One last saison

[DaveyT]

I got these bottles on Tuesday which was exactly three weeks after the brew so I was a bit anxious about them. They were fine, though, and are clearing nicely. Like the last saison, there seems to be a ring of yeast around the inside of the bottle, a couple of inches from the bottom.
The unadulterated one seems great nut not as hoppy as I'd wanted.
The fig one tastes and smells like figs. It's remarkable. I thought they would be too subtle to come through but there's that very definite smell of fig trees; quite a green flavour unlike the dried ones.
The mango reminds me of the mandarin dark saison I did; lots of horrible 'alcohol' flavours that I used to find in things like Thunderbirds and Mad Dog 20/20. It smells good, though, so I'm hoping the smell is more reflective of the final flavour. The mango was a total pain to deal with. It sat like an iceberg and I thought I'd be able to scoop it out. It wasn't as solid as it looked while, at the same time, it wasn't penetrable. When I struck it with a spoon, not much came away onto the spoon, but lots fell from the bottom of the lump as it turned in the bottle. In the end, loads went in the priming bucket and some into bottles. Next time, I think I will rehydrate with water but not blend the fruit so that it stays in large lumps. I'd also put it in a hop sock. It had 9 days so I think that would impart the same flavour. Well, perhaps enough anyway.
Both the figs and mango beers lost about 500ml due to trub and vegetal matter.
Let's see how the buggers drink!

[DaveyT]

I've finally got 5 min for an update:
The 'plain' saison is magnificent; one of my best beers to date. It's really full and tart yet fruity. Absolute winner.
The fig one is really too, but somewhat lighter. Goodwife DaveyT says it's like a cava which is quite a compliment in Spain! It's bubbly and the fig flavour is very well set; I think I got the quantity just right. Like I said earlier, the fig flavour is quite 'green', like the smell that comes from the bushes/trees. Another one to be repeated.
The mango beer is not so positive. I got a lot of sediment in the bottles (0.5 cm) and I think it might be responsible for what appears to be re-fermentation. When I open a bottle, it bubbles over and, once in the glass, the beer swirls round like a fizzy lava lamp. This is doing nothing for the flavour. Next time, I'd put the mango pieces in a hop bag without blending them. Or, if I did blend them, I'd add a fining agent.
I forgot to mention, I put some coriander seed in the boil.

The dark saison I did prior to this is proving a bit too rich. I think I added too many speciality grains. Next summer I think I'll stick to the pale saisons. And plenty of them!

Cheers
David