Hill Farmsteadish saison

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by antlerwrestler19, Jan 26, 2013.

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  1. antlerwrestler19

    antlerwrestler19 Initiate (0) Nov 24, 2010 Nebraska

    Just made a yeast starter (WLP-565) for a 10 gallon batch of saison. I'm just wondering if anyone could shed some light on any of HF's saisons and how they are put together. What do you think the grain bills are like? How warm do you think they ferment? All late hops? Dry hop? What type of citrus additions are there - juice? Zest? Both? And when? I'm thinking of using Nelson Sauvin - I've got 6oz. Could also use Amarillo, Citra, or centennial for those nice citrusy/fruity hop notes. I want this thing to be a citrus/fruit bomb and once it's Ll done fermenting I plan to rack 5 gallons into a carboy to age on some fruit then put it into a Beaujolais barrel that is currently soaking with Grand Marnier. A lot to take in and process but any help is appreciated. I apologize for the poor format, I'm on my cell phone and I'm being lazy.

    Thanks!

    Kyle
     
    #1 antlerwrestler19, Jan 26, 2013
  2. antlerwrestler19

    antlerwrestler19 Initiate (0) Nov 24, 2010 Nebraska

    Wasn't planning on fiddlin' around with the water - but does anyone have an idea?
     
    #2 antlerwrestler19, Jan 26, 2013
  3. skivtjerry

    skivtjerry Pooh-Bah (1,865) Mar 10, 2006 Vermont
    Pooh-Bah

    You should email Shaun Hill. I do know that HF water is pretty soft so he might add some minerals for a saison. My guess would be a base of pils, often with some wheat or rye, and a little sugar for stronger versions. But the most important thing is probably his yeast. You need to get a bottle of Arthur or Ann and make a starter from the dregs. There is some brett in there so be thorough with sanitation.

    edit: There is a little info on the HF website too.
     
    #3 skivtjerry, Jan 26, 2013
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  4. DNuggs

    DNuggs Initiate (0) Apr 13, 2006 Massachusetts

    Just did something similar...grain bill was pils, a touch of Munich and Vienna and some flaked wheat. Bittered with tettnang and finished with citra and willamette. 7 gallon batch split into 2 fermentors....both got 565 but one got built up dregs from a bottle of HF Arthur as well as 4oz of malto dextrin to give the Brett and bugs something to munch on. Mashed at 148 for 90 minutes. Almost done with week 2 of fermentation and already seeing some "bubbles" on the surface of the Arthured version.

    Added some gypsum as well to accentuate the hops...I've got pretty soft water
     
    #4 DNuggs, Jan 27, 2013
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  5. antlerwrestler19

    antlerwrestler19 Initiate (0) Nov 24, 2010 Nebraska

    I sent an email, hopefully they reply! I've heard they're pretty good about responding so I hope I get at least a little something. I've got pretty soft water here as well so I'll probably adjust to a comfortable level. I do have bottles of Arthur and Anna being sent to me on Monday but thats not soon enough to build up dregs to ferment this particular saison - maybe the next time around - which might now be the batch after this! I've never built up dregs...how do you go about it? I've got a stir plate which the 565 is currently on, but I have no idea how to harvest the yeast from the bottom of the bottle while being sanitary at the same time. Is it really as simple as it sounds? Treat it like a normal vial of yeast? Leave the last minuscule amount of beer in the bottle to swirl the yeast into suspension then pour it into a starter? I appreciate any info.

    Cheers,

    Kyle
     
    #5 antlerwrestler19, Jan 27, 2013
  6. skivtjerry

    skivtjerry Pooh-Bah (1,865) Mar 10, 2006 Vermont
    Pooh-Bah

    Pretty much the same as using a smack pack except you have to do it in stages, sort of making a starter for your starter. The yeast is pretty tired after bottle conditioning, especially in stronger beers (over ~6%). What I do is gently dunk the entire bottle in sanitizer, open it and pour off that liquid that sits on the yeast (I'm sure you'll find a use for that stuff), leaving as much dregs as possible in the bottle. Pour 1-2oz of starter wort into the bottle and put on an airlock. As soon as you see activity, add another 4oz or so, then another 6-8oz in a day or two. After that you can pour it into a normal 1-2 liter starter and carry on.

    I do this a lot more often than I buy smack packs. The beer is often cheaper than a smack pack or vial and you get to drink some good beer (that you might have bought anyway). Plus I live a long way from the homebrew shop. The process is easy, just requires a little more time than a conventional starter. You just have to verify that the bottle conditioning yeast is the same one used for fermentation (e.g. most hefeweizens condition with lager yeast). Occasionally, your attempt to revive the yeast will fail, but really not that often.

    edit: If you want to practice, the yeast in Ommegang Hennepin and SN Pale Ale are usually pretty vigorous and can step up fast.
     
    #6 skivtjerry, Jan 27, 2013
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