Banana Brett Saison

I talked about sour beers a few posts back. I explained to y'all some of the changes that occur when you incorporate wild yeast and bacteria into a beer in addition to brewer's yeast. I have been experimenting some with funking (adding wild microbes) beers and have finally been able to enjoy some of the fruits of my labor. In that previous post, I talked about a beer that I made with bananas and Brettanomyces (wild yeast). I didn't know what to expect when I first tossed them into the fermenter. I have to say, I am quite pleased with the results!

Appearance:  Golden yellow. Straw colored, but a muted straw. Very clear. No head to speak of.

Aroma:  Smells like Brett. Funky. Some horseyness/barnyard (but not in a bad way). Slight sour aroma probably resulting from acetic acid. All funk, no malt or hops.

Taste:  Extremely complex! Nice blend of sour and earthy notes. Slight hop bite, but it has largely faded from what the non-soured saison boasted. Mild caramel flavor. Mild toasty notes. The flavor has certainly improved since my last tasting (which I didn’t write up a post for, oops!!!).

Mouthfeel:  Very light. It seems a lot of the carbonation has faded a bit too. Feels as light as it looks.

Good beer overall. The hoppiness clashes a bit with the other flavors, overpowering them slightly. I will be interested to try this in a few more months.

Recipe Name:         Banana Brett Saison

Recipe Volume:      1 gallon

Yeast:                     White Labs WLP568 Saison Blend for primary fermentation
                                Brett cultured from El Cedro for secondary fermentation

Malts:	Amount
1. 2-row malt	8 lbs.
2. Vienna malt	1 lb.
3. Carapils	0.5 lb.
3. Honey malt	0.5 lb.

Brewhouse Efficiency            77%
Calculated Original Gravity            1.055
Caclulated Boil Gravity                   1.044
Measured Original Gravity             1.056

Hops:	Amount	Boil Time	IBUs
1. Nugget (13.5%)	1 oz.	60	49
2. Warrior (16.7%)	0.5 oz.	30	23
3. Saaz (2.4%)	1 oz.	1	0

Calculated IBUs          73