–30 minute whirlpool/hop-stand to extract bright, fruity hop aroma while minimizing bitterness. Chill wort promptly to yeast pitching temperature.

Whirlpool / Hop stand

Cool the wort to 68–70°F (20–21°C) and transfer to a sanitized fermenter. Aerate the wort thoroughly (oxygenation) to support healthy saison fermentation. Pitch the farmhouse saison yeast (one pack or appropriate starter).

Ferment at 68–72°F (20–22°C) for the first 3–5 days to promote ester production and attenuation typical of saison. After active fermentation begins, allow the temperature to rise gradually toward 75–78°F (24–26°C) over the next 3–7 days to finish fermentation and generate the classic peppery, fruity saison character. Fermentation should be mostly complete in 7–10 days.

Once primary fermentation is substantially complete (specific gravity near expected terminal gravity, typically after 7–10 days), rack the beer to a secondary/small carboy or oak tank for oak aging. Add the sanitized medium-plus toasted American oak spirals or cubes (2.0 oz). If desired, add an additional 0.5 oz oak chips for a subtle lift — be conservative, you can always add more later.

Add the white grape concentrate (12 oz) and pear purée (8 oz) at the start of oak aging. These additions introduce complex fruitiness that will marry with oak tannins and the saison yeast esters. If using fresh juice or purée, ensure it has been pasteurized or sulfited and sanitized as appropriate to avoid contamination. Gently mix to incorporate.

Age on oak and fruit for 2–4 weeks at 60–68°F (15–20°C), tasting every 4–7 days. Look for a subtle oak character with integrated fruitiness and balanced tannin. If oak flavor is too weak, add an additional 0.5–1.0 oz sanitized oak for another week; if too strong, rack off the oak immediately to halt extraction.

After oak aging and once the desired oak/fruit balance is reached, cold crash the beer to about 40–50°F (4–10°C) for 24–48 hours to clarify. Add 0.5 oz Nelson Sauvin as a dry hop for 3–5 days in the cold to preserve delicate aromatics that complement the grape/pear notes.

Sanitize bottling equipment thoroughly. Dissolve 3.25 oz (approx. 92 g) corn sugar in a small amount of boiled water, cool, and add to the bottling bucket. Rack the beer gently on top of the priming solution to avoid aeration and mix gently to distribute priming sugar evenly.

Bottle and cap or keg and carbonate to approx. 2.5–2.8 volumes CO2 for a lively saison character. Condition at room temperature for 2 weeks for bottle carbonation, then cold condition for another week for flavor integration.

Before serving, chill gently, pour off a small sample to evaluate clarity and character. Serve slightly warmer than lagers (45–55°F / 7–13°C) in a tulip or goblet to enjoy the fruit-forward aroma, subtle oak, and balanced tannins.

Pilsner malt

Vienna malt

Wheat malt

Carapils / Dextrine malt

Light crystal (10–20L)

Oat flakes (rolled oats)

Mash water (adjusted to provide chloride/sulfate balance for soft, slightly rounded profile)

Sparge water

Saaz hops (first wort / 60 min)

Hallertau Blanc or Styrian Golding (flavor / 15 min)

Nelson Sauvin (aroma / whirlpool)

Dry hop - Nelson Sauvin

Farmhouse saison yeast (e.g., Wyeast 3724 or White Labs WLP565) or saison blend

Yeast nutrient

Medium-plus toasted American oak spirals or cubes (sanitized)

Oak chips (to taste for subtle oak) - optional

White grape concentrate (or fresh pressed white grape juice, sterilized)

Pear purée or pear concentrate (adds delicate stone-fruit / pear esters)

Corn sugar (dextrose) for priming

Sanitizer (no-rinse)

HI OAK AGED ZIN SAISON

Made in the style of traditional Belgian wheat beer. Brewed with a generous portion of wheat and spiced with coriander, chamomile and Curaçao bitter orange peel.

WS WIT BEER

Subtle lime and floral notes from the hops combine with light citrus flavors imparted by the coriander and deep minerally water profile to make this complex but crushable Gose.

W4 DRY – HOPPED GOSE

Belgian style wit has subtle shades of pink and red from the hibiscus and a bright citrus flavor from the orange peel and hop additions.

W3 HIBISCUS ORANGE IMPERIAL WIT

Brewed using a traditional Belgian yeast for esters of ripe fruit & dry hopped with a heavy hand to add nuances of citrus peel & stone fruit.

TI TRIPEL ALE

Freshly harvested spruce tips from upstate NY give this beer a beautiful delicate piney flavor and Chinnok hops back up the evergreen flavor profile.

SX SPRUCE TIP SAISON

Saison brewed with pilsner malt and flaked rice to lighten the body. New school german hop additions.

S8 RICE SAISON

Make HI OAK AGED ZIN SAISON Recipe in just 24h . Complex fruitiness with subtle oak and balanced tannins.

Hi Oak Aged Zin Saison Recipe

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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