AG70 - Apricot Saison (+ pics)

[jmc]

I've been wanting to do a saison for a while since reading the excellent Farmhouse Ales

I based this brew on Lugsy's Apricot Pepper Saison

Recipe
(Details of recipe here)
Lugsy's grain bill was modified to use what I have in stock and to try out Palm sugar to see if that adds anything. Black pepper was replaced with Grains Of Paradise too.

Apricot Saison #1, Gyle Number: 70

Final Volume: 23 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.055
Final Gravity: 1.009
Alcohol Content: 6% ABV
Total Liquor: 35.6 Litres
Mash Liquor: 16.5 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 78 %
Bitterness: 31.5 EBU
Colour: 9 EBC

Yeast: WLP585
Belgian Saison III starter 500 cc

WLP585 starter went well, but not mad.

I used Lidl boiler / mashtun as its great for step mashes. Previously with brews with wheat in I've placed malt in a mash bag, but this time I removed mash bag and wired platform that raises mash bag off annular element.

Grain bill - all same colour I'm afraid & palm sugar for later.
I was worried that 500g of unmalted flaked rye may turn mash to glue, but I thought an extended 40C step would help degrade gums.

1st step 2:1 40C and recirculating. Very thick.

Lidl mashtun, insulated with camping mat with solar pump recirc.

Add water at 98C to raise to 50C. Total ratio 2.5:1. Then recirc.

Add water at 98C to raise to 62C. Total ratio 3.5:1 & recirc.

I did further steps at 69C and 76 mash out using LIDL element heat.
Then run off & 2 batch sparges to boiler

I'd kept back 1L of 2nd sparge to use to dissolve palm sugar as I didn't want it burning on boiler element.

Grains of Paradise added 5 mins from end.

Just cracked rather than a dust.

I didn't want to use WLP585 with my normal FVs so I've used a 5gal wine fermenter.

I'd left it for over 2 hours to settle as I had other stuff to do. No protofloc added but still lots of break.
Found out at this stage that with everything else going on I'd forgotten to fit hop stopper!
I checked later addedit and 1 lost about 1L wort.

Yeast starter added

On cleaning up I noticed that the heated steps 62->69 & 69->76 had caused some caramalisation on element. Must stir better next time. I couldn't get any burnt taste so hopefully I got away with it.


Not without its problems but overall quite happy with this.
Really looking forward to how it develops.

Plan - Apricot / Brett experiment in secondary
I'm planning on splitting brew to 6 demijohns at secondary stage and trying out permutations below:
D1 - 1 x Tin Apricots (411g)
D2 - 1 x pack dried Apricots (250g)
D3 - 1 x Tin Apricots + dregs Orvall
D4 - 1 x pack dried Apricots (250g) + dregs Orvall
D5 - 1 x Tin Apricots + dregs Cantillon - Gueuze 100% Lambic
D6 - 1 x pack dried Apricots (250g) + dregs Cantillon - Gueuze 100% Lambic

** edit typo

[seymour]

Wow! Great post and really great-looking recipe. Can't wait to hear the differences between the batches, particularly D3-D6!

[jmc]

Cheers Seymour. Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm very hopeful with this one.

Fermentation has slowed down a bit already. I've not used WLP585 before, but if its like other saison yeasts then I suppose that's to be expected once they've eaten all the simple sugars.


I'm increaseing temp to help yeast and get more fruity esters. Its currently at 23.5C intending to go up to 27C even though White Labs advise range 68-75F / 20-24C.

According to Farmhouse Ales saison dupont is fermented at about 30C but I think that's mainly to speed up the fermentation rather to enhance the beer.

[Lugsy]

Looking good there John, I hope it works out as well for you as mine did for me

I'm interested to hear how the WLP585 performs, I might give it a go for my next saisons. My WLP566 is now on its fourth generation and it appears to have mutated considerably between this batch and the bottle I harvested it from so I think it's time to put my hand in my pocket again! My most recent ferment has been particularly troublesome compared with the others, it stuck high at 20C (about 1.020) so I've been ramping it up this week (currently at 26C) but it threw off a lot of banana aromas in the first few days which I've not had with previous batches. And yes, I agree with Seymour - D3 to D6 look like the most interesting ones

I've not got any of the original batch left now but the bretted one will be getting bottled soon - if it turns out as well as it's looking so far ( ) I'd like to send you a bottle as a thank you for the compliment in giving the recipe a go. I'll get in touch if it looks like a decent drop!

Cheers and the best of luck with it,

Ian

[jmc]

Looking good there John, I hope it works out as well for you as mine did for me

I'm interested to hear how the WLP585 performs, I might give it a go for my next saisons. My WLP566 is now on its fourth generation and it appears to have mutated considerably between this batch and the bottle I harvested it from so I think it's time to put my hand in my pocket again! My most recent ferment has been particularly troublesome compared with the others, it stuck high at 20C (about 1.020) so I've been ramping it up this week (currently at 26C) but it threw off a lot of banana aromas in the first few days which I've not had with previous batches. And yes, I agree with Seymour - D3 to D6 look like the most interesting ones

I've not got any of the original batch left now but the bretted one will be getting bottled soon - if it turns out as well as it's looking so far ( ) I'd like to send you a bottle as a thank you for the compliment in giving the recipe a go. I'll get in touch if it looks like a decent drop!

Cheers and the best of luck with it,

Ian

Thanks Ian. It would be good to do a bottle swop.

