New Danstar Belle Saison Dry Yeast?

I used Danstar Belle in a Saison and it was absolute monster in the fermenter.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Zwerski said:

I used Danstar Belle in a Saison and it was absolute monster in the fermenter.

Click to expand...

Yea - I bet if mine were in a carboy, it would be rockin' and rollin' It's hard to see anything but krausen in my roto-molded plastic conical though. I noticed that the temperature on the side of my fermenter was reading three degrees warmer than ambient, so I know those little yeasties are busy!

Three weeks after this thing took off, I racked to secondary. Took a sample (which, flat and warm, tasted awesome) and was down to 1.000.
That's from 1.065. This yeast is a beast.



Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

Yeah, I haven't had one finish over 1.001.

fearwig said:

Yeah, I haven't had one finish over 1.001.

Click to expand...

Me too. OG was 1.059. Had 5.5 gallons of Belle Saison and 5.5 gallons of WLP585 going at the same time. 585 ended at 1.002. Both are great and actually somewhat similar in ester flavor!

I made a 4% session saison this time and it's really refreshing, especially with a squeeze of lemon (going to have to add that in bottling bucket next time), but I'm going to have to get a big one going again with my belle saison slurry. A 7-8% saison with a pound or two of sugar is just so rich and good and dry at the same time, it's even better than a big belgian when you're in the mood for it.

No doubt this yeast is a beast...

In four days... from 1.057 to 1.012

Temperature is ramping up - It'll go drier...

fearwig said:

I think I am going to put "airlock is not a language, don't try to learn it" in my sig. I'm glad to see you took a hydrometer sample too, because that is a language you can learn.

Click to expand...

Then I'll put "I yet have to meet a snap lid that seals tight without a gasket" in my sig.

It's all in the stickies. Revvy wrote them and got tired of replying with the same phrases after 10 years.

fearwig said:

I made a 4% session saison this time and it's really refreshing, especially with a squeeze of lemon (going to have to add that in bottling bucket next time), but I'm going to have to get a big one going again with my belle saison slurry. A 7-8% saison with a pound or two of sugar is just so rich and good and dry at the same time, it's even better than a big belgian when you're in the mood for it.

Click to expand...

I love this yeast for session saisons especially fermenting it really warm. I added a touch of corriander and that was it-pils and wheat malt.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Just got my first one with this going the other day, OG 1.062, interested in the speed of this. Sounds like this could be my summer beer if it tastes good. I usually do hefeweiss beers in the summer because of the fast pot to glass time.

are people pitching 2 packets or 1? i just realized that the suggested amount is 2 packets for a 5 gallon batch?
i brewed 4 gallons yesterday, OG 1.052. i do have another packet in the fridge if its necessary.

regardless, so far its a beast. I rehydrated, pitched at 80 and it went bonkers within 3 hours. ive been trying to cool it down to 70 so it doesnt blowout, tomorrow I plan to let it go back to room temp

I pitched one packet on 5 gallons of 1.065 and did not rehydrate.
It took couple days to take off, but it did and roared down to 1.000


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

I rehydrated and made a 1.6L 1.040 starter, stirred it for two days at 80f, and pitched that onto 10.5 gallons.

atoughram said:

No doubt this yeast is a beast...

In four days... from 1.057 to 1.012

Temperature is ramping up - It'll go drier...

Click to expand...

Checked it again today... Lost some sweetness and it's down to 1.000 give or take .002... IN SIX DAYS!

Wow...

hopbrad said:

are people pitching 2 packets or 1? i just realized that the suggested amount is 2 packets for a 5 gallon batch?
i brewed 4 gallons yesterday, OG 1.052. i do have another packet in the fridge if its necessary.

regardless, so far its a beast. I rehydrated, pitched at 80 and it went bonkers within 3 hours. ive been trying to cool it down to 70 so it doesnt blowout, tomorrow I plan to let it go back to room temp

Click to expand...

I've been rehydrating per instructions, and pitching one packet. It's usually blasting away by next morning....

fearwig said:

Yeah, I haven't had one finish over 1.001.

Click to expand...

Just used this yeast, got really satisfied, but now im getting a little worried. My batch went from 1.064 to 1.005, in three weeks, and it stayed there for four days. Im not sitting on a case of bottle bombs, am i?

klinus said:

Just used this yeast, got really satisfied, but now im getting a little worried. My batch went from 1.064 to 1.005, in three weeks, and it stayed there for four days. Im not sitting on a case of bottle bombs, am i?

Click to expand...

Unless the yeast stopped before completing for different reasons, like a temperature drop, I'd give it another 2-3 days and, if it's still at 1.005, I would say that the yeast has finished its work.

Cheers from Italy!

1 packet is all I ever need, but I keep it below 1.060.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

I fermented it up around 85F. Lots and lots of clove. No off flavors. It's okay. Other saison yeasts are better.

highgravitybacon said:

I fermented it up around 85F. Lots and lots of clove. No off flavors. It's okay. Other saison yeasts are better.

Click to expand...

How would you compare BS with 3711?

sweetcell said:

How would you compare BS with 3711?

Click to expand...

