Wyeast 3711 French 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.
rhys333 said:
Based on comments in the thread, I plan to keep it in primary for 3 weeks. Do I need to keep the heat belt on for the duration (i.e.: maintain at least the current 72)? Also, should I be ramping up to 75 or so at some point to ensure its done?
Click to expand...
i would do 72 until activity starts to slow down, ramp to 75, hold until activity is completely done and then add a day or two, and finally release to ambient for the rest of the 3 weeks (could cold-crash for 2-3 days before kegging/bottling). 3711 should be done in 10-14 days, but it's a slow flocculator so the week or more of ambient/cool will help the yeast drop out.
 
Guys, cracked the primary after 4 weeks and found filmy bubbles on top. I also posted in the infection thread, but figure you guys can input regarding what to expect with 3711. Is this normal? Its different than the usual floaties. :/
 
I wouldn't stress about it. It looks pretty normal to me. It might have slowed/stalled and then restarted, but it doesn't look to unusual to me. Of course, most people would say you can't tell visually whether or not it is an infection.

But really, it is probably just the 3711 working away. If it were an English yeast and you ended up at a FG of 1.002 or something that would tell you it was most likely an infection. But with the 3711, it'll ferment out really far anyway, so it'll be hard to tell until it is finished and you taste it.

The good news is that with a saison, if you have a little brett or something else going on, it won't really be out of character for the style.
 
Looks like the aftermath of my Belgian beers before the yeast completely fall out. I wouldn't worry. Saison beers tend to have that wild funk to them anyway. Should be fine. It will still be beer.
 
tehnick said:
Looks like the aftermath of my Belgian beers before the yeast completely fall out. I wouldn't worry. Saison beers tend to have that wild funk to them anyway. Should be fine. It will still be beer.
Click to expand...


+1 - it looks like co2 coming out of solution plus some yeast/yeast rafts. I had the same thing when I bottled my wit two weeks ago, except the bubbles were bigger (note that I shouldn't have bottles it then - if I wasn't using champagne bottles I wouldn't have).

Looks better than this one!
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1428110567.310787.jpg
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. I feel better about it now, and I'll monitor it for a day or two longer before deciding what to do. I should mention it was down to 1.005 a week ago after 1.5wks @75F and its currently mellowing in the mid 60s, so I'm slightly skeptical about it kicking up krausen now.
 
Oh darn. Bubbles are going and surface is turning milky. Could this still be typical of 3711 or do i have a lacto b infection starting up?
 
made a strong saison with incremental sugar additions added to fermenter. Mashed at 148, fermented at 70. 1.082 OG 1.004 FG. Nice clove, bubblegum, tropical fruit thing going on with it. The yeast is a beast. Within a week it was down to 1.008.....the following week I kept rousing the yeast and it kept chewing. Its been going for two weeks and I finally think its done. I was going to keg this, but I have 75 twenty two once bombers that I think I will bottle condition this ale in. Its just two potent and amazing to keg it! I want to age it in the beer cellar.
 
Fermenting a saison I did with 3711. Used German pilsner and Belgian pale malt with a little bit of white what and flaked rye thrown in. Also did a double decoction, first time ever; hit most of my temps right on.

Took it from 1.076 to 1.007 on Friday. Checked it again today and it brought it down another 3 points to 1.004! Smells amazing and the sample tastes damn good too
 
Yeah, I'm in the same boat as the last two posters... 3711 is an attenuative beast! Mashed at 150, added 3% sugar to dry it out (unneeded!), pitched at 68, sat there for 3 days, then raised 2 degrees per day until 78, then held there (and then room temp of 72-74, needed to free up ferm chamber space) for the remainder of three weeks total fermentation time. Cold crashed for 24 hrs, then bottled tonight. Went from 1.071 to 1.002... 97% apparent attenuation! Gonna need to age this one a bit to calm down the 9% alcohol... Good aroma and flavor otherwise, as far as I can tell...
 
Just started a Pale ale with 3711. Used 50/50 Pilsen/Wheat LME, used Citra for Bittering/Aroma, and dumped in 1 oz on Mandarin Bavaria at flameout. Smells like a Citrus Orchard, yum!! Excited to see how the 3711 plays with these new hops. OG was only 1.040 so shouldnt have to wait long for this to ferment dry and be ready to drink.
 
rhys333 said:
I have the flash on which is making the film look whiter than actual, but still. Should I dump this or do you guys feel its still normal for 3711?
Click to expand...

I don't think there's any big issue there, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so I would wait for it to ferment out and see how it *tastes*.
 
