Brewing a DARK SAISON: A RARE and RIDICULOUSLY GOOD Beer

Dark Saison is such a cool, and under-brewed style of beer! Take the spiciness, dryness and refreshing qualities of a traditional Belgian Saison and add layered complexities of chocolate and dark fruits. It is an AMAZING combination of flavors and one I really loved making.
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Recipe on Brewfather: share.brewfather.app/EeEAxwtx...
Recipe for 5 gallons (19 L) , your efficiency may vary:
"Au Revoir, L'Hiver"
8.2% ABV 29 IBU
10 lb Franco-Belges Pilsner Malt (69%)
1.5 lb Weyermann Vienna Malt (10.3%)
1 lb D-45 Candi Syrup (6.9%)
1 lb White Wheat Malt (6.9%)
0.5 lb Weyermann Chocolate Rye (3.5%)
0.5 lb Dingemans Special B (3.5%)
Mash:
-148 F (64 C) for 60 min
Water (ppm): Ca: 59, Mg 10, Na 8, Cl 52, SO4 113, HCO3 16
Add to 8 gal (30 L) RO water: 3g CaCl2, 3g Epsom, 4g Gypsum
60 min boil:
Add 1.25 oz (35g) Saaz (3.5% AA) as First Wort Hops (15 IBU)
20 min - Add 1.25 oz (35g) Saaz (3.5% AA) (8 IBU)
10 min - Add 1 oz (28g) Tettnang (4.5% AA) (5 IBU)
0 min - Add 1 oz (28g) Tettnang (4.5% AA) (0 IBU)
OG: 1.069
Yeast: Wyeast 3726 Farmhouse Ale
Ferment for 2 weeks at 70 F (21 C), ramping to 75 F (24 C) at the end. Allow several weeks for diastaticus to slowly work on the residual sugar and dry the beer out.
FG: 1.008
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0:00 Intro and welcome
1:47 Recipe
8:17 Brew day
11:22 Fermentation plan, notes on diastaticus and saison stall
17:42 Fermentation follow-up
18:51 Pour and tasting notes
26:44 Potential Improvements and notes on open fermentation
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Full disclosure, most of the links on this page are affiliate links. This means if you buy through them I make a small percentage from the sale at no additional cost to you. All money earned through the channel goes back into the videos and brews you see on my channel. As always, don't just take my word for it, do your research before you decide to buy.
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#saison #darksaison #belgianbeer #homebrew #fermentation #brewing #beer #homebrewing #clawhammersupply #graintoglass #BIAB #allgrain

[@Thegoatbirdman]

Wish you had more brew day footage. It was my favorite part of the old apartment brewer videos!!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

What is missing from the brew day footage that you would like to see included? Edit - this comment seems to be getting lots of attention, if anyone has stuff they think I could add or bring back, I would appreciate the recommendations!

[@MrDoolay]

@@TheApartmentBrewer personally I would have liked to see a wider angle or an establishing shot of the brew system/FV. This is just nit picking though because most engaging content for me at least has always been talking through why you chose the style, the reasoning behind recipe decisions, fermentation progress/discussion, and most importantly, tasting notes/evaluation. These aspects have been absolutely knocked out of the park in this vid in my opinion. Your descriptions weren’t verbose or wordy (like my comment is) but perfectly articulate. Loved the vid. Keep it up!

[@vexy1987]

I'm personally skipping the brew process every time now because I learn less, it's the variety on styles and beer types that I'm here for... Personally!

[@Thegoatbirdman]

@@TheApartmentBrewer I liked in the OG videos where you would include the mundane parts of brewing…. i.e sparging and stirring the mash and explaining the science occurring during the mash.

[@drsabonete]

3726 is my house strain! I have a brewery in South Germany and what you brewed is very similar to my very popular dark saison! Rock on

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

That is awesome! So far I've absolutely fallen in love with 3726.

[@gustag]

loved the malt being poured into cups. Really illustrative!

[@henrikflygarepipes5471]

If you are in a hurry to get a saison, BE-134 is a monster. Park it at high temperature and it will take a few days from 1.060 to zero. Lots of flavours though.

[@jakobperkin7417]

So cool! Saison is by far my favourite style!

[@hudsonadams6905]

Really been enjoying the content lately!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Awesome!!

[@medic5150]

I open ferment until krausen drops; saran wrap over the bucket will push up like a jiffy pop, but pushes co2 out the hairlines i can fins, but still maintains postive pressure outward, so no worries about cross contamination.

