October 23, 2023

326: GABF Gold! Saison Mega-Episode with Ratio and Protagonist on Traditional and Carrot-Infused Saison

1 hour 43 minutes

In this GABF Gold! episode, we dive into the saison category. First up is Jason zumBrunnen, cofounder of Denver's Ratio Beerworks, recent gold medal winner for their King of Carrot Flowers carrot saison (and 2020 silver medal winner in American-Belgo style ale for their Dear You saison dry hopped with Citra, upon which King of Carrot Flowers is based). He dives into saison standards, like building body despite fermenting with diastaticus saison yeast, single infusion mashing in saison, before drilling down on the particulars of using carrot juice—processing, addition timing, maintaining color and haze, and even the secret ingredient that helps promote the idea of sweetness in the very dry beer.

Next is Jeremy Claeys, head brewer for Charlotte's Protagonist Beer, recent gold medal winner for the Kal-El classic saison (and 2022 gold medal winner in American-Belgo style ale for the dry hopped saison Bizarro, as well as 2021 gold medal winner in Specialty Saison for Air is Beautiful). He talks through their philosophy of brewing classic styles with small twists that make traditional beers their own, building character through grain, simplified step mashing, the benefits of high temperature fermentation, blending saison yeasts, bottle conditioning, and lagering both bottled and kegged saison for a cleaner and smoother beer.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project.

BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/): BSG are distributors of Gambrinus Malting, Canada’s original small-batch, artisanal malthouse. They combine European-influenced malting practices with the finest barley, wheat, and rye to produce some of the finest Canadian malts available. Visit BSGCraftBrewing.com/Gambrinus to explore their full line.

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Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io

ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected].

Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability.

The Perfect Purée (https://perfectpuree.com/beer): The Perfect Purée is offering a free sample box of their frozen fruit purees, concentrates and blends to professional brewers. Choose from 40 plus flavors and build a free sample box at perfectpuree.com/beer. Complimentary to professionals only.

Yakima Chief Hops (https://www.yakimachief.com/pink-boots-blend): This episode is brought to you by Yakima Chief Hops. The 7th Annual Pink Boots Blend is now available for pre-order! $3 of every pound of the Pink Boots Blend purchased will be donated to the Pink Boots Society, a nonprofit organization that support women and non-binary individuals in the fermented and alcoholic industry through education. Learn more at www.yakimachief.com/pink-boots-blend

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