Classic Saisons on Draft, Hold the Diastaticus

Saison on Tap

Saison brewers have long wielded the double-edged sword of diastaticus, embracing its ability to create terrifically dry beer while trying to keep it separate from the rest of the cellar. Rigorous sanitation practices, a deep understanding of your yeast, and even using separate equipment for non-diastatic strains can mitigate its risks, but there’s always a chance something slips by – especially in brewpubs where the bulk of the beer is served on draft. 

At Perennial on Lockwood, head brewer Chris Kinast always has a couple of saisons on draft along with his lineup of lagers, pub ales, and IPAs. Even with his years of experience managing diastatic strains, he realized the ability to remove the risks of diastaticus provides peace of mind in the taproom.

To create the recipe for Massive Appreesh, a rustic spelt saison with local wildflower honey and Virgil Gamache Farms Amarillo hops, Kinast used Omega Yeast’s French Saison+ strain, an Engineered version of the classic strain without the STA1 gene responsible for diastatic cross-contamination risk or hyperattenuation.

What Makes a Beer a Saison? 

Saison isn’t so much a neatly defined style as it is a loose collection of shared traits combined in varying levels to form unique impressions. There’s a wide swath for experimentation and interpretation, with wiggle room for alcohol, hop character, acidity, funk, and adjuncts. A modern, core interpretation – and what will be found in judging guidelines – reflects the characteristics of Saison DuPont, the beloved standard bearer known for its moderate alcohol and hop aroma, peppery phenolics, and bone-dry finish.

The saisons Kinast focuses on at the Perennial on Lockwood brewpub lean closer to these modern riffs along with a few fruited variations, while the mixed-fermentation and funky barrel-aged saisons still come out of the cellar of sister brewery, Perennial Artisan Ales. After brewing dozens of recipes, he’s adopted a number of tricks and tweaks that he pulls out to make his saisons distinct.

Something for Whimsy

Grapefruit juice is an unusual ingredient for saison, but after adding it as an on-the-fly substitution to help lower pH, Kinast found it produced a character that stuck with him. ​“I started brewing one day before I realized I was low on lactic acid,” Kinast said. ​“I figured ​‘hey, that has acidity’, and I tossed some in.”

He liked the subtle layer of brightness it added to the finished beer even more, so now he incorporates fresh juice into the mash and kettle of many of his saisons and hazy IPAs.

Something for Rusticity

Even as many of his saisons take a more modern approach with New World hops and fruit additions, Kinast likes to incorporate elements that nod toward to the beer’s Old World roots. One unlikely source was an open, overlooked bag of Magnum hops that been left behind in the Perennial brewhouse. By the time they were found, the hops weren’t much use for other beers, but instead of trashing them Kinast thought they could have a place in saison.

Not knowing the IBUs left behind after being open for a long, undetermined amount of time, he feathered some in with a majority of fresh hops in his first wort additions. He loved the result. ​“It gave the beer a little rusticity, almost lambic-ish,” Kinast said.

He also likes to incorporate higher percentages of heartier grains like spelt give the beer texture, character, and a distinct nuttiness that provide complexity when paired with the clean sweetness of a Pilsner malt base. For Massive Appreesh, Kinast chose spelt for more than 40% of the total grist.

Something for Dryness

Without diastaticus, the French Saison+ yeast benefits from either a modest mid-fermentation dry hopping or the addition of an enzyme to increase attenuation and promote the dryness that’s a hallmark of the style. Kinast added amyloglucosidase enzyme to the mash, which can convert both straight and branched long-chain sugars into fermentable simple sugars. At a rate of 40 grams per barrel, apparent attenuation hit 89%.

Tasting Notes

Massive Appreesh boasts a huge nose of honeyed apricot, juicy melon, and fennel supported by citrus zest and black pepper. The large portion of spelt creates a pillowy texture that’s full on the palate before finishing quite dry with lingering notes of spice and citrus.