Should I add champagne yeast?

Either I improved my efficiency or the LHBS gave me more grains than I ordered but I was planning for a 1.080 saison and got 4.5 gallons of 1.097 wort. I added two rehydrated packets of belle saison and its been doings its work for almost 2 days (airlock activity started within minutes of pitching the yeast).

So my question is if I should add champagne yeast to help dry it out. If so, when would be the best moment to add it?

I dropped the hydro sample into the container I washed my yeast in and left it outside to ferment at room temp. I checked the gravity today and it was down to 1.011 already. Hopefully the yeast in the fermenter will work the same. 11.9%

Recipe 1.097
40% Pilsen
40% Munich Light
17% Wheat
3% Cane Sugar

With Hallertau Mittelfruh for bittering and flavor

I think you may have answered your own question...wait and see.

Champagne yesat wouldn't help anyway. It only works on the simple sugars that are well gone by now. Makes a great bottling yeast for this very reason.

So it's been 4 days fermenting and the krausen dissipated and I was too eager and decided to check what the gravity was. It's 1.003!!! Belle Saison for the win! smells nice and the alcohol isnt warm at all, the yeast is the primary flavor so very happy so far.

Saison Monster!

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1435064663.921243.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1435064689.254493.jpg

Bottles this monster last night. This thing finished bone dry. Got 99% attenuation 12.65 ABV.

Taste is a bit strong from the alcohol at this point, not warm or fussel, just strong which I believe should mellow with some conditioning in the bottle. I dry hopped with Centennial and the flavors are still melding together but it has a nice citric aroma and taste with the spicy yeast character also coming into play. Both hops and yeast seem to want to want to be at center stage, but given that this will be conditioning for a while i believe the yeast will take over.

Any suggestions on how long to bottle condition for? I used turbinado priming sugar to 3.0 vol.

With that abv it's gonna be a while. I'm a session beer brewer but I have heard 4-6 weeks or more for abv above 9%. Some pitch a bottling yeast. I usually fill at least one P.E.T. bottle to judge carbonation by the tightness of the plastic bottle.

Calder said:

Champagne yesat wouldn't help anyway. It only works on the simple sugars that are well gone by now. Makes a great bottling yeast for this very reason.

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this is exactly as i understand it as well

The more I use Bells Saison the more I realize that it is a beast. It might be even more of a beast than 3711, which also ferments down really low.