Brewery Trial Recipe - Session Saison: Tragic Magic 4.0

It's been awhile since the last time I posted about this beer recipe, but yet this is only the next iteration.  Something about a 4.5% ABV Session Saison that didn't scream rebrew me during the cold months of Winter.  Over the past versions of this recipe there was just something less authentic about this beer, especially in the hopping.  I recently did a Super Saison with all Noble hops as a test batch and really like the results, although the amount of Vienna in the base on that one made it a little too malty.  For this trial recipe I wanted to try to pull in a little more rusticness and some spiciness so I swapped out the Flaked Oats for Flaked Rye and kicked up the percentage to double what I had used with the oats.  I also subbed in some German Dark Wheat for some added foam and color as well as a little more rustic bite.  I also went with Noble type hops on this run using Saaz for its spicy floral tones, and Hallertau and Tettnang for there floral, spice, and herbal notes.  So far the gravity samples are much more in line with where I want this beer to be.  Much more rustic, some herbal spiciness, dry, crisp, medium level maltiness, bitter finish, and lots of complex fruitiness.

One of my Brett strains in this blend impacts the hops quite drastically as it biotransforms the hop oils into something new and unique compared to Sacc strains.  On some beers this is wonderful as it teases out underlying fruity flavors from hops that usually are herbal and dank while downplaying the dank and herbal notes.  On some beers it is the opposite where it downplays the big bold fruits and ramps up the dank and herbal notes instead.  As an experiment on this batch I am going to Bio-Fine half the batch upon kegging to remove as much of the yeast as possible.  I will then transfer it onto the dry hops.  The other half will go onto the dry hops from primary and still have yeast in suspension, then Bio-Fine it after the dry hopping is complete.  My hope is to have a clear enough difference between the two to see what the raw character of the hops would be vs the biotransofrmed character.  I plan to do this on my next IPA recipe as well.

NAME: Tragic Magic

STYLE: Farmhouse Ale

TYPE: All Grain

SIZE:  12 gallons

OG: 1.037

FG:  1.003

ABV: 4.5%

SRM: 6

IBU: 35 (Modified Tinseth)

Efficeincy: 79% (mash)

Grain Bill:

Pilsner, Vienna, Flaked Rye, German Dark Wheat Malt, Chocolate Malt (for color), Sugar

Hop Bill:

Magnum, Saaz, Tettnang, Hallertau

Water:

Crisp, dry, bitter.

Yeast:

Blend for fruit and earth/spice

Additional:

Half Dry Hopped before Fining, half Fined before Dry Hopping.