Farmhouse Saison
Saison · 5 gallons
A rustic, highly attenuated Belgian farmhouse ale with spicy yeast character, peppery phenolics, and a bone-dry finish. Originally brewed for farm workers in Wallonia, this style rewards patience and warm fermentation.
Ingredients
Grains & Extracts
Base malt — provides light, bready character
Adds head retention and slight tartness
Adds malt complexity
Add to boil at 10 min remaining. Boosts ABV while keeping body light and dry.
Hops
Yeast
Wyeast 3724 Belgian Saison or WLP565 Belgian Saison I
Instructions
Mash Pilsner, Wheat, and Munich malts at 148°F in 4 gallons of water for 75 minutes. The low mash temp and long rest ensure maximum fermentability.
Mash out at 168°F. Sparge with 170°F water to collect 7 gallons (this will boil down to about 6 during a 90-minute boil).
Bring to a boil. Boil for 90 minutes total (helps drive off DMS from Pilsner malt).
Add 0.5 oz Magnum at 60 min.
Add 1 oz Styrian Goldings at 15 min remaining.
Add 1 lb table sugar at 10 min remaining. Stir to dissolve.
Add 1 oz Saaz at 5 min remaining.
Cool to 68°F. Transfer to fermenter.
Pitch yeast. Start fermentation at 68°F for the first 3 days.
Gradually allow temperature to rise to 80-85°F over the next week. Saison yeast LOVES warmth — this is not an error.
Fermentation may stall around 1.020 — this is normal for Wyeast 3724. Be patient or raise temp to 90°F. It will finish.
Total fermentation: 3-4 weeks. Target FG of 1.004 or lower.
Bottle with 7/8 cup corn sugar for high carbonation. Condition 3-4 weeks.
Brewer's Tips
Wyeast 3724 is famous for stalling mid-fermentation. Do NOT panic. Raise the temperature to 85-90°F and it will restart.
If you want to avoid the stall, use Belle Saison dry yeast or Omega OYL-042 — both are reliable finishers.
The simple sugar addition is traditional and helps the beer finish bone-dry, which is essential to the style.
Saisons should be very highly carbonated (3.0-3.5 volumes CO2). Use heavy bottles (Belgian or champagne style) to avoid bottle bombs.
This beer benefits enormously from 2-3 months of bottle conditioning. It develops complexity over time.