Saison de Noel

Getting ready to brew NB’s all grain saison de noel. Using 3711 French saison. Just looking to see who has done this kit and what you think about it. I’ve never used this yeast so any insight is appreciated.

This will be a 5 gallon BIAB. I mash in my BK and dunk sparge. I’ll build up distilled water using brunwater.

Thanks in advance,

Ron

I have brewed it 3 times so far. They initially recommended Farmhouse Reserve 3726. Very happy with it. I spiced it the 3rd time with seeds of paradise, coriander, orange peel, and saffron as my Christmas beer.

I have used French Saison yeast a few times. I didn’t think there were any special considerations, maybe a blowoff tube if you’re pushing higher temps.

I’ve brewed NB’s French Petite Saison d’Ete Extract with WY3711. It seems fermenting at 68° to 72°F brings out clean, spicy flavors better than at the higher temperatures of the yeasts range.

What’s the amount of additional spices and orange zest that was used?

~2g of saffron in secondary. Half a pack of each of Brewer’s Best bitter orange, coriander (needs to be cracked), and seeds of paradise. This was loosely based on a recipe from Palmer’s 12 beers of Christmas. My home-brew club did this as a beer trade last year.

Thanks for all the input folks!

:cheers:

Ron

~2g of saffron in secondary. Half a pack of each of Brewer’s Best bitter orange, coriander (needs to be cracked), and seeds of paradise. This was loosely based on a recipe from Palmer’s 12 beers of Christmas. My home-brew club did this as a beer trade last year.[/quote]

Were you able to taste the saffron? It would seem that the coriander would over power it.

[quote=“mrv”]
Were you able to taste the saffron? It would seem that the coriander would over power it.[/quote]

The coriander, bitter orange peel, and grains of paradise were during the last 5 minutes of boil. The saffron was in secondary for a few weeks. You could see the color change from golden to orange when I did this as a tripel. It’s very pungent, but you can still taste the saffron along with everything else going on. I have made a few beers that smelled like heaven that failed to deliver.

For whatever reason, the tripel had more of a natural Belgian peppery vibe and dryer finish. I think I used Abby II vs. the Farmhouse Reserve the last time. They also managed to release Farmhouse Reserve, a VERY heat tolerant yeast in the winter and I wasn’t able to push temps like I did the previous summer.

All in all, I’m happy with this recipe. The Saison de Noel has a complex but balanced vibe from the darker malts. The tripel was much more aggressive. I consider it a good holiday beer because the flavors and smells are out of left field.