Filtered Saison

[Kushal]

Anyone ever made a filtered Saison?

[Terroir]

I hope not

[rudge75]

I think the Ovila by SN is. We had it this past week and it was clear as a bell, and missing some of the benefits of the yeast, and all off the drawbacks of the yeast as well.

[porter]

Clear, not filtered

We don't filter our Smog City LA Saison but, we do fine it with BioFine. I find that there is just too much yeast in suspension even after a 14 day warm ferment and 7 day cold conditioning.

I fine it as it goes into the bright tank and let it sit for a minimum of 48hrs before racking. It is still very hazy at that point.

It somehow ends up clear after another week if left undisturbed in the keg. Even with 28% wheat in the grist.

Some of our accounts don't finish their kegs because they get down to the end and then someone jostles it and it pours really murky. They never complain and keep ordering, so I see no reason to try and get the beer clearer or keep it cloudy. It tastes great either way.

---I am no longer fining our Saison because it directly competes with products in the market that are hazy or cloudy. I find that if it drops clear after some time, people don't think of it as a "wheat beer" or whatever and then don't order it.---

[chaser]

only against my will and hopefully never again. there's just something not right about a clear saison...

[wlg]

I find these beers really need to be left alone with the yeast to do their thing for at least a few weeks if you're seeking an "authentic" character. I'm not saying it couldn't be filtered, but if you're in a hurry to move product you might want to do something else. Also, I think the US customer that is seeking a beer labeled "saison" probably expects haze, but there really are no rules w/ these beers, and I feel like I've had clear bottle-conditioned products from Europe...

[BrewinLou]

We do. We debated it a long time before coming to a decision. We already have a Hefe in our summer lineup and wanted a clean looking beer as well. It packs plenty of wonderful flavor. I received some fantastic comments from other brewers over it.

[Kushal]

Thanks for the responses.

We were not out to create a Saison per say, but to add a more interesting yeast character to our filtered wheat beer.

I ended up using Belgian Ardennes Ale yeast from Wyeast. Attenuates well, but takes longer than our Cali'. Flocculated OK, but not great. Will see how the repitch does. Adds a complex fruity character we are happy with. Filter is this Thursday. Will see how it tastes finished soon.

Cheers,

[BrewinLou]

We use the Ardennes from WL. It seems to drop some and float some. Maybe a top cropper? There is usually a pretty sizable yeast plug at the end of the filter run, much more so than the Cali.