[@ianlaker9161]

One of your best and most informative videos to date Steve. I've just shared this with my home brew group, many of whom are saison fans, here in East Kent, England.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

That's awesome!

[@TheShahart]

Im a bjcp Judge and recently judged a saison flight with 20 beers. They were all standard strength which was helpful, but the vast majority of them used the french saison yeast with its intense black pepper phenols. Its nice to see a different yeast being used! Saisons are supposed to be dry, but I appreciate when wheat is used to soften the phenol bite you can get.

[@AlbeeSoaring]

My first saison I made I used a french saison yeast and it was good but like you said lots of phenols. Mine came out very dry at 1.004. My next version I tried wyeast belgian saison yeast and I just fell in love with that yeast. Still dry but not as dry at 1.008, but I let some age a year and wow the flavors changed and got so freaking good. Did that with the french one and it literally tasted the same after a year. Love this hobby so much cause there is so many different ways to do the same beer and just changing the yeast can be the biggest and easiest change. Cheers.

[@TheShahart]

@@AlbeeSoaring nice! I do 10 gallon batches, so I'll often do split batch experiments with yeast. Easy way to quickly learn yeast characteristics

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

That's awesome! I hope to shake up the norm for saison flights at NHC this year with this beer!

[@AlbeeSoaring]

@@TheApartmentBrewer Its going to get some attention especially if it tastes like you say. Good luck. and thanks for the ideas.

[@sebastianbrisbois2043]

I'm curious, did the beers using French saison yeast score well compared to the other beers?

[@StratoJohn]

Nice, lots of good information on this! I had a brew day today, first time doing a real lager. I do wish for once I could get through a brew day without something going wrong though 😢

[@awendt13]

Just finished an amber saison with an almost identical grist. Used local honey instead of dark candi syrup. Love how complex yet crushable saisons are!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I love it!

[@seancar1988]

Great video

[@RuckinBrit]

Love saison! Thanks for the content and idea, I’m gonna try this one for sure!!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@TheGoodCrusader]

I'm brewing a version of your whit beer right now, love the coriander.

[@CTP-bbq-HundHutte]

Thanks again for the recipe and great content!!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@HeartPumper]

Probably someone mentioned it already. For the candi sugars, you could take some amount of wort out and dissolve it apart from kwttle, then simply pour back in that solution. Less chances for scorching ;)

[@felipesparks5267]

Dark saison is great. Using rye gives it an even spicier note too. I’ve also done dark wheat beers as well (different than a dunkelweizen recipe).

[@ilblance7755]

That's one for the bucket list Great job

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thanks! Its a delicious one!

[@richardguernsey908]

Goodbye Winter indeed! Looks awesome yet again.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I'm really happy to have this one on tap!

[@edwardmeradith2419]

To me it sounds exotic - and delicious!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Thanks Ed!

[@adamchase1129]

Awesome, i usually brew a few throughout the fall and winter!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

They're great styles!

[@tommanning7337]

I made a saison once and loved it!!!! Great video as usual my man!!! 😎👍🏻👍🏻🍺🍺🍺

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Gotta make another!

[@jasonjwise]

Your videos are great!! I have brewed beer for about 15 or so years got out of it when hurricane Katrina hit us in South Louisiana (Port Sulphur ) now I’m just getting back into it. My first couple batches all grain was OK. Messed up a couple times got a little discourage but I’m getting the hang of it again .I will try this one. sounds really good!! keep up the videos Best you can. Thanks🍻🍻

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Keep brewing and it will get better every time! Cheers!

[@urboi_jd7443]

Could you make a video talking more about the open fermentation process?

[@nrml76]

Lallemand farmhouse is my favourite saison yeast currently. It's diastatcus negative and finishes fermenting very fast (typically withing 48 hours for me). It is however low flocculating and tastes better after 8 weeks of conditioning. It hits out all the expected saison flavours but doesn't finish dry (I don't like very dry beers so this is a win for me). The safety from contamination of my equipment with diastaticus positive strains makes it my go to saison yeast.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Great suggestion, and a good thing to know about it being STA negative!

[@michaelcali8304]

That looks so good! Saisons are my favorite style of beer. I'm making my second saison in around a month. I have Pilsner, Vienna, and pale ale malts with saaz hops and M29 French saison yeast. I'll also add coriander and steep some lavender after the boil. Keep up the excellent work!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Sounds like a fantastic beer!

