#42 - StarTropics - Hoppy Brett Saison

With the end of summer quickly approaching here in DC (and me preparing for my trip to Munich for Oktoberfest!) I found myself with a free weekend, a few empty carboys, and a desire to make one last saison during the hot season.

For this beer I wanted heavy hop flavors and lots of bitterness, backed up with enough malt to keep things balanced, interesting, and ready for Autumn.  I also wanted to further explore the combination of Nelson Sauvin and Brettanomyces that I tried a few beers back so for the yeast I used the slurry from the Brett Saison as the primary (rather than in the secondary) and added Crooked Stave dregs to add even more varieties of fruity and funky Brettanomyces.  I also kept Nelson Sauvin as a major component of the hop profile but added my two favorite citrusy American hops: Cascade and Amarillo.

As I've done with many beers, and particularly often recently, I plan to experiment with this beer after the primary ferment, though this time I don't have preset plans.

Expected
1.061 OG
1.008 FG
62      IBU
7.0% ABV
10     SRM

Fermentable	Amount		Use	PPG	Color
Maris Otter Pale (UK)	8.5 lb	61 %	Mash	38	3 °L
Vienna (US)	4.5 lb	32 %	Mash	35	4 °L
Caramel/Crystal 60L (US)	0.5 lb	3 %	Mash	34	60 °L
Victory (US)	0.25 lb	1 %	Mash	34	28 °L

Hop	Amount	Time	Use	Form	AA
Nugget (US)	0.5 oz	60 min	Boil	Pellet	14.10%
Cascade (US)	2.0 oz	4 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	7.10%
Amarillo (US)	3.0 oz	4 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	8.50%
Nelson Sauvin (NZ)	1.0 oz	4 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	12.00%
Cascade (US)	2.0 oz	5 min	Whirlpool	Pellet	7.10%
Amarillo (US)	1.0 oz	5 min	Whirlpool	Pellet	8.50%
Nelson Sauvin (NZ)	3.0 oz	5 min	Whirlpool	Pellet	12.00%

Name                                         Average Attenuation
Brett Saison Blend                         87.50%

9/13/14
Brewed on stove top with no issues.  Whirlpool hops actually done as 20 minute hop steep.  OG measured at 1.058 (with a slightly low reading hydrometer).  Fermentation took off within 8 hours.

9/17/14
Fermentation still fairly active, gravity only down to 1.022 so this one should have a ways to go. Flavor is a melange of peach and white wine with just a touch of the bitterness showing through under the still high sweetness.

9/25/14
Gravity down to 1.007 with fermentation at a near standstill but the Brett will probably continue working away for a little while.

10/16/14
Running way behind on this one due to getting delayed on my return from Europe but finally added the first wave of dry hops (1.5 oz Amarillo, 1 oz Cascade and .5 oz Nelson Sauvin) to the primary.  Gravity down to 1.006 and tasting super funky without much hop presence prior to the dry hop additions.  Had been hoping to keg this, but getting the kegerator in place has also fallen behind schedule so I will probably just bottle in 8-10 days after another round of dry-hopping.

10/21/14
Racked 3 gallons onto the second wave of dry hops.  The remainder (about 1.5 gallons) was split between two 1 gallon jugs, one with 4 oz. demerara sugar and paradise seeds and the other with lime juice and a tangelo tincture I have been holding onto for a while.  My entire apartment is currently engulfed with amazingly fruity and citrusy hop aromas.

10/25/14
Bottled 3 straight gallons as #42, Demerara version as #42B, and Lime/Tangelo version as #42C.

7/16/16

Approaching two years in the bottle and this one is tasting pretty good. Hop character has certainly faded but the Brett character still gives a lime and pepper impression.