Saffron Blonde

My friend Pete stopped through town on his way to Oregon from Wisconsin. Pete and I met as 18 year olds working as ranch hands for the National Audubon Society at a camp in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. I moved with Pete to La Crosse, Wisconsin after college, and later to Skagway Alaska with him. Pete is a sailor, fisherman, and world traveler who always creates a buzz when he stops by on his wandering adventures. Pete brought along a lot of fancy cheese and spices, including a gram of saffron. I am not sure how much saffron it takes to impart a presence in 5 gallons of beer but I thought we should give it a shot, even at $14.50/g. I wanted to keep the grain bill light and wanted to use a little honey (1/4 lbs) in the boil but forgot to add it. I considered adding the honey to secondary but am worried the honey/floral character will overtake any chance of noticing saffron. I also added a pint jar of dried chamomile flowers from the garden and a small amount of crushed corriander. A little Munich for maltiness and a little light caramel malt for sweetness.

 Recipe:
5.25 Gallons

Anticipated OG 1.047
Anticipated TG 1.012
Anticipated SRM 4.63
Anticipated IBU 17.6
Efficiency 75%
Boil Time 60 minutes

Grain:
8 lbs. American 2-Row
1 lbs. White Wheat Malt
.25 lbs. Caramel 20L
.25 lbs. Munich 10L
.15 lbs. Acidulated Malt

Hops:
.5 oz Hallertau at 60 minutes
.25 oz Hallertau at 30 minutes
.25 oz Saaz at 30 minutes
.25 oz Hallertau at 5 minutes
.75 oz Saaz at 5 minutes

Additions:
1 oz Crushed Indian Corriander at Flamout
1 Quart Jar Dried Chamomile Flower (loosely packed) at Flamout
1 Gram Saffron Threads at Flamout

Yeast:

Safbrew T-58

Water Profile:

Wyoming Well Water

Mash Schedule:

Sacchrafication Rest @ 152F for 60 min

Mash Out @ 178F for 20 min

Notes:

Brewed 10/6/11 w/Pete

Collected 7 gallons of wort and boiled down to 5.25 g

Cooled to 70F and pitched Safbrew T-58

10/20/11 transferred to secondary
11/3/11 bottled with 2/3 Cup cane sugar