Simple Saison

The Citra will make it go boom. If that's what you want then go for it. Personally I'd cut the Citra down to maybe 0.3 oz for 3.5 gallons to keep things more in balance.

 

I'd just go ahead and brew it. Nothing seems too off. If you don't like it, do something different next time.

 

Well, you said simple. I'd do pils and saaz and call it a day...

 

I'd leave the citra... right where it is. I made a citra saison smash (GP+3711, but who's counting?) and it came out real tasty. If you get too many naysayers about the citra, double it. You'll thank me later.

 

A bit of discussion about the Citra hops. I am a BIG fan of Citra but it is an extremely potent aroma/flavor hop. If you are looking for a big Citra flavor, brew as listed. If you are looking for a Saison where the yeast produced flavors will be noticed more, lessen the amount of the Citra.

Cheers!

 

The combination of rye, big American hop flavors, and saison yeast, is simple in terms of number of ingredients, but those ingredients all have their own distinct profiles. Give it a try, but you may find that they clash more than they complement. Hope you will post after brewing and tell me that I'm full of crap.

 

Peter, FWIW I agree with your statement here.

Cheers!

Jack

 

I'm not sure the rye matters as much as the yeast and hops here. I've never used that yeast, but it may be difficult/impossible to find under those hops. With that said, I like hoppy saisons so I think this has the potential to work, just won't win any contests

 

I would nix citra if you want the yeast to dominate. Throw in an ounce of styrian goldings of saaz instead.

 

In reexamining what I wrote, perhaps "clash" is to strong. I think it will difficult to brew a beer where these flavors complement each other. However, New Glarus' Hopster Wheat (formerly Crack'd Wheat), which includes citrus hops and weizen yeast, has won me over, so I think this is worth trying.

 

It really comes down to what your expectations are with this beer.

If you want the yeast produced flavors to shine, then Sam (@bulletrain76 ) has an excellent suggestion about using a European hop (e.g., Styrian Goldings, Saaz, ...) as a finishing hop.

If you are looking for a 'hybrid' where you want some yeast produced flavors and some tropical fruit flavors then using a bit of Citra for the flavor addition is a proper choice.

I personally have little feel for what 1.5 lbs. of Rye Malt will do in this beer so I have difficulty commenting specifically on that matter. Since the majority of your grain bill is Pilsner malt I would guess to malt profile would be OK.

Cheers!

Edit: I should point out that Citra hops have flavors of tropical fruit for my personal palate. Other people use other flavor descriptors for Citra.

 

Something that hadn't been mentioned is that 670 is a Brett saison yeast. The Brett tends to dominate over the saison yeast. To me, that says hell yes on the Citra and through a little in on dry hop too. I'm a fan of Wicked Weed saisons made in this fashion and have brewed a couple like this with 670 myself. I like the interplay of the Brett tropical fruit with the citrusy hops. I have been drinking on an all Mosaic 670 Saison I bottled a couple of weeks ago, that very well may be the best Brett saison I've ever had! This is very quickly becoming my favorite saison yeast!

 

The only thing I might change is exchanging the rye for Vienna for a more traditional saison grain bill.