La Saison Noire

Uh, no, I don’t smoke, those are joke photos.

This is my interpretation of a French Flanders black saison, using Wyeast’s private collection #3711 French Saison Yeast.  The ingredients are very simple, but develop complex flavors during fermentation as a result of the unique yeast – phenolic, citrusy, peppery, dry with a sweet aftertaste.

• 1 lb. Belgian Caramunich
• 0.5 lbs. Belgian Carafa III
• 6 lbs. Pilsen Malt Syrup
• 1 lb. Pilsen Dry Malt Extract
• 2 oz. Argentina Cascade (bittering)
• Wyeast #3711 French Saison Yeast - Fermented at 68°F.

The label is inspired by an African independent film, “Une Saison Noire”, literally One Black Season.  The lobby poster features black revolutionaries and machine guns, so I had my daughters snap some mock “Che” revolutionary leader photos.  The middle photo is licensed from a stock photo company, but the other two are me.  The cigarette is not real – I don’t smoke – but every picture of French Resistance Fighters you ever see has one guy with a cig, so I thought it would be funny.  My 8-yr-old snapped the left panel pic – I think she shows some real promise. 

Brewed November 2008, bottled March 2009 in 22 oz. Bombers.

Düsseldorf Domination!

I just brewed a strong Dusseldorf Alt, commonly known as a Sticke Alt, pitching a June 2008 tube of White Labs WLP 036, their Premier Series strain of Dusseldorf Alt.  The age of the yeast was a concern, so I built up a 2000ml starter over a week – uhh, not to worry, it’s churning like crazy, and the blowoff jug is now dark with expended wort.

That high-tech gadget on the carboy is a digital temperature probe with a styrofoam insulator and copious amounts of tape – the insulation is a method to obtain the temp of the wort, rather than the frig.  The controller is plugged into a low-heat dehydrator bottom, which supplies enough heat to maintain the wort temp at 60° for primary fermentation of this yeast (if you wanted to cool the wort, you just plug the controller into the frig).  Once I finish primary, I will crash both the Alt and the Pils in the background down to 36° for a month-long lager.