WLP 568 Attenuation Problem!

So I split a 10 gal batch of a 1.076 IPA with Cali Ale and a Saison blend. I just took a Brix reading and its about 9.5. This reads out at 1.037. I let this thing ferment out warm and pitched a good starter. The beer fermented fast and dropped out some what clear, but I gave it a good week in the primary after the last fart to let the little bastids DO their job. So what the hell is up with this strain? Anyone else notice their Saison yeast is sucky..?

If you brew this again it seems that you could try increasing the yeast count X2 ?

Actually I had heard that Saison yeasts do tend to get stuck. I would cite the reference but I am having difficulty remembering where I saw that.

I'm not sure if a bigger starter may or may not help.

This is why saisons are typically brewed with simple sugars making up ~20% of total fermentable sugars, so they finish dry. Saison yeasts just seem to have poor attenuation from my experience, and everything I read.

The 568 strain is supposed to do better than the other saison strains. Mine finished at 1.011 from 1.069 using 568. I would have liked it a bit lower, but the beer still tastes great.

I doubt your high FG is due to the yeast strain alone.

I would recommended listening to the Saison episode on the Jamil show. He speaks at length about attenuation problems and the dryness of Saison. The easiest way is to download Itunes and subscribe to the Jamil Show on The Brewing Network. Also, one of the "Whites" from White Labs Yeast stops by and answers yeast questions for a while.

I will not paraphrase his thoughts for fear of misrepresenting him.

Hope that helps.

Eric

I was about to brew a saison when I read that you needed at least 20% of the bill to be simple sugar. THat put the brakes on me. So I made a starter (Damn Zymergy Magizine "A Saison for all Seasons" for getting me interested) I have been working with this yeast (568) for a month and have just quadrupaled my count. I am brewing this weekend with less than 20% simple sugar in hopes to accomplish a daring feat. I will let you know how it turns (or should I say churns or lack there of for that matter).

- WW

Huh, I musta missed that Saison show... Well now I guess I need to finish this thing up. Any recommendations on a good clean up yeast? I did a sacc rest of 150 on this beer and added a # of corn sugar, so I think this is as far as this is going to go.

This beer needs to be mashed at like 144 DF for 120 mins then use simple sugars. I made one once with 14 pounds of Belgian Pils abd 2 pounds of Turbinado sugar. I used WLP 565 which is even slower than 568 (which is what I am going to use for the first time this week). This beer started with an OG of 1.072 and it went to 1.002. I had it in the garage for over 3 months on the primary. It turned out to be a grewat beer. No spices nothing. Just Pils and sugar and wlp 565 2 tubes no starter. I'm brewing a super saison this week and I have made a 1.5 gal starter. I hope it's enough to be able to dry out a big OG 1.135 to the low 1.020's. I expect it to take about 4 to 5 onths in the primary. We'll see.

Richie

9.5 Brix is 1.037 in an aqueous (water-based) solution. During and post fermentation, you now have a mixture of ethanol in solution, throwing the calibration of your refractometer off.

You need to take your starting Brix reading and throw it into a conversion tool such as this spreadsheet. Or, you can use this correction formula:

Here is the correction formula:
SG = 1.001843 - 0.002318474*OB - 0.000007775*OB*OB - 0.000000034*OB*OB*OB + 0.00574*FB + 0.00003344*FB*FB + 0.000000086*FB*FB*FB

SG = actual specific gravity
OB = original Brix
FB = final Brix

Alternatively, you could also take a hydrometer reading to double check.