Saison Throwdown

This summer, Mike and I are going a saison throwdown.  What’s a saison throwdown, you ask?  I am not sure either. Actually, what we are going to do is brewed saisons this summer and see how they compare and contrast with each other.

We did an oktoberfest duel a few years ago so we will do the same thing but this time we will be brewing saisons.

Maybe we will bring in others to drink them and see what they think.  We can make a video tasting about it and make it an event.  Certainly  we can put them into a competition too.

It’s been a while since I brewed a saison but I do have a passion for these farmhouse ales.  At the American Craft Beer Fest, it seemed many of the booths had a saison to offer.

Clearly, saisons are sooooo hot right now.

I really enjoy the process of brewing saisons.  One reason is that you can let the fermentation temperatures run wild – within reason.  Too hot and yeast will die but in the dog days of summer, you can be lax with where you store the fermentor since warmer than typical temperatures work wonders on the finished beer.

The grain bills can be full of experimentation too.  There aren’t strict guidelines for the style in terms of specialty grains but I like using different Belgian grown malts.

With saisons, the yeast is the thing.  I was mulling over yeast strains and I was able to buy a vial at the Homebrew Emporium.

This is a blended strain from White Labs and I am interested in seeing how it will perform. I think this is a combination of Belgian and French saison strains. I have had success with other strains that other homebrewers have said are problematic and I hoping I can brew an excellent beer with this blended stain.

So let the challenge be thrown down. It’s a summer of saison.

Brew On.