WLP585 is certainly interesting. I've been taking SG/Brix readings on refractometer each day to check progress

I was worried it was going to stall at about 1035, but it kicked in again once temp was raised. After it was raised above 23C it started producing lots more fruity esters. Sample tonight was very fruity.

Very hopeful for this brew

[greenxpaddy]

Looks exciting. Can't wait for your taste test

[jmc]

Update & question for this brew

Nice fermentation in fermentation fridge aimed for 27C but 25.5C was max I could get in freezing garage where fermenting fridge is.
Loads of esters produced. Looking forward to this.
Went from approx 1057 to 1008 (notes not with me so if I'm wrong I'll correct)

Its been a week out of fridge with a belt heater at about 10C
Gone from 1008 to 1006

Planning on adding apricots to 6 demijohns next as below:

Plan - Apricot / Brett experiment in secondary
D1 - 1 x Tin Apricots (411g)
D2 - 1 x pack dried Apricots (250g)
D3 - 1 x Tin Apricots + dregs Orvall
D4 - 1 x pack dried Apricots (250g) + dregs Orvall
D5 - 1 x Tin Apricots + dregs Cantillon - Gueuze 100% Lambic
D6 - 1 x pack dried Apricots (250g) + dregs Cantillon - Gueuze 100% Lambic

I've bottled stuff I had in demijohns this week ready for this and they're ready for the off.
Only thing I'm not sure is how fine to chop up apricots.

I'm tempted to just make them about 1-2cm pieces, i.e. just small enough to fit in DJ.
Idea being to reduce chance of fruit filling DJ with sludge that wont settle.

Any suggestions?

6 DJs cleaned and sanitised with starsan

Still have my last remaining glass airlock from 80's. God knows how that's survived.

[Lugsy]

When I did mine I was worried about the wild yeast on the apricots so I pasteurised them by heating them to 80C for 20 minutes or so and mashed them up a bit. I don't think this is necessary though, chopping them into bits that will fit through the neck of the DJs should be fine. Mine took a while to start sinking though and there were still some floating when I came to bottle it. By the way, it's surprising how big a piece will pass through a syphon tube! Have fun with it

[jmc]

When I did mine I was worried about the wild yeast on the apricots so I pasteurised them by heating them to 80C for 20 minutes or so and mashed them up a bit. I don't think this is necessary though, chopping them into bits that will fit through the neck of the DJs should be fine. Mine took a while to start sinking though and there were still some floating when I came to bottle it. By the way, it's surprising how big a piece will pass through a syphon tube! Have fun with it

Thanks Lugsy.

I transfered brew to DJs (D1-D6)over the weekend.
Main hiccup was that I only had 1 bottle or Orval ( I thought I had 2) , so I gave the Orval dregs a feed the day before, by adding to 400cc of starter wort.
I used 1 bottle of Cantillon - Gueuze 100% Lambic & 1 bottle Cantillon - 100% Lambic Kriek

Apricot / Brett experiment in secondary
D1 - 1 x Tin Apricots (411g)
D2 - 1 x pack dried Apricots (250g)
D3 - 1 x Tin Apricots + Orvall starter
D4 - 1 x pack dried Apricots (250g) + Orvall starter
D5 - 1 x Tin Apricots + dregs Cantillon - Gueuze 100% Lambic
D6 - 1 x pack dried Apricots (250g) + dregs Cantillon - Kriek 100% Lambic

I placed dried aprocots in pyrex jug, just covered in boiling water, stirred (then about 67C) and heated in microwave to get to about 85C for a few mins to kill surface wild yeast. I modified a funnel to make spout hole bigger and managed to fit dried apricots in DJ without chopping up. (May have problem removing when they swell-up though.)
Tinned apricots in 1/2 already, so I just chopped into 1/4s and poured in, with a little proding.

Bit of silicone & PVC tube make a supersized bottling stick for DJs

Bottles of Cantillon and Orval starter to add. The Cantillon geuze & kriek is lovely stuff.

Cantillon don't take chances, they cork & cap. Corks tell you when brew bottled. Hope yeast is still alive

D1-D6 all done. Ready for yeasties & brett to get going...

[seymour]

This is one big labor of love, man. Thanks for sharing!

[jmc]

Just a recent pic (from 18th)
D1-D6 bubbling away in secondary.
They're in order
D1 - D2 - D3
D4 - D5 - D6
Orval versions (D3-D4) were 1st to restart, after about 24hrs at 12C.

Unfortunately only space I have is in coolish fermenting cupboard in garage.

[jmc]

Recent pic (from 28th)
All bar D5 (tins apricot +Cantillon) showing white stuff on surface
D1 - D2 - D3
D4 - D5 - D6


Main difference of D5 is type of airlock so worried that may be some O2 has got in to others.
I noticed that D4 also had white stuff growing at bottom which makes me think its not necessarily acetobacter as this needs O2.
I had a quick wiff of D4 and it smelt very fruity and not vinegary.
I've topped up fermentation traps and will press on and see how they turn out.

Any suggestions. Should I top up and if so what with? Boiled, cooled LME solution?

[orlando]

What happened next?

[jmc]

What happened next?

I made a wheat beer 2 weeks ago (6/1) and so I took the opportunity to made extra wort and used this to top up DJs to minimise head space / reduce potential for oxidation. (I don't want to give the acetobacter too much of an advantage.)
I added about 0.7L per DJ.

I'll take a pic soon and update.

Not sure how long to leave it fermenting on the fruit. It's had about 6 weeks so far.

[orlando]

Look forward to it.