Saison Vrucht

5 gallons, partial mash with fruit

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs. unhopped light dry malt extract
• 3 lbs. Belgian pale malt
• 0.125 lb. (2 oz.) medium crystal malt, 40° to 60° Lovibond
• 1 tsp. chocolate malt
• 0.5 lb. malted wheat
• 1.25 oz. Saaz hops (3.1% alpha acid, 4 AAUs) for 90 min.
• 0.4 oz. Goldings hops (5.4% alpha acid, 2 AAUs) for 5 min.
• 0.5 lb. clear candi sugar
• 0.25 oz. crushed coriander seed
• 2 to 4 oz. apricot flavoring essence
• 1 quart yeast slurry — recultured Belgian saison yeast, or a blend of a Belgian ale strain and a Belgian witbier yeast
• 2/3 cup corn sugar for priming

Step by Step:

Heat 1.25 gal. of water to 164° F, mix in crushed grains, and hold at 152° F for 90 min. Sparge with 2 gal. of 169° F water. Add the candi sugar and the dry malt, bring to a boil. Total boil is 90 min. Add the Saaz hops and boil 85 min. Add the Goldings hops, boil another 5 min., turn off the heat. Add coriander (in a fine mesh bag, preferably), steep about 15 min., and remove. Begin chilling, add to fermenter along with enough pre-boiled, chilled water to make 5.25 gal. At 65° to 68° F, pitch yeast.

Ferment relatively warm (65° to 70° F) for three to four weeks. Rack to secondary and condition for six weeks. Prime with corn sugar, add apricot essence, and bottle. Age in bottles for three to four weeks. Serve chilled.

Notes:

Hops: An alpha acid unit is the hop’s alpha acid percentage multiplied by the ounces added. Divide 4 (Saaz) and 2 (Goldings) by your hops’ percent alpha acid to figure the amount of each addition.

All-grain:

Omit the dry malt extract and increase the Belgian pale malt to 7.5 lbs. Mash in 2.5 gal., sparge with 3.5 gal. Proceed with candi sugar, boil as above.

Extract:

Steep the crystal, wheat, and chocolate malts in 2 gal. of 150° F water for 30 min. Omit the pale malt, increase the dry malt to 5 lbs., and boil as above.

Coriander:

Be cautious with the coriander — it easily can be overdone. Steep it for only a few minutes and then remove it quickly.

Fruit:

Apricot is a nice flavor to contrast with the sweetness of the malt and the pungency of the coriander, but experiment with other fruits, such as cherries, raspberries, peaches, and currants.

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