I brewed up a Chop and Brew recipe for Rhubarb Saison a week ago and wanted to share my observations so far as I've read a lot of negative stuff about Wyeast 3724 Belgian Saison yeast. Apparently it likes to quit in an environment with a gravity around 1.030, but the activity level in this case is encouraging.
This batch is somewhere around 2.5 gallons, and had an OG around 1.047 (not sure what the 8oz of rhubarb in primary added). Besides watching the C&B episode associated with the recipe I also listened to The Brewing Network's Brewing with Style episodes related to saison and I decided I would mash low, try to cool the wort below 70F before pitching, and then I would try to keep primary temps low for a few days before allowing ambient apartment temps to take over.
I smacked the pack as the boil started as I didn't want to risk overpitching, but still wanted to confirm that the yeast were viable. After a 75 minute boil I put my kettle in the sink with plenty of ice water (I don't have a proper chiller), got the temp down to 85F, and siphoned into the 3 gallon fermenter. I returned the carboy to the sink and probably got the wort down to 63F before I removed it and pitched the yeast, which had inflated the pack beyond what I had hoped for.
24 hours after pitching my DS18B20-based temp probe told me that the temp immediately outside my fermenter was in the high 60s, and I noticed a krausen had formed and there was plenty of airlock activity so I rocked the fermenter around a little to de-gas it. I kept the temp below 72F for the next 48 hours before I allowed it to free raise. Since then the temperature rose to about 77F (though it dipped down a couple degrees last night) and the airlock activity has slowed but is still noticeable. There is still plenty of foam on the surface along with the rhubarb, but I wouldn't call it krausen at this point. I plan on wrapping a heating pad around it tomorrow to try and get the temp up to around 80F.
While there is foam at the surface and what I would call significant airlock activity I wont be disturbing it, but when things start to calm down I'll be pulling a sample for a hydrometer reading. So far, I think I have reason to be optimistic that the yeast shouldn't give up that early, but just in case I plan on leaving it in primary for almost another week, and then I'll secondary on a pound of rhubarb for 2 more weeks, so I should have plenty of time for the yeast to do what I want it to, and for me to throw in some dry saison yeast if 3724 decides it can't get it down to the 1.007 range.
I'll follow up with that hydrometer reading when things calm down, or when I transfer to secondary.
This batch is somewhere around 2.5 gallons, and had an OG around 1.047 (not sure what the 8oz of rhubarb in primary added). Besides watching the C&B episode associated with the recipe I also listened to The Brewing Network's Brewing with Style episodes related to saison and I decided I would mash low, try to cool the wort below 70F before pitching, and then I would try to keep primary temps low for a few days before allowing ambient apartment temps to take over.
I smacked the pack as the boil started as I didn't want to risk overpitching, but still wanted to confirm that the yeast were viable. After a 75 minute boil I put my kettle in the sink with plenty of ice water (I don't have a proper chiller), got the temp down to 85F, and siphoned into the 3 gallon fermenter. I returned the carboy to the sink and probably got the wort down to 63F before I removed it and pitched the yeast, which had inflated the pack beyond what I had hoped for.
24 hours after pitching my DS18B20-based temp probe told me that the temp immediately outside my fermenter was in the high 60s, and I noticed a krausen had formed and there was plenty of airlock activity so I rocked the fermenter around a little to de-gas it. I kept the temp below 72F for the next 48 hours before I allowed it to free raise. Since then the temperature rose to about 77F (though it dipped down a couple degrees last night) and the airlock activity has slowed but is still noticeable. There is still plenty of foam on the surface along with the rhubarb, but I wouldn't call it krausen at this point. I plan on wrapping a heating pad around it tomorrow to try and get the temp up to around 80F.
While there is foam at the surface and what I would call significant airlock activity I wont be disturbing it, but when things start to calm down I'll be pulling a sample for a hydrometer reading. So far, I think I have reason to be optimistic that the yeast shouldn't give up that early, but just in case I plan on leaving it in primary for almost another week, and then I'll secondary on a pound of rhubarb for 2 more weeks, so I should have plenty of time for the yeast to do what I want it to, and for me to throw in some dry saison yeast if 3724 decides it can't get it down to the 1.007 range.
I'll follow up with that hydrometer reading when things calm down, or when I transfer to secondary.
