30A Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer
G&T Saison
Grain bill
| Gladfield Light Lager Malt | 3.1 kg | 41.4% |
| Harraways Flaked Wheat | 1.2 kg | 16% |
| Gladfield Wheat Malt | 1.2 kg | 16% |
| Gladfield Vienna Malt | 0.9 kg | 12% |
| Harraways Rolled Oats | 0.5 kg | 6.7% |
| Gladfield Rye Malt | 0.36 kg | 4.8% |
| Oat Hulls | 0.22 kg | 2.9% |
Adjuncts
| Coriander seeds | 10 g @ 10 min |
| Juniper berries | 150 g, added day 7 in sanitised vodka |
| Lime leaves | 16 leaves, added day 7 in sanitised vodka |
| Lemon zest | to taste, added day 7 in sanitised vodka |
| Whirlfloc | 1 g @ 10 min |
| Yeast nutrient | 2 g @ 10 min |
Hop schedule
| Hop | 90 min | 30 min | 10 min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuggles | 20g | · | 30g |
| Saaz | · | 20g | 30g |
Yeast
| Lalbrew Belle Saison | 2 packets |
Water additions
| Calcium Chloride | 4 g |
| Calcium Sulfate | 2 g |
| Magnesium Sulfate | 2 g |
| Lactic acid | — |
Tasting notes
2024-01-28
A gin-and-tonic-inspired saison: a high-wheat, high-rye base built for body and complexity, fermented dry with Belle Saison, then loaded with botanicals on day 7. The G&T character comes from juniper, lime leaves, and lemon zest macerated in sanitised vodka and added during fermentation. 90-minute boil for better DMS reduction with the adjunct-heavy grist.
Grain Bill
Seven-component grist totalling 7.48 kg, built for body and haze with farmhouse character: Light Lager (41.4%) provides the clean fermentable base; Flaked Wheat (16.0%) and Wheat Malt (16.0%) contribute protein, head retention, and haziness; Vienna (12.0%) adds warmth; Rolled Oats (6.7%) build body and mouthfeel; Rye (4.8%) adds spice complexity that bridges to the botanical additions; Oat Hulls (2.9%) as a lautering aid for the adjunct-heavy grist.
Hops
Two English/Czech varieties across four additions, 100 g total: Fuggles (50 g) at 90 minutes and 10 minutes for earthy, traditional bitterness; Saaz Select (50 g) at 30 minutes and 10 minutes for herbal, clean bittering. Neither variety contributes strong late aroma — the hop role here is background bittering to balance the botanical additions and saison yeast spice.
Coriander seeds (10 g) added at the 10-minute mark in the boil for a background citrus note.
Fermentation
Lallemand Belle Saison in the All Rounder at 22°C for 48 hours, then raised 1°C per day to 25°C. Belle Saison’s highly attenuative character drove FG to 1.001 — true saison dryness. On day 7, juniper berries (150 g), lime leaves (16 leaves), and lemon zest macerated in sanitised vodka were added directly to the fermenter. Gravity settled around 1.001 by day 10; chilled to 5°C on day 13.
Packaging & Tasting
Bottled day 14, carbonated to 2.8 vol CO₂ — higher than pale ales to accentuate the saison character. Tasted 2024-01-28 at bottling: balanced flavour with stronger juniper character than prior G&T batches; very clear and expressive. Battery monitoring on the fermentation probe is important for longer warm-ferment schedules.