At what temp(s) should I ferment WLP566 (Saison II)?

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weirdboy

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I'm going to be brewing a Saison Saturday, and not having brewed one before, I'm really confused as to what temperatures I should be fermenting at for this thing. The White Labs FAQ for this yeast says the yeast is good between 68-78F, but then if you read some of the comments you see a guy who regularly brews with it in the 80-90 range and loves it. I found several other recipes around where people are using this yeast in the 80-85 range as well, and some others where people start off at a typical 68F, then let it go as high as 80F or 85F.

What I'd like to understand is, what are the various esters and flavor profiles I can expect at various fermentation temperatures, and *when* I should be fermenting at higher temps, if at all?

My original plan was to just let it go in the 80-85F range for the whole time, maybe even as high as 90F, to simulate the temps you'd see that originate the style. But I dunno what to expect from the yeast, and I don't want to end up with something that turns out to be unpalatable. At this point I'd welcome any suggestions.
 
I just used this yeast. Chilled the wort to the mid 60s then pitched. Put it my bath tub, house stays at about 76. So I imagine at its peak it was up in the 80s. It finished out real nice and dry and fast.

I find the flavors I got at the that temp to be quite nice. Very spicy, no noticeable off hot alcohols. There is a considerable amount of fruitiness but it blends with the spiciness very well, lemon-like.

Anyway, I think it will OK to go hotter, maybe even to 90. I know it is scary. But, I think you can get the flavors you want without going that high.
 
One of the commemorative beers at the NHC this year was a Saison, and a very good one. It was brewed by Tomme Arthur of The Lost Abbey.

The details are at the link below, but he used White Labs WLP566 Belgian Saison II and fermented it at 76. Looking at the recipe, it don't even look like he started lower and let it rise.

Commemorative Beers
 
i just started in a wlp566 saison II beer and I`m keeping it in the bathtub for at least the first 48 hours. Seems to be holding at 24C or around 75ish. After that, my plan is to let the temp fly to whatever, since I`m assuming my girlfriend will get annoyed that the shower is full relatively quickly...
 
One of the commemorative beers at the NHC this year was a Saison, and a very good one. It was brewed by Tomme Arthur of The Lost Abbey.

The details are at the link below, but he used White Labs WLP566 Belgian Saison II and fermented it at 76. Looking at the recipe, it don't even look like he started lower and let it rise.

Commemorative Beers

It is interesting you mention this. I was drinking this beer as I was brewing my saison. For some reason I did not even realize that was the yeast in that beer.

There is a Brewing Network interview with a guy that was responsible for putting together that commemorative beer. He said that yeast, Saison II, was original sourced by Dave Levonian from a bottle of Saison du Pont he had while in Belgium. He had delivered the yeast to the Whites.
 
i currently have a saison going right now, i pitched at 75, basement temp was 71 and it sat at 77-79 for the first 3 days, then i moved upstairs (80 degrees) and added my sugar- sat at 84 for 2 more days and now its hanging out at 81 for the past 4 days.

i wish i could tell you how it tastes.... but it seems that the consensus is that you cant really go too high, you will just get stronger flavors out of the yeast. hope it works out.

are you using sugar in the brew? if so are you adding during the boil or into the fermenter?
 
It is interesting you mention this. I was drinking this beer as I was brewing my saison. For some reason I did not even realize that was the yeast in that beer.

There is a Brewing Network interview with a guy that was responsible for putting together that commemorative beer. He said that yeast, Saison II, was original sourced by Dave Levonian from a bottle of Saison du Pont he had while in Belgium. He had delivered the yeast to the Whites.

My wife really enjoyed the beer (both bottles didn't last any more than 24 hours after we got back home), so I figured I'd give the recipe a shot. Knowing that Dave Levonian was responsible for the yeast too makes it that much more fitting. I missed the beginning of that BN show, in person, so I'll have to fire up the podcast to see what else I missed. Thanks for the tip!
 
I wasn't planning on using sugar. I got the impression that it isn't typically used in Saisons.

I don't know where you gleaned that impression, but sugar IS usually used in Saison, to dry the beer.

All the recipes I have come across call for a pound. I added mine in the fermenter after the krauzen intitially fell.

I am enjoying my saison now, and it is exquisite!
 
I don't know where you gleaned that impression, but sugar IS usually used in Saison, to dry the beer.
Well, ok then. I guess I'll add some after a few days.

I changed my mind. I'm going to wait and see on this because after re-reading appropriate sections of Farmhouse Ales I see that almost all of the Belgian brewers, bar Fantome, use 100% malt grists. The key to the dry finish is very high attenuation, not adding sugar. I am going to let it ferment out, then maybe stir the yeast up a little to see if I can get it to drop a few more points, etc. I might employ a brett to help out for the last few points to give it a traditional sour tinge.
 
I use and love this yeast. Unlike most who have posted here, I do most of my fermentation below 70 F and it works just fine, with no danger of stalling. I did a Saison that ended up at 10 % (no added sugar) and the only thing I did was a periodic spin of the carboy to keep the yeast suspended.

I agree that the key is high attenuation not adding sugar to dry out a beer. A properly designed wort should dry out just fine with this yeast. I do find that this yeast does give a sweet finish to the beer, even with a low FG (like 1.008). I had a saison on tap and had drunk about half of it and then had to move it to replace another keg. In the process, the Saison got stirred up a bit and the next few glasses were a little cloudy and noticibly sweeter tasting (not the typically yeasty tasting). When the yeast settled back out, the sweetness went back down.
 
I started 5 gal of a 1.051 beer with the slurry from a chilled 2L starter of WLP566. I aerated with an aquarium pump for about 45 minutes. I fermented at 80F. After 24 hours, the gravity was 1.023. The beer tasted clean -- no hot alcohols. I added 1.3 lbs of agave nectar, for an estimated contribution of 8 gravity points. After 16 more hours, the beer was 1.011 and tasted strongly of hot alcohols.

WLP566 is supposed to ferment clean at 80F. In fact, it did ferment clean for the first > 50% of its attenuation. I pitched plenty of yeast and aerated. Even with the agave nectar, the estimated OG would have only been 1.059, so this is not a monstrously huge beer.

What's going on? Others seem to add sugar in secondary. Others ferment WLP566 at 80F without hot alochols. Has anyone done both -- fermented at 80F and added sugar in secondary?

Other ideas?
 
I got a second opinion from a BJCP judge -- no hot alcohols. I think I may have just tasted not long after brushing my teeth....
 
One of the commemorative beers at the NHC this year was a Saison, and a very good one. It was brewed by Tomme Arthur of The Lost Abbey.

The details are at the link below, but he used White Labs WLP566 Belgian Saison II and fermented it at 76. Looking at the recipe, it don't even look like he started lower and let it rise.

Commemorative Beers

Raising a thread from the dead...

Does anyone happen to have this recipe? I did a search but wasn't able to find it.
 

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