Rockit Cup Saison Brewday

Time for another installment of the Rockit Cup. Ridiculous, I know, but what with the 3711 that I just can’t resist, I am powerless before forces greater than myself. Help me, Obi-wan, you’re my only hope.

95. Rockit Cup Saison
Mash:
3 ¼ lbs. Weyerman Bohemian Pilsner
3 ¾ lbs. MFB Pilsner
1 lb. Flaked Oats, roasted @ 250° F for 20 min.
¾ lb. Torrified Red Wheat
¾ lb. Weyerman Light Munich
½ lb. table sugar

Mashed @ 148° F w/ 3 ½ gallons of RO water for 75 minutes
Batch sparged @ 158° F w/ 4 gallons RO water for 20 minutes

Collected 6 gallons; added to brew kettle and topped off to 6 ½ gallons; brought to a boil (60 minute) and added:

w/60 to go: 1 oz. Tettnanger pellet 4.8% AA

w/15 to go: ½ lb. table sugar; 1 tsp. Irish moss

w/0 to go: 1 oz. Tettnanger pellet 4.8% AA

Chilled, racked to carboy, and pitched Wyeast 3711 French Saison

Brewed: 7/16/2011 @ 73°
Secondary: skipped
Bottled: 8/3/2011 @1.000 w/4 0z. table sugar

OG: 1.048
FG: 1.000

Tasting Notes (10/11/2011): Another 3711 beer...bring on the deliciousness. In the Rockit Cup competition, I ended up getting 4th out of the four beers made (smooth, I know), but, interestingly enough, got 3rd with the same beer at Beerfest. So go figure.

Rockit Cup Saison pours a clear straw color with a thick, persistent white head—light and delicate with active carbonation streaming in the glass, making it is a rather attractive beer. The nose is the delicate perfume-y and fruity yeast ester aroma I associate with 3711; there is some slight mustiness and creaminess mixed with earth and loam; the hop character is a bit indistinct in the nose. Flavors start dry and crisp, but with just a dash of residual sweetness—it is a bit crackery via the dryness, and there is a slight carbonic bite. The finish is crisp and bright with a touch of wheatiness, but not much in the way of hop bitterness—I would agree with Gordon Strong’s comments (yes, Gordon Strong judged this beer) that “bitterness is probably the most important thing to fix.” The mouthfeel has a slight silkiness along with the dry body; I might be projecting here, but that was the intention in including the pound of Flaked Oats. Good, and eminently quaffable, which was the initial goal of the Rockit Cup, but it could be tweaked a bit to improve the beer—a stronger hop bitterness and a more distinctive malt character (drop the wheat and something else like MFB Aromatic or Acidulated Malt) would bring this beer together.

Competition: Dayton Beerfest (9/10/2011): 32.5; 3rd place Saison