28C Wild Specialty Beer
November Saison (Wild)
ABV4.5% OG1.059 FG1.012Grain bill
| Gladfield Light Lager Malt | 2.8 kg | 43.9% |
| Harraways Flaked Wheat | 1 kg | 15.7% |
| Gladfield Wheat Malt | 1 kg | 15.7% |
| Gladfield Vienna Malt | 0.8 kg | 12.6% |
| Harraways Rolled Oats | 0.45 kg | 7.1% |
| Gladfield Rye Malt | 0.32 kg | 5% |
| Oat Hulls | 0.22 kg |
Adjuncts
| Coriander Seed (crushed) | 10 g @ 5 min |
| Yeast Nutrient | 4 g @ 10 min |
| Protafloc | 1.5 g @ 10 min |
Hop schedule
| Hop | 60 min | 30 min | 5 min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Styrian Goldings | 20g | · | 30g |
| Czech Saaz | · | 20g | 30g |
Yeast
| WildBrew Philly Sour | 1.5 packets |
| LalBrew Farmhouse | 1 packet |
| Wild Mixed Cultures | 1L starter (Two Bites Wild Workshop bottle dregs) |
Water additions
| Calcium Chloride | 4 g |
| Calcium Sulfate | 2 g |
| Magnesium Sulfate | 2 g |
Tasting notes
2025-12-10
Fermentation profile
Gravity
Temperature
About This Beer
A three-stage fermentation project, brewed 29 November 2025. A saison base designed to pass through three successive cultures, each adding a layer.
Philly Sour lays the lactic acid foundation, LalBrew Farmhouse adds spice, pepper and dry farmhouse character, and a wild culture grown from Two Bites Wild Workshop bottle dregs brings funk and complexity for a long conditioning.
The grist is deliberately cloudy and textured: Light Lager, wheat malt, flaked wheat, rolled oats, rye and Vienna, with oat hulls to keep the lauter running under that adjunct load. Crushed coriander seed at five minutes adds a citrus-spice note that suits both the farmhouse and the wild character.
Three stages
Philly Sour, days 0 to 3. Pitched at 22°C and held at 22 to 23°C for 72 hours, targeting the lactic phase at pH 3.3 to 3.5. Active foam through the first two days, gravity 1.059 to 1.051.
Farmhouse, days 3 to 10. Co-pitched at the end of day 3 at 22°C, temperature ramped a degree a day toward 25°C. Gravity 1.051 to 1.017 over the phase.
Wild culture, from 10 December. About 20 L transferred to a bucket fermenter and pitched with a 1 L wild starter at peak krausen, grown from Two Bites dregs over three stepped DME builds across four weeks. The remaining 3 L was crashed and kegged as the clean sour portion.
The wild portion
| Date | Weeks | SG | pH | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Dec | 1 | 1.014 | — | Fruity aroma developing |
| 25 Dec | 2 | 1.012 | — | Light phenolic, thin pellicle forming |
| early Jan | 4 | — | — | Pellicle covering the full surface |
| mid Feb | 10 | 1.008 | 3.9 | Strong blue cheese aroma |
| mid Mar | 15 | 1.004 | 4.0 | Cheese shifted to fruity and funky, new full pellicle |
The blue cheese phase in February is Pediococcus and its exopolysaccharides, the sick phase, and it resolved on its own. The shift to fruity funk by March is consistent with Brettanomyces taking over cleanup. Still conditioning.
The clean sour
Sampled 10 December and very drinkable: good sour flavour, some residual malt sweetness, balanced saison character. Slightly sharp at that stage, with the wild complexity still to come.