[@nissandjacobsen]

I had a wild fermented dark Saison last year. Seems like a rare style, and one of the best beers I've ever had

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

They are awesome

[@jtc95]

I’ve gotta get more into saisons, this might be just the push I need! Thanks as always Steve, cheers!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

They are such fun beers, full of creativity and personality!

[@jtc95]

@@TheApartmentBrewerI’ll definitely brew one sometime soon! Would you suggest starting with this style or another for a first-time saison brewer?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I don't see anything wrong with starting with this one

[@AlbeeSoaring]

Ive never experience the saison stall. Ive also only used a french saison yeast and wyeast 3724 and both have done well and just ripped through the wort quickly. Great video. This has peeked my interest and Ill probably try something like this.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Yeah it definitely doesn't happen to everyone, seems kind of indiscriminate. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@maximeroget3280]

I brewed one yesterday, I'm curious about the result but will have to be patient

[@malkocy]

I have a hoppy saison fermenting now with BE-134 dry yeast.. I like the way it produces a spicy saison with a bit of fruitiness.. And it does not stall, and dries out the beer.. Its like S-05 of Saison.. Summer is coming, one should have saison and wit in the stock..

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Nice!

[@vruychev]

Haha that last gulp must have felt good, but I'm sure the nap after was even better. Damn 8%!!! Great job, Steve, and as always - cheers 🍺

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Haha it is definitely a heavy hitter!

[@tedcollins7914]

I LOVE this style.... when I lived in Hawaii i was able to get an incredible one made by Widmer Brothers. No longer able to find it so I brew one on occasion.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Its so rare, but awesome when you can get it!

[@shaunstaples3d44]

I love the Blaugies strain! My favourite beer to date is an attempt to clone their spelt saison with raw spelt. It’s hard to get it to attenuate as far down as some other saison strains, but I love the character!

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Wow! That sounds like an exciting beer to make!

[@paskrell]

Thank you so much for sharing! When you have positive yeast strains, what is your cleaning routine? I am usually grabbing the enzyme cleaner to be 100% sure that my next Beer in the fermenter does not get bone dry.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I've not modified my cleaning routine for them and haven't had a contamination yet. CIP with hot water, PBW, hot water and then clean all gaskets and attachments individually.

[@lukasjager2085]

Fun story about that whole "If you bottle condition, wait a long time until it is finished"-bit: The Saison I made fermented down to like 0.25°P / 1.001 SG. I thought to myself "Yeah okay, this is finished. There is just no sugar left to ferment here..." :D Thanks for making this. Dark Saison is a style that could use some more attention.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Diastaticus will do that!

[@dahe8883]

Ever thought of adding stout chocolate character to a hefeweizen, to get a banana split character; sweet chocolate syrup and banana esters? Would love to hear your experience with that or comments as to how it might work with a recipe.

[@vikramjitsingh4538]

its a very beautiful looking beer.......can i please get a pint.......nice video Steve.......cheers

[@chrisnewman861]

As it turns out I have all these ingredients in my collection except for the candy sugar - thinking maybe dextrose and some Carahell perhaps?? Or maybe some honey?? I'll also be pitching Mangrove Jacks M29 French Saison and reckon I'll go with the same temperatures & open ferment. If it turns out even close to how yours sounds & looks , I'll be stoked. 🍻

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Honey would be a really cool addition to this!

[@JPatacas]

Hi, Can you please explain how turning on and off the pump after 5 minutes helps with the whirlpool? Thanks in advance

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

It allows the circulating material in the kettle to clump in the center and fall to the bottom

[@FrankGenoBruno]

When did u place the airlock into the fermenter or did you leave the foil for the entire primary?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I put the airlock back in once I noticed primary fermentation beginning to wind down

[@johnsikking4891]

I’m curious is open fermenting with a foil covering? I thought open ferment, meant the port was left open to the air. I ask because I often cover my fermenter with foil in the no chill phase.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Open fermenting just means there is no airlock - a dry airlock counts, a foil covering (loose, not sealed) counts.

