25B Saison
September Saison
Adjuncts
| Yeast nutrient | 1 tsp @ 10 min |
| Whirlfloc | 1 g @ 10 min |
Hop schedule
| Hop | 60 min | 10 min | WP 85°C | DH#1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Cross | 15g | · | · | · |
| Rakau | · | 15g | 25g | · |
| Pacifica | · | · | 20g | · |
| Riwaka | · | · | · | 30g |
Yeast
| LalBrew Farmhouse | 2 packets |
Water additions
| Calcium Chloride | 4 g |
| Calcium Sulfate | 2 g |
| Magnesium Sulfate | 2 g |
A late-winter saison brewed to showcase New Zealand hop character alongside the signature ester profile of LalBrew Farmhouse. The grain bill wasn’t recorded for this batch — process notes are complete but fermentables were omitted at the time.
Mash
A four-step programme was used: a brief beta glucan rest at 45°C for 10 minutes (to support lautering with high adjunct loads), a 63°C saccharification rest for 60 minutes for a highly fermentable wort, an alpha amylase rest at 72°C for 10 minutes to lock in body, then mash out at 76°C. Sparged with 16 L at 76°C. Mash pH 5.4, sparge pH 5.6. A slight stuck mash required gentle agitation to clear.
Hops
Southern Cross bittered at 60 minutes (15 g) for its clean, piney bitterness. Rakau at 10 minutes (15 g) added tropical stone fruit flavour, with a second 25 g charge in the whirlpool alongside 20 g Pacifica — the NZ-Hallertau hybrid bringing orange marmalade and herbal notes. The whirlpool stand began at 85°C and was cooled gradually to 75°C over 20 minutes. Riwaka 30 g was dry hopped at day 3, right in the middle of active fermentation, to integrate into the ester character.
Fermentation
Two packets of LalBrew Farmhouse were pitched at 22°C. Within 24 hours gravity had already dropped 15 points to 1.045 — the yeast is famously fast. Temperature was allowed to free-rise up to ~28.5°C before being held at 26.5°C then nudged to 27°C around day 4 to finish. The spunding valve was left open for the first six days to allow CO₂ to vent, then closed to capture natural carbonation. The heater was switched off around day 7 and temperature dropped to 18°C naturally before cold crashing to 3°C.
Final gravity reached 1.011 (6.4% ABV) after a rounding period at 1.013.
Packaging & Tasting
No formal kegging date was recorded — a sample bottle was shake-carbed for a club tasting. Early tasters at day 11 showed fresh, clean flavour with classic Farmhouse saison aroma. A few weeks in, some yeast stress character came through — recognisable and a little strong. After further conditioning it settled and cleaned up.
LalBrew Farmhouse is distinctive: powerful and present early, but it rewards patience.