Brew Notes: Dreams of The Never Never (Petit Saison)

I’ve always loved Saisons. So simple, so much yeast character, yet so difficult to do well. For this brew I decided to work once more with the notorious DuPont saison yeast WLP565. There is just no substitution for the beautiful yeast-driven phenols that this remarkable yeast produces, yet it needs so much TLC to really work its magic. It is known to start off explosively, before totally going dormant and then chug along slowly.

The “petit” part is due to an accident. It was my first brew on my new Grainfather setup, and I totally messed up the mash efficiency. As a result, this beer turned out to be weaker than it was intended to be. That’s fine though - it’s like going back to Saison’s roots as a thirst-quenching beer for tired, dehydrated farmhands. A table beer, just like what I imagine one would be like on a homestead. 

Grain Bill:

72% Pilsner malt
10% Maris Otter malt
5% Flaked oats
5% Carapils
5% Wheat malt
2% Crystal 60L
Hops:
20g Motueka @ 60 mins
20g Motueka @ 15 mins
Additions:
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp orange jasmine seeds
1 tsp
Mash:
65C for 60 mins

Fermentation:

WLP565 - 2L starter

Pitched at 17C for 1 week, then 

19C for 1 week, then 

30C 

[Bottle-conditioned]

[Force-carbonated - a lot clearer]

Tasting notes:
I tasted both the force-carbonated then counter-pressure bottled version, and the other one which was bottle-conditioned. The latter is a tad less carbonated than the force-carbonated version, resulting in beautiful effervescence and a billowy white head. It is also slightly cloudy.

Aroma is beautifully alluring - prominent yeast-driven spice that is sharp and peppery, on a background of fruity esters and earthy phenols. This is what makes this yeast strain great (even though it's a real PITA)!

Mouthfeel is moderately light but not thin, and balanced by a slight prickly acidity but no tartness or sourness. Once again, beautiful phenols predominate and play nicely with the background bitterness. Right at the end, some malt character comes through with bready and mild biscuit notes, before ending with a very satisfying dryness.