Anyway... Coopers don't make a saison... but many people have been rolling their own by combining a coopers pale ale kit with wheat beer and a small hop addition. I used a coopers australian bitter kit instead - it is similar colour and IBU as the pale ale
I did the following:
On Saturday:
1.7kg - Coopers Australian Bitter kit
1kg - wheat DME
40g Savinjski Golding
280g cane sugar.
Danstar Belle Saison yeast.
I didn't measure the OG. I don't bother so much with the kits - brewers friend seems to do a good enough job working the numbers out of@:
OG: 1042.
Expected final gravity: 1.008
Expected ABV: 4.36% (pre priming sugars)
After priming sugar should be about 4.5%
Boiled half the DME in a few litres of water to dissolve cleanly for 10 minutes.
added the hops for the final 5 minutes then turned off an dlet all steep.
rehydrated the Belle Saison yeast.
added the kit, dissolving the sugar in the kit with boiled water.
made up to 23 litres with much splashing and sloshing....
aerated with paint stirrer attached to power drill... at 22:30.
pitched yeast.
stuck fish tank heater in, but fairly low. This was coming out at 18-19C at the surface of the wort the next morning.
by the next morning the krausen was creeping out of the FV.
tested SG on Tuesday and it was down to 1024.
So...
why the sugar? Why the low OG?
- i have been reading the "Farmhouse ales" book. Original saison were quite light, thirst quenching beers intended to refresh. So a lower ABV like 4-5 %. That is what I am after here - the sugar just ups the ABV a touch and should let it dry out well. if the Belle Saison really gets hold of it then it may finish a lot lower like 1.004 or less. That would be 90% attenuation and approx 5% ABV when bottled.
smells coming out of the fermenter are great
I have now increased the temperature in the FV to let it finish well.
I've missed the chance to harvest yeast from the top, so will have to save it when done.
