Added 100g rolled oats due to worries of the yeast fermenting it so much it becomes thin.
Will also add 8 slices of leftover bread, (toasted and torn) to the mash to keep true to Farmhouse spirit of using available ingredients.
Fermentation notes. First 3-4 days at 18c-20c until Primary fermentation appears done (Krausen has dissipated etc...). Then free rise in a warm chamber to 26 for 5 days, then push to 30c and leave there for 5 days.
Take a reading if need be transfer to a secondary fermentor and pitch a champagne yeast to clear up. Leave for another week.
Brew day went very smoothly. As planned and to recipe.
About 18L into the fermentor in the end. About 4 litres of cold tap water added to bring up the volume to target and take the wort below hop isomerisation temps more quickly. Boiler doesn't have any useful gauge to see how much is left after the boil.
No chill cooling method. Wort is in the fermentor and now waiting for it to cool. Will then take the OG.
OG 1.046
Rehydrated yeast at 30c and pitched yeast into wort at 22c . Couldn't get lower and have read good things about this yeast about pitching at this temp and higher on 'aussiehomebrewer.com'. Manjo Jack's website gives ferm temps as shows it as 26c Given that this is not your average yeast I will risk it and I don't have cooling ability to get lower, I will see how this goes.
Pushed up at 1-2c everyday since Day 7
Day 12 Gravity sample. Ferm chamber on 30c
Wort sample at 28.3c sample calculated for temperature 1.002. Almost bang on target. Test again on Day 14 to see if it has moved.
Sample tasted fantastic. Characteristic peppery phenolic with fruity esters. Nice mouthfeel too. It should be a beauty.
Day14 test. Wort at 30.5c. Gravity with temperature accounted for is 1.002. Give another 24 hours and bottle.
Just tried a bottle. Way too early after only a few days of carbonation time, but it tastes just like Leffe Blonde. There is a sweetness and the phenols are there. It is beautiful. Just no head...
5.78% and 97% attenuation.
Now one week on there is decent froth and it is beautiful. Very happy with this. I have a found my Saison, if not Belgian yeast. Absolutely love it.
Brew 2
300g Pilsner, 100g oats, 200 Flaked wheat, 100g Crystal, 50g Special B, 4 slices of torn toasted bread crusts, 100g Sugar (First wort) and 100g Honey (5mins) late additions in the boil. Challenger and Fuggles in for Saaz.
Mash water/ Strike water 20l. 8 litres sparge.
23litres into the fermentor. OG 1.047 adjusted for temp. Very happy with the numbers. Was concerned that the mash might be too thin.
Pitched yeast at 20c. Wort cooled further to 18c. Left there for 4 days. Day 5 Pushed to 20c then Day 6 to 22c. Day 7 pushed to 25c. Day 10 pushed to 28c (gravity reading 1.003 adjusted for wort temp) held at 28c until day 14. Can't see it going below 1.003 but will wait and see.
Day 14: FG 1.001...yep...bottled as cannot go much lower! Samples taste amazing. Have to wait now to see what happens after a week or two of conditioning. 120g sugar used for carbonation. Last year 190g was too much. Diluted in boiled water and cooled down with tap water and mixed into primary. Disturbed yeast bed and sadly quite a lot of sediment ended up in the bottles. Usually 20 mins and it all settles. Not this time. We shall see how it turns out. I imagine it will all drop reasonably bright anyway in time.
