Petit Saison

Petit Saison

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.036 FG = 1.002
IBU = 30 SRM = 3 ABV = 4.5%

The inspiration for this beer was a play on De Baets’ remarks that traditional saisons were low gravity and heavily hopped. When it was still brewed with the Rodenbach strain, De Ranke’s XX Bitter was a rough approximation of a traditional saison, but with its cleaner character today you’ll have to brew your own for a taste of history. This recipe makes for a refreshing summer beer with the gravity dialed down and aromatics pushed to the fore.

Ingredients
7.5 lbs. (3.4 kg) Pilsner malt
0.50 lbs. (0.23 kg) flaked wheat
6 AAU Sterling hops (60 min.) (0.75 oz./21 g of 8% alpha acids)
4 AAU Hallertauer hops (10 min.) (1.0 oz./28 g of 4% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Hallertauer hops (0 min.)
0.75 oz. (21 g) Sterling hops (0 min.)
1.13 oz. (32 g) Sterling hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 3711 (French Saison) or East Coast Yeast ECY08 (Saison Brasserie) yeast
Wyeast 3763 (Roeselare Blend) yeast and bacteria
5.8 oz. (164 g) table sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Mash at 145 °F (63 °C) for 90 minutes. Boil for 90 minutes adding hops as indicated. Start fermentation at 70 °F (21 °C) with both the saison yeast and the Roeselare blend, allow to rise into the mid-80s °F (28–29 °C). Rack to secondary when primary fermentation is complete and dry hop for a week. Allow the gravity to stabilize before bottling, aim for 3.0 volumes of carbonation.

Extract Equivalent
Replace the Pilsner malt and flaked wheat with 3.0 lbs. (1.4 kg) of Pilsner dried malt extract, 0.75 lb. (0.34 kg) of wheat dried malt extract, and 0.50 lbs. (0.23 kg) of table sugar.