Lindgren Craft Brewery’s Narrow Gauge Shiitake Mushroom Saison clone 

Lindgren Craft Brewery’s Narrow Gauge Shiitake Mushroom Saison clone 

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.053  FG = 1.006
IBU = 25  SRM = 3  ABV = 6.1%

Ingredients 
9.4 lbs. (4.3 kg) Dingemans Pilsner malt
1.3 lbs. (0.6 kg) Weyermann Spelt malt
1.25 oz. (36 g) aged Spalt hops (first wort hop)
1 Whirlfloc tablet (15 min.)
2 g yeast nutrient (15 min.)
15 lbs. (6.8 kg) fresh shiitake mushrooms (sliced)
2 packs SafAle BE-134 or your favorite saison strain

Step by step
Slice the mushrooms as thin as you can to maximize surface area. You can choose to do a single infusion mash anywhere around 151 °F (66 °C), however we did a single decoction mash: Mash in at a beta amylase temperature of 140—145 °F (60–63 °C) and rest for 20 minutes. Pull roughly one quart (1 L) of thin mash and bring it over to a small kettle where it is slowly brought to a boil and allowed to simmer for 15 minutes. Be sure to continually stir the boiling mash to prevent scorching. Pour the boiled mash back to the main mash and stir well. The new mash temperature should be close to 152 °F (67 °C). Rest at this temperature for 30 minutes before proceeding to vorlauf. 

Sparge with 172 °F (78 °C) water and lauter wort, collecting until you reach 7.5 gallons (28 L) in the kettle on top of the aged hops. Bring to a boil and boil 90 minutes, adding whirlfloc and yeast nutrients with 15 minutes remaining.

After the boil is complete, transfer the wort to the mash tun filled with the sliced mushrooms. Once full, allow the wort to rest for at least 30 minutes for a respectable flavor and aroma character. You can rest for longer, but it is recommended not to go below 160 °F (71 °C) in fear of wild infections. 

Chill to 74 °F (23 °C) into a fermenter and pitch yeast (we used LalBrew Belle Saison, though it is no longer available in homebrew quantities). Ferment at 74 °F (23 °C) until final gravity has been reached before cold crashing the fermenter to 30 °F (-1 °C). Keg and force carbonate or bottle condition as usual.

Spent Mushrooms
By using the mash tun to soak the mushrooms you are able to get nice clear wort and leave behind all the hot break and trub. This clean sugary wort soaks into the mushrooms, exchanging flavors as they marinate. After knockout you are left with these spent sliced mushrooms that are coated in delicious sugary wort, making for a great culinary opportunity. They can be used immediately or scooped into a freezer bag and frozen. The world of culinary ideas for the use of these wort-soaked mushrooms can be enormous and is up to the creativity of the chef. We were able to partner with our friends at Old Trail Tavern & Steak and sell them our spent mushrooms at a reduced price to reclaim some of the production costs. The idea to reuse these unique spent mushrooms in different cuisines went over very well and really should be a focus of topic for any brewer brewing with mushrooms. 

Recipe notes:
We had access to 14-year-old unopened and well-stored Spalt hops. We used the given 5.3% alpha acids in recipe calculations, though actual alpha acids may have been lower due to aging. Feel free to sub in any aged, or even fresher hops that you like for saisons.

Extract option:
Replace the Pilsner and spelt malts with 6.5 lbs. (2.9 kg) Pilsner liquid malt extract and 11 oz. (315 g) wheat dried malt extract. Heat 5.5 gallons (21 L) of water to a boil and then remove from heat to stir in both malt extracts. Return to heat and boil for 60 minutes, following the remainder of the all-grain recipe instructions.