Fermentation started about 6 hours after I pitched 2 packs of this yeast. I'm relatively new to brewing but thus far I've been able to smell the airlock of my previous batches and know that it isn't infected. But this is the first one that smells off. It's a lot more pungent than any of my other batches. Kind of funky smelling. I'm wondering if anyone has experience with this strain and can reassure me that this isn't my first infected batch.
Wyeast Belgian Saison #3724 question.
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nanop
Well-Known Member
It's a saison... it might smell a little off. Give it time.
Ok so I read a lot more about this yeast on the forums and guess it is just how this yeast smells. I didn't know how to describe it at first but I guess its the "banana bread" smell that I'm getting. So for now I'll just keep the temperature high and see how it goes. Thanks for any input.
Banana is a very typical odor for saison yeast. Unless it smells like mold, barf, or a turd, you're almost certainly ok.
Sithdad
Well-Known Member
This one definitely has a "funk" factor to it. Mine smelled while it was fermenting at 80°F and at 72-74°F, but they taste great.
android
Well-Known Member
plus, you're not going to see bacterial or brett fermentation happening that quickly, if you pitched enough clean, healthy yeast, that is probably what is fermenting the wort.
Last night I took a gravity reading from this batch (and a taste), and everything seem to be going pretty well. My gravity after the boil was at about 1.071 (I know, high for a saison. this was my first recipe with a sugar addition and I wasn't aware that you have to calculate sugar at 100% efficiency. now i know). The gravity last night, 9 days after pitching, was around 1.040. My question is whether or not I should leave it in the primary to clean up, down to around 1.020 or should I go ahead and put it in the secondary here in the next week, at about 14 days. Any suggestions?
android
Well-Known Member
well, sounds like 3724 is up to it's old tricks. you need to find a place to get it really warm and rouse the yeast up. definitely don't move it to secondary, it's not even close to being done. this yeast should be down further than that. the other option is to add a different yeast to finish it off (3711 would be a good choice). 1.040 will be a cloyingly sweet beer.
Montanaandy
Well-Known Member
You want it as dry as possible - below 1.010 if you can. You will likely be stuck around 1.030 - this yeast is notorius for stalled fermentation - and might have to pitch some 3711 to re-start things. Montanaandy
SankePankey
Well-Known Member
I have 13 gal of 3724 Saison in primary right now and pitched a smacked pack of 3711 4 days after the original starter. That was about 10 days ago. I haven't felt like it really "took". It still is stalled at 1.035ish. All accounts of 3711 were that it "devoured" wort in short order. Dunno- it's my first attempt at that.
Temp got up to 80F and backed down. I just put some heat on it to get it back up to there about 5 days ago.. Wait for it... Wait for it....
I can still smell it fermenting, but it's just at a snails pace.
As others said, warmth and heat is the key. I used this yeast for my saison, and it stalled around 1.030. It was moving at like a .001 a day so I was tasked with what to do, since I couldn't get the heat high enough for it to function.
Downhillfromhere
Well-Known Member
try making a solid starter of 3711 for a couple days and give it a chance to build up and acclimate to alcohol, you're pitching it into a hostil enviroment of alcohol. That stuff is a beast, I used a 3711 starter and and it dropped a Saison starting at 1.064 to 1.003 in no more than 4 days. I'm thinking a starter of 3711 is the key to getting this snail off the ground
Thanks for all the replies thus far. I've read alot about this strain so I'm expecting it to be a bit of a pain, yet so worth it for a saison. I've been able to keep the temp pretty high for the majority of the fermentation so far but what, if any, are the consequences of letting it fluctuate too much? I've come home to find it down around 64-66 degrees before (I live in Chicago and its December. I can't help it).
SankePankey
Well-Known Member
This is what I was thinking is the problem. I did a starter for the 3724 and not for the 3711. Didn't think there was enough alcohol yet to worry the 3711.
I took a refrac today and with 5 days of heat, it's picking up again pretty well this morning. I was just expecting 3711 to plow through it quicker. My first try at it.!
Montanaandy
Well-Known Member
This yeast will stall out and shut down at temps that low. If you look at how it is normally used, they ramp the temp up to 95' for the duration of fermentation (they do this because of production/capacity issues).
I tried the water bath & heating pad but eventually bought a Foxx pad and hooked it up to a Johnson controller. I raise the temp to around 90', it takes off and attenuates below 1.010. Montanaandy
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