In the warmer months, these Brew Dudes like brewing a saison. The hotter temperatures work well with the style’s fermentation profile and the beer is a good one for quenching thirsts. Even though we like to brew these kinds of beers, it doesn’t mean we have been 100 percent happy with the results. Mike brewed this saison with a bit of a twist. He opened up his fermentor to let the local bugs join in with the commercial yeast added to the wort. The resulting beer is a fantastic example of the style. Watch this video to learn more!

How Did This Saison Turn Out?

Although it’s fun to play with open fermentation, Mike left the lid on his stainless steel bucket loose so that more CO2 could escape from the beer. He thinks that the reason why saison fermentations stall is due to too much carbon dioxide in the beer which leads to the yeast to slow its process. Opening the lid a bit let more CO2 out and let some wild yeasts in (perhaps).

This beer had all the good flavors of the saison style without the bad ones. I typically get some fusel alcohols in mine since I am fermenting at high temperatures (82F or 28C). Mike’s saison was tart and crisp with a light bit of funk. It was extremely drinkable and enjoyable.

The next time you’re doing some Saison brewing, try to let more CO2 out while you’re fermenting. We had great results with this nuance to the process.

BREW ON!