DrWill said:
I don't think there's any big issue there, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so I would wait for it to ferment out and see how it *tastes*.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback. It's been in the bottle two weeks now and tastes great so far. I let it completely ferment and carbed low to avoid bottle volcanos. Would have like it carbed a little higher around 3.0, but I can't complain overall.
 
I know Oxbow in Maine throws an aggressive saison yeast into their brett brews to dry it out faster. I have a blackberry-cherry bruin and funky wheat that have remained at 1.010-12 for weeks now. Because I know brett will eventually work it down to 1.000-1 I don't want to bottle until it is in the mid range between the two.

I've begun a starter with 3711 which has kicked up in the flask within hours of pitching. Does anyone have any experience with using this yeast as an attenuator to mixed fermentations?
 
Texconsinite said:
Just started a Pale ale with 3711. Used 50/50 Pilsen/Wheat LME, used Citra for Bittering/Aroma, and dumped in 1 oz on Mandarin Bavaria at flameout. Smells like a Citrus Orchard, yum!! Excited to see how the 3711 plays with these new hops. OG was only 1.040 so shouldnt have to wait long for this to ferment dry and be ready to drink.
Click to expand...

I think it will turn out nicely. From my experience so far this yeast loves wheat and citrusy hops. Using Mandarina is a really good call and something I will do too in the future.
 
rhys333 said:
I have the flash on which is making the film look whiter than actual, but still. Should I dump this or do you guys feel its still normal for 3711?
Click to expand...

I didn't see anyone respond to this, but I really hope you didn't dump that beer. This yeast is known to stop and start again, and it's known to ferment all the way out so a low FG is not evidence of infection, neither is the "film" you saw which is really just yeast doing it's thing.
 
jbaysurfer said:
I didn't see anyone respond to this, but I really hope you didn't dump that beer. This yeast is known to stop and start again, and it's known to ferment all the way out so a low FG is not evidence of infection, neither is the "film" you saw which is really just yeast doing it's thing.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I didn't dump the beer and I'm happy to report it's turning into a beaut. Fruity, lemony and surprisingly smooth considering how dry its supposed to be. I believe I did have the beginnings of a lacto infection though. Nothing for it to do though since my beer had already fermented completely out. I did dump the yeast I harvested from the starter as a precaution. Definitely doing more saisons this summer though with 3711.
 
rhys333 said:
Thanks for the reply. I didn't dump the beer and I'm happy to report it's turning into a beaut. Fruity, lemony and surprisingly smooth considering how dry its supposed to be. I believe I did have the beginnings of a lacto infection though. Nothing for it to do though since my beer had already fermented completely out. I did dump the yeast I harvested from the starter as a precaution. Definitely doing more saisons this summer though with 3711.
Click to expand...

Good to hear. It was hard to tell if there was an infection based on the flash coming off the krausen, but a couple of the photos looked 100% normal.

Good news is that a slight tart/sourness is not out of style on a Saison, and I prefer barrel aged saisons for this reason, they generally have a hint of sourness which makes them even more refreshing IMHO.

If that's indeed a lacto infection you could possibly sequester that fermenter for sour beers only going forward.

Cheers!
 
jbaysurfer said:
If that's indeed a lacto infection you could possibly sequester that fermenter for sour beers only going forward.
Click to expand...

Well the next batch will be the determining factor. I have a pale in there at the moment. If it turns sour, I have my answer. Cheers.

EDIT: acidic rather
 
Hey everyone. I have a question regarding 3711...

On 4/15 I brewed an imperial saison and pitched a healthy yeast starter of 3711. This was the first time that I've used 3711. I pitched it at 66 degrees and let it ride in my garage fermentation chamber (temp controlled chest freezer). Over the next fews days the temperature naturally rose to 69 degrees and stayed there for a few days. Then the temps dropped down to the 63 degree set point on my chamber and has been at that temp for the past 4-5 days. It's still active right now but not much. Maybe a bubble in my blowoff bottle every 7-10 seconds.

My OG was 1.091. I took a gravity reading yesterday and it was 1.014. I've read a ton about how much of a beast of a yeast 3711 is so I guess I expected it to be a bit lower. Does this seem right to you guys? Should I just be a little more patient and let it do it's thing?

Thanks guys!
 
jpb2716 said:
Hey everyone. I have a question regarding 3711...

On 4/15 I brewed an imperial saison and pitched a healthy yeast starter of 3711. This was the first time that I've used 3711. I pitched it at 66 degrees and let it ride in my garage fermentation chamber (temp controlled chest freezer). Over the next fews days the temperature naturally rose to 69 degrees and stayed there for a few days. Then the temps dropped down to the 63 degree set point on my chamber and has been at that temp for the past 4-5 days. It's still active right now but not much. Maybe a bubble in my blowoff bottle every 7-10 seconds.

