Wyeast Bier de Garde 3725 PC 2008 vs. 2012

So, I just got the home brewery started up again after a few years off, and decided to make a version of the first brew I ever made--a Bier de Garde, with the Wyeast Private Collection 3725.

A lot has changed since that first brew--I now make all-grains beers, and I have a fridge that I use as a fermentation chamber, with a ceramic heat lamp and a temperature controller, depending if I need things warmer or cooler.

Another thing seems to have changed as well--the temperature range. The 2012 edition of 3725 lists a max high temp of 85 deg. F. That didn't sound right to me, so I went back and checked Wyeast's archives.

I was right--the 2008 strain listed 95 degrees as the high end. This was perfect at the time, as we were fermenting in a bucket on the porch in a water bath.

My question is--can anybody explain the differential? And, as I learn the ropes of temperature controlling, though I set the cut-out at 85 degrees, it got as warm as 88 (the thermistor is in a thermowell in the carboy). Will 88 degrees produce anything unpleasant, do you all think?

I have emailed Wyeast these questions as well, and will post any answers I get, but I was wondering what the community can come up with.


Thanks,

CB

It's the same strain, it works well at higher temps, if it worked in the 90s for you before, keep using it the way you know how. With these Saison yeasts I've learned to use the listed temps as a guideline that I violate at will and usually with good results.

Glad to see this question here. I brewed with it the first time the other night. The following am my temps were at 85 and it was early morning. I got scared and moved it to the basement and it is fermenting but the temps are in the 66-68 range. How is this going to affect the beer? Those are the temps of the H20 in my swamp cooler, not the actual wort temperature.

Keeping temp low will reduce the flavours 3725 produces a bit.

Well, I heard back from Jess Caudill at Wyeast. This is what she said:

"The temperature range is based on historical use of this strain. I would typically recommend using it at the lower end of the range to avoid higher levels of higher alcohols/fusels. Please let me know if you have other questions."

When I told her I was running it high, she advised me to take it down to 70 degrees for 2-3 days for a diacetyl rest, then take it down again to 34 degrees for a week or two to cold condition for a week or two before kegging and carbonating. She said cold conditioning on the yeast cake is fine. This is what I am doing now.

Climateboy, thanks for this info. I'm brewing with this yeast soon and this is extremely helpful.

Cheers

You bet. Jess is a great resource at Wyeast and you should avail yourself of her knowledge when needed--just email through their site, she responds anywhere from instantly to a few days.

Mine has been slowly bubbling away for a week now. Celler Temp is 66 and it smells great!