Less pepper, less fruit. Cleaner.

I took a sample yesterday, it had a sulfer hit to it that was pretty bad. This goes away, correct?

Beerswimmer said:

I took a sample yesterday, it had a sulfer hit to it that was pretty bad. This goes away, correct?

Click to expand...

Some yeasts produce it in some amonts (see for example http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/homebrew/listings) but I used this yeast 3 times and never had the sulfury smell. Just my 2 cents here, but I wouldn't exclude that your batch has got some sort of contamination by bacteria or wild yeasts. Please, let us know how it works out.

Cheers from Italy!
Piteko

Beerswimmer said:

I took a sample yesterday, it had a sulfer hit to it that was pretty bad. This goes away, correct?

Click to expand...

I've never noticed any sulphur smell while fermenting with this yeast, or sulphur taste when the beer is done.

I had lager-like sulfur from this when I fermented around 61. No reason to think this is contamination. It goes away when you bring the temp up to attenuate. If there's any trace, it won't hurt your beer, saison can be kind of lagerlike anyway (aside from all the yeast character).

Sulfur is associated with colder fermentation in general. I don't know if it's produced more by cold-stressed yeast or if it's just a matter of it gassing off when the beer warms up, but an eggy smell in the fermenter is nothing to be afraid of.

highgravitybacon said:

Less pepper, less fruit. Cleaner.

Click to expand...

Was going to ask the same question. By less, is it far less? 3711 is one of my favorites when making a "fruity" saison and i was curious about this Belle Saison. Is it more Belgian 3724 levels of esters and phenols? (less "upfront")

fearwig said:

I had lager-like sulfur from this when I fermented around 61. No reason to think this is contamination. It goes away when you bring the temp up to attenuate. If there's any trace, it won't hurt your beer, saison can be kind of lagerlike anyway (aside from all the yeast character).

Sulfur is associated with colder fermentation in general. I don't know if it's produced more by cold-stressed yeast or if it's just a matter of it gassing off when the beer warms up, but an eggy smell in the fermenter is nothing to be afraid of.

Click to expand...

I second this. I notice a sulfur like smell with this yeast. It cleans up. I love starting this yeast out low and ramping to the mid-70s. It will fade afterward. I am fairly sensitive to sulfur smells. It does seem to always be there with this yeast.

TheCanisDirus said:

Was going to ask the same question. By less, is it far less? 3711 is one of my favorites when making a "fruity" saison and i was curious about this Belle Saison. Is it more Belgian 3724 levels of esters and phenols? (less "upfront")

Click to expand...

Not even close to DuPont. Just generally cleaner, with about 1/3 the esters. Mind you, this is a function of wort composition as well. So more dextrose, higher gravity, etc, with add to the ester profile.

I brewed a batch of Shipwrecked Saison a few months ago using this yeast, and fermented it in the 60's. I gave a bottle to an old high school sweetheart, who's actually more of a wine person. But she told me, "I liked your beer because it was rich, smooth and sweet."

I'm glad she enjoyed it, but that isn't exactly the profile I was aiming for. So I ramped the next batch up ....

I just checked my SG on this - it's been 1.000 for five days. I brewed it 12 days ago and the OG was 1.057. It's tasting really good.....

Time to crash it? Or do you think it'll go lower? I've got it sitting at ~ 85f right now.

Also - 3 volumes of C02??? 5oz table sugar per five gallons? Think it's safe for 20oz bottles? I'm kegging half and bottling half.

If it tastes right then the yeasties are done. I usually go two weeks just because of my schedule, but this yeast is a beast it gets to finish gravity pretty quick and seems to clean up quick.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

atoughram said:

I just checked my SG on this - it's been 1.000 for five days. I brewed it 12 days ago and the OG was 1.057. It's tasting really good.....

Time to crash it? Or do you think it'll go lower? I've got it sitting at ~ 85f right now.

Also - 3 volumes of C02??? 5oz table sugar per five gallons? Think it's safe for 20oz bottles? I'm kegging half and bottling half.

Click to expand...

Sounds ready to me.

5 oz of priming sugar is what I use for five gallon batches, and so far I haven't had bottle bombs or gushers. Then again, I usually leave my saisons in primary for four weeks before bottling. By then I would imagine I'm dealing with little or no residual CO2....

troy2000 said:

By then I would imagine I'm dealing with little or no residual CO2....

Click to expand...

There is quite a bit of residual CO2 in suspension - but I'd like to open up my fermentor for the next batch too... I think I'll give it a try and package it this weekend or early next week.

Thanks for the input!

gravity sample 1.003 after 8 days.
notes:
aroma has a touch of funk but is overpowered with the classic clove/banana/wheat beer thing.
taste is a little hot upfront. but zero spiciness. which i am happy about.
i get a bit of an apple flavor. its not as dry as 1.003 would suggest. kinda buttery, i used a little bit of wheat, so maybe that is it. some clove and banana but that was more in the aroma. mostly apple.
overall i think it is going to be a great beer in a month or 2.

hopbrad said:

are people pitching 2 packets or 1? i just realized that the suggested amount is 2 packets for a 5 gallon batch?
i brewed 4 gallons yesterday, OG 1.052. i do have another packet in the fridge if its necessary.

regardless, so far its a beast. I rehydrated, pitched at 80 and it went bonkers within 3 hours. ive been trying to cool it down to 70 so it doesnt blowout, tomorrow I plan to let it go back to room temp

Click to expand...

