Ingredients: Water, Malted Barley (Pilsner, Vienna, Biscuit), Malted Wheat, Malted Rye, Hops (Hallertau Magnum, Amarillo, Mosaic, Sorachi Ace), Yeast (French Saison)

Saison

Historically this style was brewed for the “saisonniers” or seasonal workers in Wallonia, the French speaking part of Belgium. Tradional Saisons typically had less alcohol than modern iterations and was therefore ideal as a nutritious and refreshing thirst quencher. The beer was often the last one to be brewed before the summer months. This meant the fermentation temperature would be higher than usual which stresses out the yeast leading it to making more flavor. So in a saison it’s mainly the yeast that determines the flavor of the beer.

Yeast

For our French Rye Saison we make use of the Wyeast 3711 French Saison yeast. Saison yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus) contains the STA1 gene which enables it to eat more types of sugar than other beer yeasts. This lowers the residual sugar content at the end of fermentation which gives saison its dry characteristics. This particular yeast strain produces a lot of fruity (esters) and spicy aromas which we further emphasize with the hops.

Malt

We at K.E.G.S. are big fans of different types of cereal grains. Which is why we use 3 different cereal grains in our French Rye Saison: barley, wheat and rye malt. The Pilsner barley malt is mainly responsible for providing the fermentable sugars whereas the Vienna and Biscuit (also known as Aromatic or Amber) barley malt provide flavor and color. Wheat contains more protein compared to barley which helps in creating a solid foam head. The rye adds body to the beer and gives it a characteristic bite which fits perfectly with the spicy hops and yeast.  

Hops

Hallertau Magnum: bittering hop.

Amarillo: floral, spicy, citrus/orange.

Mosaic: tropical, mango, citrus, pine, herbal.

Sorachi Ace: citrus/lemon/orange, dill, cilantro.