Rekkae saison is a rustic saison that I’ve brewed a few times before. I’ve swapped in rye and oats, honey and sugar portions to tune the flavors and see how they work. I’ve also played with several different yeast strains from the classic DuPont to the fast and furious 3711. This time I threw in more rye and orange blossom honey, two of my favorites and used my mixed culture yeast to see how that would affect the recipe. My previous experience with the mixed culture indicated that the fermentation would go very quickly, usually terminal gravity within two to three days. I wanted to see just how quickly it could work for this saison and what sorts of flavors would be present with such a fast fermentation. This recipe went from grain to glass in 12 days which is remarkable. It turned out a saison with classic flavors: sweet malts, spicy and peppery yeast with the Rye coming through and then the honey shining through with a nice crisp finish leaving a want for another round.
Rekkae v6
Smell
Honey, sweet malts, light bubblegum, banana and a light citrus, mostly from the Orange Blossom honey.
Appearance
Golden hue with some slight haze. Somewhere between orange and deep yellow. Thick foamy head which lingers with lacing on the glass and fades into the beer over time.
Taste
Citrus fruits with a sweet malt background, spiciness from the rye. A light candiness floats on top and as the finish arrives it fades away to a dry, bitter, peppery finish.
Mouthfeel
Medium to full but not so heavy as to deny additional pints. It could be fuller, or lighter which likely means that it’s just right.
Drinkability and Notes
This is really easy to drink as it has a complex array of flavors but with several pleasant ones dominating, the spice and honey.
Changes for next time
I would bump the peppercorns up again as I really like what they bring but I want more bite to the flavor.
Here’s the recipe:
Recipe Details
| Batch Size | Boil Time | IBU | SRM | Est. OG | Est. FG | ABV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 gal | 90 min | 32.0 IBUs | 6.1 SRM | 1.052 | 1.004 | 6.3 % |
| Actuals | 1.054 | 1.004 | 6.6 % | |||
Style Details
| Name | Cat. | OG Range | FG Range | IBU | SRM | Carb | ABV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saison | 16 C | 1.048 - 1.065 | 1.002 - 1.012 | 20 - 35 | 5 - 14 | 2.3 - 2.9 | 5 - 7 % |
Fermentables
| Name | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Pilsen (BestMälz) | 18 lbs | 60 |
| BEST Wheat Malt (BESTMALZ) | 5 lbs | 16.67 |
| Rye Malt | 4 lbs | 13.33 |
| Caramunich Malt | 1 lbs | 3.33 |
| Orange Blossom Honey | 2 lbs | 6.67 |
Hops
| Name | Amount | Time | Use | Form | Alpha % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meridian | 2 oz | 90 min | First Wort | Pellet | 5.3 |
| Fuggles | 1 oz | 90 min | First Wort | Pellet | 5.7 |
| Fuggles | 0.5 oz | 30 min | Boil | Pellet | 5.7 |
| Fuggles | 0.5 oz | 15 min | Boil | Pellet | 5.7 |
| Comet | 2 oz | 4 days | Dry Hop | Pellet | 8.6 |
| Meridian | 2 oz | 4 days | Dry Hop | Pellet | 5.3 |
Miscs
| Name | Amount | Time | Use | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phosphoric Acid 10% | 31.40 ml | 60 min | Mash | Water Agent |
| Ground Pepper | 4.09 tsp | 5 min | Boil | Spice |
Yeast
| Name | Lab | Attenuation | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jester King Mixed Culture (JK01) | Jester King | 88% | 50°F - 95°F |
Mash
| Step | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Protein Rest | 122°F | 30 min |
| Saccharification | 152°F | 45 min |
| Mash Out | 168°F | 10 min |
Notes
| 46.6 mL Phosphoric Acid to sparge water - At mash time, initial 34mL was not enough, pH at 5.6, added another 120mL to bring mash pH to 5.35 - At boil time, sparge water pH was up from 5.8 to 6.2, added another 100mL to bring down to 4.8 pH - Initial boil pH 5.4 - At 30 min left, pH 5.33 - At end of boil ph 5.28 - At pitching time, 5.23 - Initial gravity (O.G) is 13.6 Brix ~= 1.054 SG - Added 10mL/min O2 for 3 minutes - Pitched approx 1L of JK starter yeast (underpitch) [2018-11-08] Brix: 11.6, adjusted with OG of 1.054 ~= 1.041 SG pH reading 4.68 [2018-11-09] Brix: 10.8, adjusted with OG of 1.054 ~= 1.036 SG pH reading 4.60 [2018-11-10] Brix: 9.8, adjusted with OG 0f 1.054 ~= 1.029 SG pH reading 4.52 [2018-11-11] Brix: 8.0, adjusted with OG of 1.054 ~= 1.018 SG pH reading 4.42 [2018-11-12] Brix: 6.9, adjusted with OG of 1.054 ~= 1.011 SG pH reading 4.38 [2018-11-13] Brix: 6.8, adjusted with OG of 1.054 ~= 1.010 SG pH reading 4.42 Rouse yeast. |
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