Boulevard Brewing Co.’s Tank 7 clone
Tank 7 has become one of Boulevard’s most recognized brands and a terrific example of a modern saison. The recipe got its start as a riff on Saison, a brand in the Smokestack Series, when Pauwels was working on Saison Brett.
The Smokestack Saison recipe was tweaked to boost the strength from 7.5% to 8.5% ABV and the beer was dry-hopped with Amarillo® hops, which were relatively new at the time. The brewers were tasting the base for Saison Brett from Fermenter #7, coincidentally a 300-barrel Mueller fermenter built in Springfield, Missouri by the author’s former employer, and really dug what they were tasting. The “clean version” of Saison Brett (essentially Tank 7 bottle-conditioned with Brett and other conditioning yeast) became Tank 7 and the rest is history.
Boulevard Brewing Co.’s Tank 7 clone, All-Grain
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.071 FG = 1.007
IBU = 38 SRM = 4 ABV = 8.5%
Ingredients
9.25 lbs. (4.2 kg) North American 2-row Pilsner malt
2.5 lbs. (1.13 kg) North American white wheat malt
1.5 lbs. (680 g) invert sugar
1.8 AAU Magnum hops (first wort hop) (0.15 oz./4 g at 12% alpha acids)
6 AAU Simcoe® hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 12% alpha acids)
19.95 AAU Amarillo® hops (5 min.) (2 oz./56 g at 10% alpha acids)
5 AAU Amarillo® hops (dry hop) (0.5 oz./14 g at 10% alpha acids)
Wyeast 3787 (Trappist Style High Gravity) or White Labs WLP530 (Abbey Ale) or Omega Yeast Labs OYL-028 (Belgian Ale W) or SafAle BE-256 yeast
1 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Adjust all brewing water to a pH of 5.5 using phosphoric acid. Add 1 tsp. calcium chloride to the mash.
Mash the malts at 145 °F (63 °C) for 50 minutes, heat to 154 °F (68 °C) and hold for 25 minutes, then heat to 163 °F (73 °C) and hold for 15 minutes. Start recirculating wort. Raise the temperature to 168 °F (76 °C) for 15 minutes.
Sparge slowly and collect 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of wort. Add first wort hops and invert sugar when sparging is complete.
Heat to boiling, and boil the wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated in the recipe. Adjust OG post-boil with RO water as required.
Chill the wort to 62–64 °F (17–18 °C), pitch the yeast, and ferment until complete. Dry hops should be added when gravity is about 1.016. Cool to 32–34 °F (0–1 °C) and cold condition for four days. Rack the beer, prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.
Boulevard Brewing Co.’s Tank 7 clone, Extract Only
(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.071 FG = 1.007
IBU = 38 SRM = 4 ABV = 8.5%
Ingredients
4 lbs. (1.8 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract
2.3 lbs. (1 kg) wheat dried malt extract
1.5 lbs. (680 g) invert sugar
1.8 AAU Magnum hops (first wort hop) (0.15 oz./4 g at 12% alpha acids)
6 AAU Simcoe® hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 12% alpha acids)
19.95 AAU Amarillo® hops (5 min.) (2 oz./56 g at 10% alpha acids)
5 AAU Amarillo® hops (dry hop) (0.5 oz./14 g at 10% alpha acids)
Wyeast 3787 (Trappist Style High Gravity) or White Labs WLP530 (Abbey Ale) or Omega Yeast Labs OYL-028 (Belgian Ale W) or SafAle BE-256 yeast
1 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Heat 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of water in your brew kettle to 180 °F (82 °C). Turn off the heat and add the malt extract and sugar, and stir thoroughly to dissolve completely. You do not want to feel extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil. Add the first wort hops while raising to a boil.
Boil the wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated in the recipe. Adjust OG post-boil with RO water as required.
Chill the wort to 62–64 °F (17–18 °C), pitch the yeast, and ferment until complete. Dry hops should be added when gravity is about 1.016. Cool to 32–34 °F (0–1 °C) and cold condition for 4 days. Rack the beer, prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.
