Spring Beer Release: Rye Saison

My spring saison for this year was designed mostly to see if I prefer the Abbaye ale yeast vs. the more typical Belle Saison yeast I frequently use for saison.

Last spring I tried to brew a saison with Abbaye but I ended up with some fermentation problems so I added Belle Saison. I really couldn't determine if I like the Abbaye yeast or not since I added the second yeast.

From Lallemand:

LalBrew Abbaye™ is an ale yeast of Belgian origin. Selected for its ability to ferment Belgian style beers ranging from low to high alcohol, LalBrew Abbaye™ produces the spiciness and fruitiness typical of Belgian and Trappist style ales. When fermented at higher temperatures, typical flavors and aromas include tropical, spicy and banana. At lower temperatures, LalBrew Abbaye™ produces darker fruit aromas and flavors of raisin, date, and fig. Traditional styles brewed with this yeast include but are not limited to Belgian White, Belgian Blonde, Belgian Golden, Dubbel, Tripel, and Quad.

STATS:

• OG 1.050

• FG 1.009

• ABV 5.4%

• FERMENTATION 11-14 Days at 65F

• Malts: Mostly floor-malted Bohemian Pilsner plus some rye and carahell

• Hops: Hallertauer Mittelfruh and Saaz

• Yeast: Abbaye Ale

RECIPE

IMPRESSIONS:

The beer poured very clear and nicely carbonated. It was clearer than the picture shows, since it is getting near the bottom of the keg. It's gold in color and the aromas are banana and ripe tropical fruit. Very nice. I didn't pickup any pepper or spice in the aroma. The flavor matches the aroma, mostly bubblegum and banana with a slight pepper/spicy note, perhaps from the Saaz or the Rye. It finished dry and slightly bitter. It seemed to get better over time and peaked at around 30 days after cold crash. It most definitely has a Belgian character, while it may lack the complexity of a true Saison or Farmhouse Ale.

Overall this one is very good but if I had to brew it again, I would return to using the Belle Saison yeast, which seems to give a bit more complex character.

RATING 4/5