What yeasts to use for a saison?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

djbradle

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2011
Messages
714
Reaction score
59
Location
Central MA
I have a few yeasts that I will be blending or not blending for an 8 gallon batch. My question is what yeasts to blend for a complex saison? Also I am aware of the sources and temperaments. Being that I have only brewed a saison once with 3711 I wonder whether more experienced Brewers may have some insight into a flavor profile they experimented with or desired. I'm thinking to split them into two fermenters.

On hand I have:
1.WY3711
2.WY3726
3.Wlp565
4.Wlp568
 
I would try 40% 3726 (fruity, musty grapefruit), 40% 565 (spicy), 10% 3711 for a low finish.
 
Thanks for the input. I like that idea. Maybe I'll throw the rest of the 3711 in with the DuPont/Achouffe mix in the second fermenter for a good variety.
 
I like the blagues yeast (is that 3726?), I dont get the profile I want from the french saison, even though its by far, far, far the easiest of the yeasts to ferment out, I often get a sort of apple-ly feet ester from it I find tedious.
 
Throwing my opinion in... I find WLP566 to be a fantastic saison yeast, much better than WLP565 and much less prone to the issue of getting stuck that WLP565 sometimes has.
 
If you want complex, use brett. All of these strains are great to work with. I only do them in the 70's. Around 50% attenuation pitch some brett and leave it alone for at least 3 months. Try different combinations of brett with different recipes. That's the fun part. Start with a simple 3711, and then 5112 Brett B. That's a good start. I guarantee your friends will think you are a genius.
 
I'm looking for something similar to GD's Colette which apparently uses four(?) separate strains.
 
So here's my saison at almost 4 months in the bottle.
Malts:
Patagonia extra pale
Sauermaltz
Flaked rice
Hops:
Magnum
Hallertau
Ultra
Strisserspalt

Yeasts:
Wyeast 3724
Wyeast 3711
White labs 565
White labs 568

It is awesome. Spicy black pepper. Strong lemon. Fruit which is hard to pinpoint. Dry as a bone and prickly carb. I couldn't have asked for a better result from these yeasts. I can certainly pick out the DuPont yeast and it really shines in this brew.



View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1449107449.223188.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1449107460.873041.jpg
 
Back
Top