Someone help my saison.

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scarlessmeanie

scarlessmeanie

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Hey all.

I've got a saison in secondary sitting in my closet. My OG was around 1060 and I kept it in primary for two weeks before I racked it. Now it's been in secondary for about a week. When I took a gravity reading while racking it to secondary it said it was at 1034 with temp correction. It has been slowly bubbling and I just took another reading... Now I'm down to 1027 with temp correction.

I used the Wyeast Belgian Saison yeast strain and it's been around 80 degrees F in my closet. Do you think it would benefit from slightly raised temperatures? The recommended temp range for the yeast is 75-95 F. Or should I just let it sit and slowly bubble away... I know saison yeasts can be finicky.
 
The Belgian is notorious for hanging up around 1.030. You have two options (either way, your beer will be fine):

1. Wait - which might be problematic if you already racked to secondary
2. Pitch more yeast to finish the job - a "clean" dry yeast will work as you will still retain the flavors from the Belgian strain
 
Yeah, someone recommended adding a small amount of sugar. Since this is my first batch, I'm still learning the ropes and like and idiot, I did not check the gravity before I racked. ::palm to forehead::

Since it's still bubbling, I'm more inclined to wait a little longer and see what happens. If after another week or two, I might pitch more yeast. Any suggestions on what yeast to use, if need be?
 
No - don't add sugar. That is your problem in the first place, you have too much unfermented sugar.

Not to worry too much about missing the gravity reading as I've done that many times.

I would pitch something like US-05.

For future reference, I love, love the French Saison strain from Wyeast. It ferments quickly at room temp and finishes fast. Nice Belgian flavor as well.
 
scarlessmeanie said:
Hey all.

I've got a saison in secondary sitting in my closet. My OG was around 1060 and I kept it in primary for two weeks before I racked it. Now it's been in secondary for about a week. When I took a gravity reading while racking it to secondary it said it was at 1034 with temp correction. It has been slowly bubbling and I just took another reading... Now I'm down to 1027 with temp correction.

I used the Wyeast Belgian Saison yeast strain and it's been around 80 degrees F in my closet. Do you think it would benefit from slightly raised temperatures? The recommended temp range for the yeast is 75-95 F. Or should I just let it sit and slowly bubble away... I know saison yeasts can be finicky.
Click to expand...

Did you do all grain?

If so, What was your mash temp?
 
Okay, cool. So increasing the temp isn't going to do anything?

I initially used the Belgian Saison yeast because it does ferment at higher temperatures. Living in a third floor apartment in the Northeast means that my apartment gets HOT in the summer.

I'm not too worried about it since it is my first batch. I just want to understand how to correct things and prevent it for the future.
 
scarlessmeanie said:
Okay, cool. So increasing the temp isn't going to do anything?

I initially used the Belgian Saison yeast because it does ferment at higher temperatures. Living in a third floor apartment in the Northeast means that my apartment gets HOT in the summer.
Click to expand...

It's definitely worth a try. If you can get it up close 90 F, it might help finish the beer.

As far as correcting things....I would use a different yeast. The Belgian strain can be great but many people have trouble getting it to finish. You are on the right track, I think. There are no right answers.
 
scarlessmeanie said:
Nope, extract. I'm trying to keep it simple since it's my first time.
Click to expand...

Depending on the type of extract used, it may not be completely fermentable. There can be higher amounts of unfermentable sugars in extract (due to the manufacturing process).

Regardless your yeast should attenuate more than it did.

Personally I would try bumping the temp up to ~85F and just let it go longer. My $0.02.
 
I fermented the 3724 strain at 70 and had it finish out at 1.003. You're going to have to wait this one out, unfortunately. By taking the beer off the yeast you've eliminated a large part of the workforce and with a O2 deprived environment pitching more yeast might really do anything for you. Just let it sit. Most likely you'll hit your target FG it's just going to take time.

For future reference the only reason to transfer to a secondary is if you plan on lagering the beer or if you have the overwhelming urge to try and clarify your beer before going into the bottle. Leave it in the primary and let the yeast do their job. They're good at what they do, if they're left alone.
 
Mine fermented at 85F for like 6 weeks. Turned out wonderful but you have to be patient. Temperature control is a must with this strain.
 

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