National Homebrew Competition 2017: Saison entry

With the National Homebrew Competition coming round for 2017 I registered for 6 entries in the regional first round at Philadelphia. A short while later I was notified that I had been granted 5 entries due to the large number of entrants which is not only the rules but also reasonable given the level of interest and limited number of BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) judges available.

I had already started planning late 2016 which beers I wanted to brew and had come up with the following:

• Belgian Blond Ale
  BJCP category 25A
  
• Belgian Dark Strong Ale
  BJCP category 26D
  
• Doppelbock
  BJCP category 9A
  
• Oatmeal Stout*
  BJCP category 16B
• Saison (aka Farmhouse Ale)
  BJCP category 25B
• Wee Heavy (aka Strong Scotch Ale)
  BJCP category 17C

* I decided to drop the Oatmeal Stout from my list of entries due to Stouts usually having a high number of entries.

Recipe

Saison is a beer style that I have brewed on a number of occasions but this time I decided to try a new recipe called Saisoon Bufoon by Randy Mosher out of his Radical Brewing: Tales and World-Altering Meditations in a Glass book (see page 121).

Within the Saison style the color has to be specified from the following:

• Pale (SRM: 5-14)
• Dark (SRM: 15-22)

together with the alcohol strength from the following:

• Table (ABV: 3.5 – 5.0%)
• Standard (ABV: 5.0 – 7.0%)
• Super (ABV: 7.0 – 9.5%)

The version I brewed was subsequently entered as a ‘pale standard’:

• Belgian Pilsner malt – 7 lbs
• Munich malt – 3 lbs
• White Wheat malt – 1 lb 4 oz
• Raw cane sugar – 1 lb 8 oz @ 60 mins
• Northern Brewer hops – 0.75 oz @ 60 mins for bittering
• Czech Saaz – 1.25 oz @ 30 mins for flavoring
• East Kent Goldings – 1.25 oz @ 5 mins for aroma
• Bitter orange peel – 0.4 oz @ 5 mins
• Coriander seeds – 0.4 oz @ 5 mins
• Lallemand Belle Saison dry yeast

Brewing

The brewing schedule included the following steps:

• Mashing @ 153 deg F for 60 mins
• Mash out @ 168 deg F for 10 mins
• Bring to the boil then add bittering hops & corn sugar
• Boil for 30 mins then add flavoring hops
• Boil for 15 mins then add Irish Moss for clarifying
• Boil for 10 mins then add aroma hops
• Boil for 5 mins then chill wort
• Cool wort to 64 deg F then pitch re-hydrated yeast
• Ferment @ 68 deg F until complete, allow to settle then keg, carbonate and bottle

The finished beer had the following characteristics (with BJCP standards):

• Starting Gravity: 1.060 (1.048 – 1.065)
• Finishing Gravity: 1.004 (1.002 – 1.008)
• ABV: 7.35% (5.0 – 7.0%)
• SRM: 5.8 (5 – 14)
• IBUs: 36.3 (20 – 35)

Everything apart from the alcohol content and bitterness (IBUs) were within the relevant ranges.

Results

Each beer is assessed by two judges with marks and attributes assigned under 5 sections.

Judge #1:

• Aroma = 7/12
  • Malt: medium-high & toasty
  • Hops: low & floral
  • Esters: low-medium & fruity
  • Phenols: low
  • Alcohol: low-medium
  • Sweetness: low
  • Acidity: none
  • Comments: toasty for a Saison
• Appearance = 3/3
  • Clarity: medium
  • Head Size: medium
  • Head Retention: medium-high
  • Head Texture: rocky
  • Beer Color: amber
  • Head Color: cream
• Flavor = 9/20
  • Malt: medium-high & grainy, bready & toasty
  • Hops: low
  • Esters: medium & fruity, apple/pear & grape
  • Phenols: none
  • Sweetness: medium
  • Alcohol: medium-high
  • Acidity: low-medium
  • Harshness: low-medium
  • Fusel: medium
  • Comments:
    • toasty malt of lactic sourness
    • sweet finish
    • cut back or eliminate toasted malts
• Mouthfeel = 3/5
  • Body: medium
  • Carbonation: medium
  • Warmth: medium-high
  • Creaminess: low-medium
  • Atsringency: medium
  • Flaws: hot
  • Finish: sweet (verging on cloyiness)
  • Comments: not sufficiently attenuated
• Overall Impression = 4/10
  • Stylistic Accuracy: low-medium
  • Technical Merit: low-medium
  • Intangibles: low-medium
  • Comments:
    • no Saison character
    • ferment fully at warmer temps with true Saison yeast
    • pitch more yeast
• Other Notes
  • Clean sediment
  • No neck ring
• TOTAL = 26/50

Judge #2:

• Aroma = 8/12
  • Malt: medium-high & bready
  • Hops: medium
  • Esters: medium & fruity & banana
  • Phenols: low
  • Alcohol: low-medium
  • Sweetness: low-medium
  • Acidity: none
  • Comments: nice tart yeast smell
• Appearance = 2/3
  • Clarity: high
  • Head Size: medium-high
  • Head Retention: medium-high
  • Beer Color: amber
  • Head Color: ivory
  • Other: lace
• Flavor = 7/20
  • Malt: medium-high & grainy, bready & rich
  • Hops: medium
  • Esters: medium-high & fruity
  • Phenols: low-medium
  • Sweetness: medium
  • Bitterness: medium
  • Alcohol: high
  • Acidity: none
  • Harshness: medium-high
  • Balance: even
  • Comments: fusal, balance of hop, malt, esters
• Mouthfeel = 1/5
  • Body: medium
  • Carbonation: medium-high
  • Warmth: low-medium
  • Creaminess: low
  • Atsringency: medium
  • Flaws: harsh
  • Finish: dry
  • Comments: fusal, hop dryness at finish
• Overall Impression = 6/10
  • Stylistic Accuracy: medium
  • Technical Merit: low-medium
  • Intangibles: low
  • Drinkability: I would finish this sample
• TOTAL = 24/50

Assigned consensus score was 25/50.

I was rather disappointed with this score especially given when I took it to my local homebrew club and had around 30 members mark it in the mid-30’s plus in general thought it was a reasonably good example of the style.

Whilst I will take on-board the comments and tweak the recipe next time I brew it, I do find it interesting that judge #1 (who is a Grand Master IV) suggested I use a Saison yeast (which I did) and that the alcohol was low-medium for Aroma and medium-high for Flavor when in fact it was a little too high for a Standard version.

To address the toasty, bready, maltiness it will probably be best to reduce or eliminate the Munich malt and to gain a more spicy Saison flavor I should probably ferment it at a higher temperature e.g. low 70’s.

Tasting notes:

Yellow with a white head that gradually goes and a body that is hazy. A lemon and spicy aroma. Flavor is slightly bitter, spicy and yeasty after a citrusy start. Medium-high carbonation with a clean thin body and a dry & bitter finish.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions then please feel free to add them below.