Summer always bring high temperatures, and in my cellar is too warm to have nice and clean fermentations. I'm too lazy to build a fermentation chamber, so I decited to test Lallemand Belle Saison yeast, to ceck if is possible to ferment in a cellar at 22°C, that means 24-25°C in the fermantation tank. I brewed some beers and fermented them in a tank surrounded by four iced water bottled and wrapped in a blanket to insulate it: direct measures on wort, showed that wort temperature was equal to cellar one. That means the heat from fermentation was balanced by my primitive cooling system.
I tried two Saison style beers, slightly different. In the third one I decided to put 10% roasted malts: I got tired of saisons, and wanted something different.
Saison 1
Malts:
4000 gr German 2-row Pils, 96%;
150 gr Brown sugar (dark), 4%;
Hops:
15 gr Aramis, 7,8 %a.a., 60 min;
20 gr Styrian Goldings, 5,7 %a.a., 60 min;
38 gr Styrian Goldings, 5,7 %a.a., 20 min;
30 gr Saaz, 2,3 %a.a., 5 min;
30 gr Saaz, 2,3 %a.a., 0 min;
Yeast:
Belle Saison, 1 pack
IBU: 43; EBC: 14
Fermentation:
Wort at 24-25°C for the first two days, then 22°C (cellar temperature).
OG 1052, FG 998
Saison 2
Malts:
3000 gr German 2-row Pils, 1,038;
1000 gr Munich Malt(light), 1,034;
370 gr Oats, Flaked, 1,037;
Hops:
20 gr Aramis, 7,8 %a.a., 60 min;
17 gr Styrian Goldings, 5,7 %a.a., 20 min
Yeast:
Belle Saison yeast cake
IBU: 26; EBC: 15;
Fermentation:
Wort at, 22°C controlled temperature for te whole fermentation.
OG 1056. FG 1004
Black Saison
Malts:
1300 gr German 2-row Pils, 1,038;
1300 gr German Light Munich, 1,037;
150 gr Chocolate Malt, 1,034;
150 gr Roasted Barley, 1,029;
Hops:
20 gr Aramis, 7,8 %a.a., 60 min;
10 gr Aramis, 7,8 %a.a., 20 min;
Yeast:
Belle Saison yeast cake, third generation
IBU: 21,9; EBC: 64
Fermentation:
Wort at, 22°C controlled temperature for te whole fermentation
OG 1042. FG 1008
Main difference between the two Saison is due to the Munich malt: Saison 2 is darker, with higher body, also thanks to the flaked oats and the lack of sugar, while Saison 1 has an apparent FG of 0.998! If you give simple sugars to Belle, it's a piranha, but don't worry: it won't eat your fermentor nor complex sugars from special grists (mash were identical for the three batches).
Saison 1 has lots of phenols in aroma, and heavy fruity notes covering all hops aromas. Phenols are noticeable also at taste with unpleasant bitterness and high cytric notes .
Better the Saison 2, with esters more evident in aroma, wit notes of pear, grapevine uva and medium phenol (but again a bit unpleasant): lower temperature brings lower off-flavors. In this beer there are noticeable malty notes, from Munich. As always with this yeast, all fermentation notes are evident in the nose, but lighter in the flavour. Malt with a bit of melanoidins is evident but fruity esters are medium-low, distant from classic saison, while the spicy phenols and a citric note are more evident.
Those two beers are not comparable with Black Saison: here roasted malts covered all fermentation aromas, just a hint of ester to the nose: roasted malts worked as concrete to cover in black phenols and off flavors. The only disturbing detail is the citric saison-like acidity that is not suited at all with roasty notese (to have an idea, try to squeeze a slice of lemon in a pint of Guinness if you dare).
In the end, to use Belle Saison at best, better to keep temperatures around 20°C and raise after 4-5 days when strong fermentation is over.
In other words, I need a fermentation chamber.
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