25B Saison
January Saison – 25B
Grain bill
| Weyermann Barke Pilsner Malt | 4.2 kg | 79.1% |
| Weyermann Wheat Malt | 0.3 kg | 5.7% |
| Gladfield Rye Malt | 0.3 kg | 5.7% |
| Weyermann Vienna Malt | 0.2 kg | 3.8% |
| Dextrose | 0.3 kg | 5.7% |
Adjuncts
| Whirlfloc | 1 tablet @ 10 min |
| Yeast Nutrient | 4 g @ 10 min |
Hop schedule
| Hop | 60 min | 15 min | 5 min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Czech Saaz | 33g | · | · |
| Styrian Goldings | · | 20g | 10g |
Yeast
| Mangrove Jack's M29 French Saison | 1 packet |
Water additions
| Calcium Sulfate | 6 g |
| Calcium Chloride | 2 g |
About This Beer
Saison De Cyprès is a 25B Saison brewed on New Year’s Day 2026, the first batch of the year. The recipe is a straightforward BJCP 25B — nothing clever, just trying to do the style properly. This is my first brew with M29 French Saison, and the goal was to give the yeast as much room as possible: a grist that doesn’t compete with it, and a process designed to push attenuation and expression.
The grist is Weyermann Barke Pilsner as the base, with small additions of wheat, rye, and Vienna. The rye at 300g adds texture and subtle spice without becoming the point. Czech Saaz and Styrian Goldings are both classic saison territory. Dextrose at 300g was added to push attenuation and keep the body on the dry side, exactly where a saison should finish.
The batch scored 45/50 at the Autumn Invitational BJCP competition — the closest I’ve come to nailing this style — and is entered as Saison De Cyprès at Euroclash 2026.
Brew Day
Mashed in at 63.5°C with 17L, deliberately low to produce a highly fermentable wort to complement the dextrose addition. 75-minute rest, ramp to 75°C over 10 minutes, held for another 10, sparged 15L at 76°C. Mash pH 5.3, sparge pH 5.6. Pre-boil 29L on the BrewZilla 35L Gen 4.
Boil ran 75 minutes: Saaz 33g at 60 minutes, Styrian Goldings 20g at 15 and 10g at 5. Dextrose, Whirlfloc, and yeast nutrient all went in at 10 minutes. Post-boil 24.5L, with 23.5L into the FermZilla. OG landed at 1.050, right on target.
Fermentation
M29 was moving within 12 hours. Initial hold at 20–21°C, then free rise with the cooling trigger set at +4°C, allowing a climb toward 25°C before the fridge engaged. Temperature raised gradually through primary, finishing around 27°C and held until Day 12–13, then crashed to 3°C for a day or two before kegging.
Attenuation was exceptional: FG 1.003 from OG 1.050, just under 94% apparent attenuation. That’s M29 doing exactly what it does. Kegged via closed transfer; beer cleared well during the cold crash.
The Result
Aroma leads with light pepper, citrus peel, and dry farmhouse edge — everything you want from a saison. Flavour is clean and bone dry, with Saaz bitterness sitting quietly underneath. The rye adds subtle texture; the mouthfeel feels right even if you couldn’t pick it out blind.
The real verdict came from the Autumn Invitational BJCP competition where this batch scored 45/50, placing fifth overall for Best of Show. Entered at Euroclash 2026 on 16 May.
What’s Next
I want to experiment with the hop selection — whether a small late addition of something more aromatic would complement the yeast character or just compete with it. One idea is deliberately oxidising some hops in the fridge for a few weeks; that earthy, slightly cheesy note can work well in traditional farmhouse beers. I’m also curious whether a more aggressive early temperature ramp would coax more ester and phenol character from M29. Worth testing side by side with the current approach.