My OG was 1.091. I took a gravity reading yesterday and it was 1.014. I've read a ton about how much of a beast of a yeast 3711 is so I guess I expected it to be a bit lower. Does this seem right to you guys? Should I just be a little more patient and let it do it's thing?

Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

What kinds of adjuncts did you use? Was it all grain, extract? Extract won't ferment that low. The process of making the syrup destroys some sugars and leaves them unable to ferment. If you didn't use any adjuncts to help lighten the body, that might be part of it. What temperature did you mash at? How long did you mash? 90 minutes at 148 plus some highly fermentable sugar will get you low with the right pitch. There's some sugar chains the yeast won't eat from the grains so you can dry it out with sugar to make up for it to get low.

But not having any details of how you made the beer leaves us guessing. Give us some more information and we can try to help troubleshoot. I do know some saison yeast performs well warm, like 80-90 degrees warm.
 
It was the Storm the Bastille Imperial Farmhouse Ale extract kit from Northern Brewer. The fermentables are as follows:

8 oz Belgian Cara 20 steeping grain
4 oz Belgian Aromatic Malt steeping grain

9.15 lbs Pilsen LME
2 lbs Wheat DME
1lb Corn Sugar
 
Sounds like you've hit terminal gravity if it's an extract kit. You're at 10.2% ABV and near 84% attenuation.
 
rhys333 said:
Holy crap. Sip that mofo
Click to expand...

I took a few sips when I took my gravity reading last night. It's a little more clovey than I like but not overpowering. It has a similar taste of a trippel but has more body. Very smooth. What could be deadly, you can't tell whatsoever that it's 10%+.

I'll be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of Belgian beers. However, this one is pretty tasty. I purposely brewed it to go outside my comfort zone.
 
From what I've read it seems to get the esters from the yeast a slightly higher temp for fermentation might need to be reached. Fusels are less of a concern by now. The yeast should be able to handle over 10% abv, it's used for barleywine grists. My bet is on the earlier comment regarding extract and/or temp. You could try to rouse the yeast and get it to a warmer spot. The couple I've done with 3711 alone I let them get up to 82 degrees F. The yeast can handle it and will produce more of the fruity esters too if that's what you're looking for to balance the spiced phenols.

In case it's helpful for anyone, I tested using this yeast last week on two sours I had stuck at 1.010. All three airlocks have been lifted and bubbling away. Indeed, this yeast can be an option for attenuating a sour enough for bottling without waiting for the bretts to finish up.
 
Update: Just tried a bottle of Farmers Tan Dark Saison from last September: using Maris Otter LME, Perle hops, Coriander and Orange peel, along with 3711 of course. Tastes GREAT. This is universally one of the favorite beers at bottle shares or for anyone who tries it. Was good last year, but even better now.

Very drinkable and balanced. The maltiness, spices, hops and yeast funk blend together keeps getting smoother over time.

For anyone wondering, 3711 works in darker beers too.
 
Depends how long you had the bottle in the fridge (or the keg) eventually pretty much everything will drop clear. I've had dozens of batches drop clear in the keg after a couple months, hefe, saison, witbier, you name it, and they weren't even whirlflocced .
 
Anybody had experience with 3711 at 72 degrees. I can't get it down below that because of how vigorous it is fermenting and that's with my ferm cabinet
 
Thanks I'm trying to find the temp that limits the fruity notes. I paired this with rye and a little honey malt. Plus I'm going to dry hop with a little amarillo and nelson.
 
I just want to make sure if won't put off belgian flavors. I was even thinking of racking it over 1 lb/gallon of pasteurized strawberries. But maybe I need to do a little more reading to make sure I don't F this one up.
 

Similar threads

Gadjobrinus
3 potential new - Best, Strong Bitter, Imperial Stout
Replies
14
Views
1K
Gadjobrinus
Gadjobrinus
luckybeagle
Check my Saison recipe please?
Replies
4
Views
2K
Twinkeelfool
T
Victor Edward Ames
Brewery Vivant Verdun Clone
Replies
3
Views
1K
Sigbard
Sigbard
R
French IPA - Looking for feedback & suggestions
Replies
28
Views
3K
RBinson
R
Kold Brygg
What should I brew next?
Replies
8
Views
897
Kold Brygg
Kold Brygg
Yakima 300

Latest posts

Back
Top