Yeah give it at least a month from pitching to drinking, lots of cleaning up and mellowing left to do.

How did the yeast do at 90F? Was it good? Did you pitch at 90F as well?

troy2000 said:

I've used the Belle Saison yeast three times, including once on a straightforward copy of Shipwrecked Saison. I just ordered a five-pack of it online, if that gives you any idea what I think of its performance....

The first time was basically with no temperature control; I was still putting gear together. It came out good. The second time was at low-to-medium temperatures; it came out good. The third time, I ramped up to 90 degrees F for a week, then backed off to 80. I'm expecting it to come out good....

Click to expand...

williewtb said:

How did the yeast do at 90F? Was it good? Did you pitch at 90F as well?

Click to expand...

My buddy has fermented with this yeast at 70F, 80F, and 90F. All of the beers have turned out great. As expected the higher temp fermentations led to a much stronger yeast flavors... spicy, fruity, etc. For this yeast my SOP is to pitch at 70F and hold for a 2-3 days at the most then raise the temp to around 80F or even higher. Great Saison strain. Second to only 3711 IMO.

Brewed this a few days after my farmhouse:
__________________________________

Batch size: 3 gallons.
Boil volume: 4 gallons.
One hour boil.

grain bill:

5lb American 2-row
1lb Crystal 20˚L
0.5lb Victory
0.5lb Naked Golden Oats


hop schedule:

0.5oz Chinook @ 14.2aa first wort hop

0.25 Amarillo @ 8.9aa 25 minutes
0.25 Cascade @ 7.2aa 25 minutes

0.25 Amarillo @ 8.9aa 20 minutes

0.25 Cascade @ 7.2aa 10 minutes
1oz irish moss 10 minutes
0.2oz crushed coriander 10 minutes

0.13oz Chinook @14.2aa 7 minutes
0.25 Amarillo @ 8.9aa 5 minutes
0.25 Cascade @ 7.2aa 5 minutes

0.13oz Chinook @ 14.2aa 3 minutes

Yeast: Belle Saison 11.5g dry pack

Target OG: 1.063 at 75% efficiency
Target FG: 1.016 (6.25% ABV)
Actual OG: 1.050 (after initial boil)
Actual FG: 1.002


________________________________

Ended up going slightly over one hour for the boil and had slightly less than three gallons in the kettle. I used whole hops without a bag...didn't account for the shear amount of hop "mess" in the trub...never used this amount of hops for a 3-gallon all-grain before. Took a reading, 1.050, and ended up with just under 2 gallons in the fermentor, so...

...not wanting anything less than 3 gallons I went back into the kettle and topped-off with 1 gallon of water. I was now in a bind in terms of ABV...so I dissolved a pound and a half of brown sugar (last minute decision) into roughly a half gallon of water. Took a hydrometer reading of...1.030(?).

Anyways...initial taste of bitter wort prior to fermentation had an immediate malt taste followed by an extreme, but not overpowering, bitterness. Had great aroma, too. Took a taste after one week while reading SG and bitterness mellowed a bit. Took another taste after three weeks and bitterness mellowed a bit, still. Both times had a great hop aroma. Bottled yesterday and placed one in the fridge to sample later in the evening. Poured the bottle into a tulip glass and...

...I took a taste at time of bottling and it was awesome. Had a great bitterness, hop aroma/taste, and even some dank from the yeast. After a few hours in the fridge there was zero hop aroma or taste. The aroma was reminiscent of sourdough bread dough and the taste was almost pure sour. I will try a warm bottle to see if there is any difference.

I left out some other stuff that went wrong during brew day (such as using an electronic thermometer that burned out half-way through brew day and I may have actually mashed at a temp above 156˚F partially through the mash yet ended with a temp of final temp of 145˚F at the end of the hour. So...I let it sit for another 20 minutes where the final temp read 143˚F. The thermometer was designed for BBQ/grill use, first time I used it for brewing. I don't think it was meant to be submerged into hot liquid for an extended period of time. I really don't trust the readings...but...), but this was definitely a learning experience.

dobe12 said:

My buddy has fermented with this yeast at 70F, 80F, and 90F. All of the beers have turned out great. As expected the higher temp fermentations led to a much stronger yeast flavors... spicy, fruity, etc. For this yeast my SOP is to pitch at 70F and hold for a 2-3 days at the most then raise the temp to around 80F or even higher. Great Saison strain. Second to only 3711 IMO.

Click to expand...

Great.. I have a current batch with 3724 almost done. Really keen to try this yeast out after reading through the whole thread.

Just ordered my first pack of this yeast and want to try to make some bigger beers with more abv. I'll use it first on an IPA and see what happens. I'm getting to love experimenting with yeast! Now that I'm harvesting I can buy different strains and re-use for other beers later. Saving money and making beer... Mmmmmmmmmmm!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew