Best way to let a saison with Wyeast 3724 Belgian Saison attenuate on its own

I've got a strong saison, OG 1.070, in primary at 80-85 degrees F in my warm attic (I don't have other means of temperature control). As usual, the 3724 is starting to slow down 48 hours into the fermentation, so it will likely stall as it's prone to do. I'm thinking of letting it finish on its own over the next 6 weeks or whatever it takes, rather than dry it out with another yeast. Phil Markowski's excellent book says letting it finish on its own can give a really good result.

Here's my question: Markowski says it's best to transfer the beer off the sedimented yeast before too long to avoid autolysis. Yet I seem to recall that some general homebrew guides advise against transferring the beer off the yeast cake before the primary is done, because this can slow down attenuation. I guess it comes down to whether the yeast remaining in suspension after the 3724 has stalled is enough to complete the job.

Does anyone have experience with letting 3724 run for many weeks in the primary? If yes, I'd be glad to hear your opinion about when is the best time to transfer the beer off the sediment.

I let my first Saison go for several weeks @ 90°F + and finally pitched reconstituted T-58. I added a couple of Tbsp of OJ to the T-58. It kicked off like crazy for two days and was done!!

You are over thinking this. I use this yeast a lot and the stalling thing is blown out of proportion. If you mashed low and kept it over 80 it most likely will not stall. When you say it is slowing down are you counting bubbles in the airlock? It is still working. Step awaay from the fermenter and let the yeast do its thing.

Just let it go and check the gravity in a few weeks. I have never had it stall. No need to transfer it off the yeast at all. Just leave it. No worry about autolysis. You are better off leaving it on the yeast to finish, rather than transfering early.

In a couple of weeks let us know what the gravity is. Otherwise just leave it be.

Mine stalled out at 1.030. I had to crank it up to 95 for a couple of weeks and it still only got down to 1.008. Still tasty, though.

Beergolf, your advice sounds good. The initial SG was 1.071; at 16 days it was 1.039; at 21 days it is now 1.034. Slow action in the carboy is still visible, although the ambient temperature is now down to 75 degrees, so this is going to take awhile.

It's been throwing off a good deal of sulfur- same smell as some lager yeasts I've used. It will eventually dissipate, probably. I used 3724 only once before, on a much lower gravity beer and at a lower temperature, and I didn't detect any sulfur then. For this higher gravity beer, the initial fermentation seemed vigorous and healthy- I used a starter and saw action within a few hours. So probably the fermentation is in no trouble, but I'm not sure. Have you ever noted sulfur from 3724 when you use it?

My last one took over 8 weeks above 80 degrees to finish. The yeast will just keep working and working and working......just give it time and keep rousing and swirling the fermenter daily. 1.061 to >1.005...

I usually use a 2 different yeasts for my saisons, but I did do a number of Dupont only saisons a while ago and never ran into stalling issues. I would pitch in the mid 60s and after 24-36hrs of signs of fermentation, I would bump it straight into the mid 90s with an aquarium heater. After 7 days, it was usually +95% attenuated. Sometimes I would take it out to make room. Other times I would leave it there until a day or two before bottling. Either way, it finished up fine. This also managed to get the most vibrant yeast character IME.

This yeast likes temps close to 90° to finish out, after a good healthy pitch and aeration. Keep it warm and you'll be fine.