Brew #18: Lawnmower de Saison, March 28, 2015

A late March snow pushed me back inside, so I brewed #1 of 2 extract kits I bought from Midwest Supplies.  This recipe was exciting to me because it had a fair amount going on: A grain and adjunct bill that looks like a witbier, candi sugar to make it look like a Trappist ale, and a fair amount of hops. I brewed this one with a partial boil on the stovetop.

Recipe
Batch Size: 5 gal
Boil Size: 3 gal
Target OG: 1.055-1.059
Target FG: 1.012-1.016
Style: Saison
Recipe Type: Extract with specialty grains
Boil Time: 60 minutes

Water:
Acadia bottled spring water

Specialty Grains:
0.5 lb Cara20L
0.5 lb Unmalted Wheat

Fermentables:
3.15 lb Wheat LME (65% Wheat, 35% Barley) @ 60 min.
3.15 lb Pilsen LME @ 60 min.
1 lb clear Belgian Candi Sugar @ 15 min.

Hops:
1 oz Saaz (pellets) @  60 min.
1 oz Goldings (pellets) @ 30 min.
1 oz Goldings (pellets) @ 5 min.

Other:
1/4 tsp grains of paradise @ 15 min.
1 oz bitter orange peel @ 15 min.
1/2 oz coriander @ 15 min.
1 Whrilfloc Tab @ 14 min.

Yeast:
Wyeast 3942 Belgian Wheat

Brewing Notes
3/26/15 - Yeast Starter:
This didn't reach my arbitrary 1.060 threshold for making a yeast starter, but I had some question about the health of the yeast.  This was my first time using a Wyeast pack, it had been shipped, and the pack was partially swollen.  Because of this, I made a quick starter, 4C water, 1/4 lb extra light DME, and 1/4 tsp yeast nutrient, boiled 10 minutes and cooled. Then the whole pack of yeast went in the 1L flask.

3/28/15 - Brew Day:

• Sanitized (star san) my cold side equipment in the big mouth bubbler primary.
• Heated 3 gal water to 155 F in 5 gallon economy stainless kettle on the stovetop.
• Steeped specialty grains at 155F in muslin bag for 20 minutes.
• Removed the grain bag and held it above the kettle to drain.
• Brought to boil
• Removed kettle from the burner.
• Added both types of LME
• Returned to boil, set timer for 60 minutes and added:
  1oz Saaz @ 60 min.
  1oz Goldings @ 30 min.
  1/4tsp Grains of Paradise @ 15 min.
  1 oz bitter orange peel @ 15 min.
  1/2 oz coriander @ 15 min.
  1 lb clear belgian candi sugar @ 15 min.
  1 tab Whirlfloc @ 14 min.
  wort chiller @ 10 min.
  1 oz Goldings @ 5 min.
• Moved kettle to the sink and chilled with wort chiller to 100 F
• Added 2 gal of pre-chilled water to the kettle to bring temperature to 72F
• Siphoned to BMB, then added more room temperature water until I had 5 Gallons.
• Took an OG reading of 1.050, corrected to 1.052.  I'm not sure why this one undershot.
• pitched entire yeast starter
• Put the BMB in the beer corner of the dining room with a blow off tube.

3/28/15 - 4/1/15 - Primary Fermentation:
Obviously very fast. Gravity was 1.012 when I racked to the glass carboy on 4/1.


4/1 - 4/21/15 - Secondary Fermentation:
Brought down to the basement floor to "cool crash" - it only got down to around 64F

4/21/15 - Bottling:
Bottled  with 4.3oz of corn sugar boiled in 2 c water to prime.  Gravity was 1.008 (5.8% abv). Yield was 50 12 oz bottles.

5/11/15 - First Taste:
A little belgian, a little spicy.  This one was very popular.