Homebrew Recipe: Saisonal Affective Disorder (All Grain)

I vividly remember the first saison I ever had. It was actually at Hacksaw’s bachelor party, and it was from a Sam Adams mix pack. It was nothing short of terrible. Easily one of the top five worst beers I've ever had. This experience turned me off to the style for quite some time. However, after partaking of a few that I really enjoyed, I decided to try my hand at making one. I wanted dry, crisp, and refreshing, with just a hint of that characteristic fruity funkiness.

Recipe

Grain Bill

5 lb Pilsner 

4 lb Vienna 

2 lb Wheat 

1 lb Table Sugar 

Hop Schedule

(60) 1 oz Styrian Goldings 

(20) 0.5 oz Styrian Goldings, 0.5 oz Saaz 

(1) 0.5 oz Styrian Goldings, 0.5 oz Saaz 

Yeast: White Labs WLP565 Belgian Saison 

Boil Volume: 6.5 Gallons 

Fermentor Volume: 5.25 Gallons 

Mash Temp:  151 deg F 

OG:  1.059 

FG:  1.008 

ABV:  6.7% 

Procedure: Heated strike water to proper temperature, mashed grain at 151 F for one hour. Collected 6.5 gallons of wort via batch sparge. Brought wort to boil, added hops, cooled using wort chiller and cold water bath, transferred to fermentor, pitched yeast.

Fermentation/Packaging: Fermented for about two weeks in primary. Kept this one upstairs at about 72-74 F because this yeast likes a higher temperature. Transferred to secondary for a couple of days (mostly for the sake of clarity), kegged and force carbonated.

Tasting Notes: Very light straw color with a full, white head. The aroma was predominantly comprised of fruity Belgian notes from the yeast. This beer is very light bodied and crisp, and finishes with a pleasant dryness. The signature saison funk is certainly detectable, but nicely understated, providing a well-balanced, refreshing drinking experience.

Improvements/Tweaks: At the risk of sounding cocky, I wouldn't change anything about this beer. The mad scientist in me would probably change something just to see its effect. Perhaps fermenting at a higher temperature to bring out more of the Belgian flavors from the yeast. Perhaps using more citrusy hops or even orange or lemon peel to add a new dimension to it. But at the end of the day, this recipe is a solid go-to for a delightful summer beer.