Saison no Saison

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Boonedog, Jun 24, 2013.

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  1. Boonedog

    Boonedog Initiate (0) Apr 10, 2013 Illinois

    So. What REALLY makes a beer a Saison and not a pale ale?
    Seems to me its the yeast and the yeast only.
    I just did a Saison kit from NB and the only real thing I noticed different in the ingredients
    was the T-58 yeast.
     
  2. joshrosborne

    joshrosborne Initiate (0) Jun 14, 2010 Michigan

    Yeast, for the most part. The main characteristics of the beers that should be different, obviously, are flavor, smell, and gravity-related aspects (lower FG for saisons, for instance). A saison should be more highly carbed, too.

    Edit: Forgot hops, duh. An American Pale Ale obviously would be relatively hop-forward.
     
  3. Tebuken

    Tebuken Initiate (0) Jun 6, 2009 Argentina

    Not only yeast is a factor,pale ales base malt is pale ale malt,in Saisons base malt is pilsner malt.Herbs and spices are added to get more complexity, as well as sugar to gain more dryness.

    Edit: Next time give it a try to Belle Saison dry yeast, it works better than T-58 ,IMHO

    Cheers!
     
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  4. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Do you mean American Pale Ale or Belgian Pale Ale?
     
  5. Boonedog

    Boonedog Initiate (0) Apr 10, 2013 Illinois

    I guess I was oversimplifying my question.
    Should have asked is the MAIN difference the yeast.
    Of course not the only difference.

    So, do you ferment different? I have mine sitting at about 67 degrees 2 days in.
    Have read I should raise the temp after a week or so.
     
  6. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    “I have mine sitting at about 67 degrees 2 days in. Have read I should raise the temp after a week or so.” It is often recommended that when you brew with a Saison yeast strain (e.g., Wyeast 3724) that you pitch in the 60’s and then over a few days let the fermentation temperature free rise into warmer temperatures. Some folks let a Saison with 3724 get up to the 90’s.

    You are fermenting with T-58. I am unsure what type of yeast strain that is; I am pretty sure that it is not a Saison yeast strain. Below is from the spec sheet for T-58 (from the Fermentis web site):

    Fermentation temperature: 12-25°C (53.6-77°F) ideally 15-20°C (59-68°F)

    If I were to ferment with T-58 (and I personally never had) I would not exceed the upper limit of 77°F.

    Cheers!
     
  7. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    I'm still not clear on what yeast you are using in the current batch. If it's 3724, I gradually raise my the temp over about a week or so until it's at about 80F, then hold there until finished. If it's T-58, I can't comment.
     
  8. Boonedog

    Boonedog Initiate (0) Apr 10, 2013 Illinois

  9. EdH

    EdH Crusader (449) Jul 27, 2005 Utah

    Yeast for sure. Seems like if you ferment any kind of wort with a Saison yeast, that makes it a Saison.
     
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