Farmhouse Blend vs 3711+Brett

[Wort_Cleaver]

I'm planning on making a Brett saison soon, something similar to Boulevard's Saison Brett. Will go with a simple grain bill - mostly Belgian pils and wheat - then do late/dry hopping with some Nelson and Citra I've been wanting to use up.

Debating which route to go on yeast. I've heard a few good things about White Labs Farmhouse Blend (670), but I've never used a blend before. Just curious if anyone else has any experience using this yeast. Do you think I would get better results doing a normal fermentation using Wyeast 3711 and then adding a vial of something like Brett brux towards the end of fermentation for secondary/bottle conditioning?

Right now I'm leaning towards the 3711+Brett, but could still be swayed. Haven't seen the Saison Brett available recently, but Tank 7 is always available for me and could throw some dregs in there too.


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[Wort_Cleaver]

Actually thinking the Dupont strain might be better - should leave a little more behind for the Brett to work on in secondary.

Also, which brett strain would work best for this? I used the Trois in a 100% brett beer once before and it came out super clean with no funk and very little fruitiness. I'd like this one to have more of that brett character, but ideally a nice balance between funk and fruit.

Any opinions or experience out there?



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[Calder]

I used the Trois in a 100% brett beer once before and it came out super clean with no funk and very little fruitiness. I'd like this one to have more of that brett character, but ideally a nice balance between funk and fruit.

Any 100% Brett beer is not going to have the characteristic Brett flavors. It will end up more fruity than 'rustic'.

Brett Trios seems to be a sacc strain, and not a brett strain at all. Thus even if used as a secondary strain, it will not develop brett flavors.

I don't think 3711 would be a good primary strain for a bretted beer. It will not leave much for the brett to work on.

 

[ffaoe]

I love white labs farmhouse blend. I try to do two batches each spring/summer with it. Awesome stuff, it has a saison strain plus a brett strain I believe to be brett. claussenii. The warmer you ferment, the more of the brett shows through. I prefer to ferment wlp670 hot between 75 and 78 degrees.

 

[Wort_Cleaver]

Thanks for the input. I think I'll keep it simple and go with the WLP670. After reading a lot of reviews, I think it should at least get me close to what I'm envisioning and everyone seems to like their results.

Ffaoe - did you ferment at that temp the whole time, or did you start lower and ramp it up? It's starting to get warm in Texas so I was thinking about starting it around 68-70 and then just turning off my temp control after a few days and let it free rise in my fermentation fridge in the garage. Should take it up into at least the mid-70s to low-80s.

I did a saison with Chenin Blanc white wine concentrate using the Dupont strain once when I lived in Florida. Once the bulk of fermentation was done, I just let it go in the heat and it turned out great- was in the 80s at that time.


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[ffaoe]

@Wort Cleaver, I let fermentation get going then I ramp up the temperature. I keep it warm for the first two weeks then let it finish at ambient temp.

 

[Wort_Cleaver]

I decided to go with the WLP670. Decided to throw the dregs from a bottle of Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza in the starter. I also have a bottle of Jester King Mad Meg that I think I'll save for brew day, and depending on how saucy I'm feeling when it comes pitching time, I might just toss those dregs in as well. Should end up being a nice mix of saison yeast, brett, and bugs.

Grain bill is fairly basic - German Pilsner, Belgian Wheat, Flaked Wheat, Vienna Malt, Belgian Golden Candi Syrup, and some Acid Malt for pH adjustment. Will bitter with some Magnum and the rest will be late addition Nelson Sauvin and Citra. Planning to dry hop with Nelson/Citra after a few months when it's ready to bottle.

Looking forward to this one.

 

[serum]

I'm late on this one but French Saison and Brett can work well for another batch. I made a Spelt Saison with 3711 then set a gallon aside and poured Orval dregs in it. It came out great, much better than the base beer so it's worth a try. The Brett still must have had something to work with even through 3711 leaves the beer pretty dry.

 

[Wort_Cleaver]

Brewed this yesterday. Wanted to do a step mash starting at 148 and stepping up to 154. My step only made it up to about 150 though, so it was mashed pretty low. Efficiency was on par with what I usually get, and OG came out to 1.070. I pitched the Jester King dregs in with my starter, which was a mixture of WLP670 and Jolly Pumpkin dregs. Pitched at around 8pm last night and it's been sitting at 68F (ambient temp is around 60). Woke up with a raging fermentation already underway. Will plan to keep it in the 66-70 range for the first few days, then let it ramp up at least to the mid-70s. Gonna let this one ride for a few months to let the brett and wild yeast/bugs work.


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[Wort_Cleaver]

Looks like this yeast is a beast. Brewed this 2 weeks ago, OG was 1.070. Kept it at 66-68 for the first 5 days, then ramped it up a degree or two every other day. It's now sitting at 76-78. Checked my gravity and it's already down to 1.005 (8.5% abv). Not sure how much further she'll take it. Aroma is nice - fruity with that tart, acidic scent from the wild yeast dregs. Taste follows the nose, but more subdued. Will be interesting to see how this develops over the next few months.


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