Farmhouse Pale Ale

For this one, I set out to create a beer that bridges the gap between a saison and an American pale ale - a brewski that has the phenolic, fruity character and dryness of a traditional saison, but the hop aroma and flavor of a pale ale. I want the beer to be sessionable, easy-drinking, and aromatic, something that would please both the hopheads and the saison geeks. One might call it a hoppy saison or perhaps a Belgian-style pale ale, but I'm going with Farmhouse-style Pale Ale for this one. Don't question me - it just feels right. 

I'm also trying out a couple of new processes with this brew. The first is that I will be trying the no-sparge method. My normal brew process, like many other brewers, is to mash, vorlauf, run off, and then add hot water back into the grain to pull out the remaining sugars (a.k.a. sparging), vorlauf, and run off again. The no-sparge process is awesome in that you can just add the entire volume of water into the mash tun, conduct your mash, vorlauf, run off, and you're ready to start the boil. The benefit is that it saves times and some claim that it gives your beer better malt character. The downside is that you are leaving behind some sugars on the grain, so your efficiency drops, meaning you need to start out with a little more grain than normal. The other downside for me is that I have to do a slightly smaller batch to fit the entire volume of water and grain in my 5-gallon mash tun. This batch will yield around 2.5 gallons of beer in the end.

The other crazy new process I'm trying with this beer is adding an enzyme called Clarity Ferm for its gluten-reducing capabilities. I don't have a gluten-allergy per se, but I do have an intestinal disorder that is greatly helped by not consuming wheat and gluten. And I love beer. Like I really love it. Behind the good Lord, my wife, and my family and friends, it's pretty much my favorite thing. But sadly it hurts me and brings me pain and inflammation. Yeah, it's a sick, twisted world, broheims. Real sick. The beauty of Clarity Ferm though is that it reportedly produces beers that are 10ppm or under in gluten and has little to no effect on the flavor or overall outcome of the beer. That's pretty magical news for a beer lover with a gluten issue, so I'm going to try it out and see how it goes.

I could have used any number of aroma hops for this animal, but I decided to keep it simple and go with Cascade. If the beer turns out to be a winner, I would love to try it out with some of the newer American hop varieties as well. 

Recipe Specifications
Batch Size (fermenter): 2.6 gal
Estimated OG: 1.047 SG
Estimated Color: 3.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 34.5 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 71.00 %
Boil Time: 75 Minutes

Fermentables:
86% - 2-Row
11% - White Wheat Malt
3% - Acidulated Malt

Hops:
.75 oz. Cascade (Pellet, 5.5% AA) @ 60 minutes - 32.7 IBUs
1 oz. Cascade (Pellet, 5.5% AA) @ 1 minutes - 1.9 IBUs

2 oz. Cascade (Pellet, 5.5% AA) @ Dry Hop - Adding 4 days into fermentation

Yeast:
White Labs WLP590 French Saison Ale

Other:
Clarity Ferm - pitched alongside the yeast

Water:
RO filtered water - added 2.5 grams of calcium chloride, 3 grams of gypsum, and 1.2 grams of baking soda to the strike water.

Mash:
Single-infusion @ 150 degrees (No-sparge)

Notes:
Brewed on 5/22/16.

First time trying the no-sparge method. Used 100% RO water with 3 grams of gypsum, 2.5 grams of calcium chloride, and 1.2 grams of baking soda added to strike water.

Mash pH was 5.49.

Hit OG of 1.048. 71% efficiency with no-sparge method.

Pitched yeast at around 70 degrees. Ramped temperature up to 78 degrees over the course of 4 days.

6/19/16 - Kegged. Targeting 2.8 volumes of CO2.