Saisons were most commonly brewed in Wallonia, southern Belgium in the province of Hainaut. These ales were brewed at the beginning of winter and stored until summer. If a farm did not have the means to brew their own beer, they would usually buy a few casks from a neighboring brewer or farm. Then they fermented and conditioned the beer at their own cellar. Up until the first World War, Saisons were fermented in unpitched wooden barrels. There are records of breweries who only used spontaneous fermentation and aged the beer from 1 to 2 years in wood barrels. Originally, saisons were served for farm workers during the summer harvest. Every worker (called saisonnier) could have up to 4 liters (a gallon) of beer every day.
Read MoreDelightfully Devilish: Blackpepper Saison | Experimental Recipe
Saison is my favorite Belgian style of beers and it’s one of my most often brewed type of beer. One of the key characteristics of the style is the spiciness and fruitiness given by the yeast. I was interested how would a saison taste like with black peppercorns added during the boil. I have a recipe which I used a couple of times and found very pleasing, so I used it as the base for this experiment.
Read MoreSurf in Jovaru | Experimental Recipe
In my never ending search for new kveik strains I came across Jovaru™, which had quiet the publicity in the past few years. Jovaru™ is a Lithuanian yeast strain originated in the JOVARU® Brewery, which is run by the famed brewer Aldona Udriene’s also known as “the queen of Lithuanian farmhouse beer”. The yeast tested positive for the STA1 gene, which indicates that it can metabolize dextrins, thus resulting in a higher attenuation.
The description published by Omega Yeast list lemon pith and black pepper character combined with a soft mouthfeel, which makes the yeast ideal for Belgian style beers.
Read MoreNight Destroyer | Experimental Recipe
The concept of this beer was to create an extra light Saison, which still have some of that spicy taste. To achieve this, I used a Farmhouse strain yeast and a wide variety of fermentables (at least for such a low abv beer).
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