AG#09 - Saison de Joshua

[lancsSteve]

I was thinking along those lines - buy a bottle or two of orval and add the dreggs at bottling stage to get their brett/wild blend adding a distinctive funkiness... Fantome use wild yeasts and dupont certainly can go funky given enough time...

My 2l starter now building up nicely sitting on a heated propogator at 26c

[TheMumbler]

I wouldn't bother adding anything to that Dupont yeast Steve. It got down to 1004 on its own and the 650ml flip top bottles certainly had a lot of condition with 2 carbonation drops even after a couple of months. It definitely kept getting fizzier with time and I had to release a bit of CO2 from all the bottles for fear of explosions. I had a bottle the other night and it is fizzy as hell out of the fridge even having released some CO2 in the summer. Now it is 9 months old it has quite a vinous quality to it, I have 2 bottles left so give me a shout and I can show you what I mean. Use strong bottles (the bernard ones frex). I'm intending on going for another one when it gets a bit warmer.

[Barley Water]

Well, here is my attitude about many of the Belgian styles for whatever it's worth. Most of the commercial examples you buy are heavily carbonated. I think it adds to the experience to undo the wire cage, take out the cork and have the stuff start to jump out of the bottle almost like champagne. I revel in the sound of the loud pop as you pull the cork (it's like an announcement that something good is about to happen) and I love to see that big foamy head as you pour your beer into your awaiting challace. It turns into a quasi relgious experince drinking the stuff and I just think it adds to the experience. With Saisons, the high carbonation adds to the sensation of dryness which just makes the beer more refreshing as it should be. Of course, I think that way about almost every style out there which is why I have so many different beer glasses, my bride just loves it.

[lancsSteve]

I wouldn't bother adding anything to that Dupont yeast Steve.

Wasn't planning to on this one... Figuring pitching BIG and fermenting warm with a stepped temp ferment from 27 up to 32 will do it fine. However orval dreggs for the future and experimentation or for Gricey's brew to bring it down the last few points could be an idea.

However would LOVE to try another one - still one of my top beers of last year - maybe at the weekend with Greg?

[Gricey]

So, your starter for 10... what on earth should I take for the FG now I've added champagne yeast, without giving myself a box of bombs?

[Gricey]

Hallelujah! There's been some activity. Down to 1.009 after 2 weeks on the champagne yeast. Time to bottle methinks....... any guesses on the above chaps?

[lancsSteve]

Use seriously tough bottles and calculate based on one or two points of gravity to go so carbonate/add sugar based on that, the site I usually recommend braukeiser) for calculating additions is down at the moment though

[Gricey]

brill, will do!

[Gricey]

Awesome, 1.004 today. I'll bottle this week. Also, seriously clear as a bell.

[lancsSteve]

Brilliant - sounds like it's doing its thing eventually and slowly. Brauskeiser now up again... Best site I've foudn for details on Accurately Calculating Sugar Additions for Carbonation with downloadable spreadsheets

[TheMumbler]

Awesome, 1.004 today. I'll bottle this week. Also, seriously clear as a bell.

glad to hear it's working out

[Gricey]

Yeah, thanks everyone. Bottled now. Missed Brauskeiser, though I did get its spreadsheet from a Google. I used this site which I'd done before as I couldn't get to BK when I wrote the stuff down. Lets hope I don't get bombs!

Also, if my mate doesn't love this I'm going to have him flensed and added to the next brew.


17L and a bit by The Grice is Right, on Flickr

Batch Priming by The Grice is Right, on Flickr

Not losing much by The Grice is Right, on Flickr

35 bottles by The Grice is Right, on Flickr

[Gricey]

The bottle labels will be something like this, though I'll only label 4 or so.

[Gricey]

Josh came round and we both had one tonight. It's strong! But in a good way. Should have gone with 330s rather than 500s though, should have listened to the Belgians.