28C Wild Specialty Beer
November Saison (Wild)
Grain bill
| Gladfield Light Lager Malt | 2.8 kg | 43.9% |
| Harraways Flaked Wheat | 1 kg | 15.7% |
| Gladfield Wheat Malt | 1 kg | 15.7% |
| Gladfield Vienna Malt | 0.8 kg | 12.6% |
| Harraways Rolled Oats | 0.45 kg | 7.1% |
| Gladfield Rye Malt | 0.32 kg | 5% |
| Oat Hulls | 0.22 kg |
Adjuncts
| Coriander Seed (crushed) | 10 g @ 5 min |
| Yeast Nutrient | 4 g @ 10 min |
| Protafloc | 1.5 g @ 10 min |
Hop schedule
| Hop | 60 min | 30 min | 5 min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Styrian Goldings | 20g | · | 30g |
| Czech Saaz | · | 20g | 30g |
Yeast
| WildBrew Philly Sour | 1.5 packets |
| LalBrew Farmhouse | 1 packet |
| Wild Mixed Cultures | 1L starter (Two Bites Wild Workshop bottle dregs) |
Water additions
| Calcium Chloride | 4 g |
| Calcium Sulfate | 2 g |
| Magnesium Sulfate | 2 g |
Tasting notes
2025-12-10
About This Beer
November Saison (Wild) is a three-stage fermentation project: a saison base designed to pass through three successive yeast cultures, each adding a layer of character. Philly Sour provides the lactic acid foundation; LalBrew Farmhouse adds spice, pepper, and dry farmhouse character; a wild culture grown from Two Bites Wild Workshop bottle dregs adds funk and complexity for extended conditioning.
The grist is deliberately cloudy and textured — Light Lager Malt, Gladfield Wheat, Flaked Wheat, rolled oats, rye, and Vienna — with oat hulls for lautering help given the high adjunct load. Coriander seed at 5 minutes adds a subtle citrus-spice note that suits both the farmhouse and wild character.
The clean sour portion (approx. 3L) was packaged into a mini keg in December. The wild portion (approx. 20L) is still fermenting and conditioning as of April 2026.
Brew Day
Mash in at 66.6°C for 60 minutes, mash out at 76°C, sparge 13L at 78°C. Mash pH 5.4. Pre-boil 28.5L, 60-minute boil on the BrewZilla 35L Gen 4. Styrian Goldings 20g at 60 minutes and 30g at 5; Czech Saaz 20g at 30 and 30g at 5; coriander seed (10g, crushed) at 5 minutes. 0.5L top-up post-boil, 24L into the fermenter at OG 1.059.
Fermentation
Stage 1 — Philly Sour (Days 0–3): 1.5 packets pitched at 22°C, held at 22–23°C for 72 hours. Gravity dropped from 1.059 to 1.051 with active foam through the first two days. Lactic acid phase targeted pH 3.3–3.5.
Stage 2 — LalBrew Farmhouse (Days 3–10): 1 packet co-pitched at end of day 3 at 22°C. Temperature ramped 1°C per day toward 25°C. Gravity fell from 1.051 to 1.017 over this phase.
Stage 3 — Wild Culture (from 10 Dec): Approximately 20L transferred to a bucket fermenter and pitched with a 1L wild culture starter at peak krausen. The starter was grown from Two Bites Wild Workshop bottle dregs over three stepped DME builds across four weeks (4 Nov, 21 Nov, 29 Nov). The remaining 3L was cold crashed and transferred to a mini keg.
Wild fermentation progression: by 18 Dec (8 days in) gravity was 1.014 with fruity aroma developing. By 25 Dec (2 weeks) gravity 1.012 with a light phenolic note and thin pellicle forming — normal for a culture transitioning from primary to slow phase. By early January the pellicle covered the full surface. By mid-February (10 weeks) gravity 1.008, pH 3.9, with strong blue cheese aroma — the Pediococcus sick phase, driven by exopolysaccharides. By mid-March (15 weeks) gravity 1.004, pH 4.0, the cheese character had shifted to fruity and funky, and a new full pellicle had grown. Still conditioning.
The Result
The clean sour portion sampled on 10 December was very drinkable: great sour flavour, some residual malt sweetness, balanced saison character. Slightly sharp at that stage with wild complexity still to come. The wild portion’s progression from blue cheese to fruity funk is tracking as expected — the sick phase resolved itself, consistent with Brettanomyces taking over cleanup from Pediococcus.