Saison process, little help here!

[Bmcclure8]

I've been brewing all grain now for over a year, mostly pale ales (da yooper house recipe thank you very much), and have finally taken a crack at my all time favorite style, a Saison.

I used the BCS Saison recipe and for a 5 gallon batch. I had my process off and unfortunately ended up with 4 to 4.25 gallons. I had a vigorous 2.0L starter of WLP568 Saison blend going and pitched the whole thing. Held it at 68 for 12 hours and the. Krausen was going strong by then. Raised temp to 74. 36 hours in, and high krausen was dropping so I added the 1 pound of sugar boiled in some water. And kept raising the temp 2 degrees every 12 hours. After 72 hours its at 78 degrees and the yeast activity has stopped. There is still some foam on the surface. I swirled it and nothing. But I got an overwhelming stench of green apple out the airlock.

Does anyone have experience with the 568 Saison blend and if so does it finish quick? I feel like I over pitched and am not sure what ill end up with.

Does this sound right for a Saison? The green apple whiff has me nervous. I'm planning to let it sit a week and then take my first gravity reading but I'm also thinking I might take one now even though its been only 3 days. The fermenter has gone quiet.

Thoughts or experiences? I would love to get good at this style because I absolutely love commercial ones I've had.

 

[motorneuron]

568 is a blend of 566 and 565, right? I haven't used 568, but it sounds to me like your 568 just turboed through the entire batch--which would be exactly how it would behave if it acted like 566. 566, which I have used, is a very fast fermenter. If you pitch adequately, and kept it that hot, it could definitely be done in three days--my 1.06x OG saison only took three days with a good pitch of 566 starter. (I don't mean totally done--I just mean visible fermentation is done, and it'll clean up flavors for at least a few more days, just as any fermentation is "done" when the kraeusen subsides.)

If you're nervous, I'd recommend taking a gravity reading and reporting back. But you can also just let it sit for a few days. I guess it's possible that it's stalled, the way 565 sometimes does, but my understanding is that that's what 568 is designed to avoid.

 

[Bmcclure8]

Thanks for the feedback on the yeast performance and i do think the blend combines the Saison I and II. The krausen didn't get too high but that airlock was flowing nonstop for 3 days.

I took a gravity reading and it was 1.008 right where it's supposed to be. My OG was 1.054 and I added a pound of sugar halfway through ferment so I believe my calculated OG is around 1.060.

Even with only 3 days, I put the sample jar on ice for an hour then drank it. Tasting past the yeast, I did get some nice pepper and citrus notes that you expect from a Saison and very little green apple flavored from a poor ferment that I thought I smelled. I think with 3 weeks in primary to soften and clean up then to the keg and ill be just fine!

 

[davekippen]

I used 568 a few Saison batches ago. Its a beast and does eat through the sugar really quick. I started mine right at 80 and kept it cooking for a week at that same temp, then removed to room temp for a few more weeks. Turned out great, really funky and spicy. I over hopped it though by mistake which hid some of the yeast flavors.

 

[motorneuron]

Awesome! Glad to hear it worked out. It might even drop a few more points from 1.008, but it sounds like you've got a problem-free batch on your hands. The green apple should definitely subside with a little time, too.

 

[Bmcclure8]

Yeah I'm pretty happy. Just never had a yeast plow that hard for three days straight and then completely shut off like a switch was flipped.

Thanks for the feedback. This brew had a lot of firsts for me. New yeast, first time adding table sugar, aggressive temperature ramp up, and I even drank the youngest sample jar ever. 3 days! I'm excited that it could turn out pretty good I hope.

Imagine ill come back here when the beer is done and post my results.

 

[davekippen]

Yes please report back!

 

[JoppaFarms]

Yeah I'm pretty happy. Just never had a yeast plow that hard for three days straight and then completely shut off like a switch was flipped.

Pardon me if this is off topic! But it's saison related at least.

Apparently this is a saison yeast thing...I waited 3 days to top crop my 3711 to pitch in a 1G SMaSH saison I brewed thinking that day 3 would be high kraussen.....wrong. It had already dropped and there were only tiny rafts left on top. However 1/4 cup of this was MORE than enough to get the 1G batch to rocket off in less than 12 hours.

Saisons are definitely a unique brewing experience!

 

[tgmartin000]

Just brewed my second saison Sunday.unfortunately we just hit a cold snap, but I should be able to get into the 70s tomorrow.

I wish I would have listened to Jamils show on saison before hand. Great info.

My new deal is to read jz's style column, listen to his podcast, then consult BCS before brewing. A little excessive? Probably. Also kinda weird and maybe creepy? Definitely.