[@albrough]

Belle Saison is sadly being discontinued by Lallemand. Great video, I’ll be taking some inspiration from it! Please include more metric temperature measurements

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

That is a shame. It was a great yeast. Which metric measurement was missing? I believe I provided equivalents for all onscreen temperatures

[@lukasjager2085]

NOOOOOO! I wanted to switch to Belle Saison from BE-134! Do you have a source for this? Edit: Lallemand's website says that Belle Saison is only available in 500g and 20kg packages. They could have given an explanation though... :|

[@albrough]

@@TheApartmentBrewerat 10:25. I‘m ordering ingredients now to make this! Thanks again for the inspiration 16:39 both WB-06 and BE-134 are listed as POF positive on the Fermentis website

[@tylerschmid2864]

I have the clawhammer 20 gallon system and I'll be darned if I can get the controller dialed in. I've talked to Emmett about it but I still can't get it to come even close to. My new trick it to just keep frigging with it during the whole brew session. Any suggestions?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I'd recommend calibrating on boiling water. Find out what the temperature of boiling distilled water is at your altitude and calibrate the controller from there.

[@herbstava]

So I’ve been easing back on higher ABV beers- how can I make this like ~6% and still taste good? Should I reduce hops as well as fermentables? Is it even worth it or should I just go for the higher ABV?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Just scale everything back a bit and it will be fine. Yes to keep the balance of the flavor scale the hops back as well. Try to keep the same ratio of IBUs to gravity points.

[@Rubberduck-tx2bh]

"DON'T" pressure ferment saison yeast? Whoops...!!! I just did a Belgian Saison kit in my Torpedo Keg. It finished in just a couple days @12 psi, but I let it sit for another couple weeks to finish out. Tasted good (albeit warm) when I drew off a sample to test the FG. Waiting for space in my beer meister to move it to serving keg.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

It depends on the strain, but some of them will straight up quit if they get too much pressure.

[@Joeymuffs]

How did u calibrate your clawhammer system? Bring to a boil or use ice water? I did ice water but idk if I’m getting that accurate temps when mashing cause boil temp only shows 205-208 at sea level. Thanks

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

The best way to calibrate is with boiling water. Find out what the temperature water boils at for your altitude and calibrate to that.

[@sergeyp6071]

How did chocolate rye contribute to the beer flavour/aroma?

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Its hard to describe but it gives a little bit more of depth to the dark malt flavor, very similar to a typical chocolate malt contribution, but with more intensity that feels more interesting. Wouldn't say the zippiness was coming from the rye, but definitely made things interesting.

[@bjsgordo]

Dry airlock works great to avoid saison yeast stall

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Technically thats an open fermentation as well!

[@sgoadhouse]

One of my top 5 brews was a Dark Saison. It was from a Northern Brewer recipe kit called Saison de Noel. Looked like a stout, smelled like a Weissbier and tasted like a Belgian Dark Strong (aka a Quad) but much drier. I loved the complexity and how it played with your expectations. That recipe used the D90 and it did have a lot of dark fruit flavor. I like your use of Chocolate Rye and may "steal" that for the next time I brew this. The yeast was Fermentis BE-134 (dry), which I did not hear mentioned as a suggestion in your video (perhaps I missed it). I thought the phenols and esters were awesome and I would use this yeast again.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I'm glad they still make that kit, the beer needs more publicity!

[@andybryson3887]

You never mentioned Sodium Bicarb or Sea Salt in your salt additions. So how did you get the Sodium and Bicarb levels required by your water profile. I assume this was an omission. My calcs say 0.7g Sodium Bicarb, 3g each of CaCl, Epsom & Gypsum & 0.2g of Sea Salt or 1g of Sodium Bicarb if you want to avoid the Sea Salt, ending up with a slightly higher Bicarb of 21ppm in the final profile

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

It is the base water profile from RO that exists on brewfather. Realistically there isn't going to be an impact from such low ppm of each mineral

[@ElementaryBrewingCo]

One of the first beers I made all grain was a dark Saison kit from Northern Brewer. I used a French Saison yeast and that beer was phenomenal! It almost tasted like root beer, the combination of dark grains and sees yeast provides for some very interesting flavor combinations. Cheers, Steve 🍻

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Its such a cool style and I'm glad Northern Brewer has that kit!

[@CesarWilly08]

WB06 is in fact STA1+

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

I figured as much

[@charlesjohnson5811]

I bet the wife wishes you looked at her the way you look at that dark saison 😂

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

lmao

[@PatrickSandy78]

I have a lot of buckwheat and rye. So, I have been working on an Eastern European Dark 'Saison' with Gnome. Steve, you need to teach KZbinrs how to talk to the camera. You look and sound like you're talking to a person and not an inanimate object. Also, your pacing is dialed in.

[@TheApartmentBrewer]

Glad my technique is working well for you! I'm excited to hear how your dark saison goes!