Favorite Base Grain for a Saison and Why?

From my not very detailed notes "ended up being a very good summer beer, light fruit, went well with the yeast, very crisp with a hint of malt driven sweetness"

recipe was
10# Golden Promise (mashed in at 150, but it dropped to 146 by the end)

Belma (11.3%)
.75oz FWH
1oz @ 10 min
2oz @ 0 min

WL565 fermented at 75

I have done a couple other saisons with Golden Promise, but they were more like APAs with saison yeast vs what most would consider a saison. Looking through my notes, I also did a saison with Crisp Marris Otter, but again that was hopped like an APA. My notes say to do it again, so I must have liked it

 

I use Golden Promise because I use it in everything. Gives it a bit more body and the impression of sweetness no matter how low it finishes. They do tend to need a touch more bitterness to get as crisp as most folks like, though.

 

I guess my thinking was body and sweetness are not typically characteristics I look for in a saison. This would be like arguing I make my saisons using 1056 because "I use it in everything". However, of any style, I realize saison is very open to interpretation, and I'd be interested in trying a saison made with GP. Maybe with the right hopping schedule as you suggested it might be damn tasty.

 

Not necessarily. The defining characteristics of a saison, to me at least, are a result of yeast. The little bit of body and perceived sweetness you're going to get from GP over pils, is kinda a personal preference thing. You still end up with a very dry beer, it just needs a touch more bittering, and it's like just above threshold level, to give it the crispness. Its like giving the yeast a bigger stage to act on, the other players are going to have to step up a bit as well.

 

This matches my experience with GP, it seems a little sweet, but it is very dry like a saison should be. The yeast is still driving the bus.

 

Having brewed something like 50 saisons by now, I've tried all sorts of combinations. My favorite is 80% Belgian pilsner, 20% wheat.

 

So glad I kept up with this thread. I've got 30+ pounds of Golden Promise and figured I'd have to finish that up before venturing into saisons. I think I'm going to try a GP saison after my next brew.
Cheers!

 

Lots of good comments about non-pils malts working well. The one thing not much discussed was adding sugar to dry out the beer. That can make a big difference, and can give a saison-ey dryness to pretty much any malt bill. Not directly related to OP's question but does expand the range of reasonable answers. Below about 5.5% ABV, my saisons are all grain, but there is table sugar in the mix for stronger stuff.

And 5-10% rye is a wonderful addition.