3711 in a wit?

[hotwatermusic]

Wondering if anyone has used Wyeast' French saison ale yeast in a Witbier? I am harvesting some this weekend and was thinking about other ways to use it next. I've only used it in saisons but it seems like it should be fairly versatile. It's such a great performer I'd like to try and find ways to make it my "second" house strain.

 

[passedpawn]

[moved from Recipes Database; that is only for tried and true recipes]

 

[Jonkl]

I've had some success with 3711 in a wit. I always seem to get a little bit of a tart finish with it, which goes pretty well with the rest of a wit. Maybe keep the fermentation temperature down to only slightly-crazy-high levels, if you're worried about it becoming too saison-y.

 

[soundguy]

I haven't done this yet but have been planning to before the summer is up. I think the fruitiness of 3711 in the 60s would pair well with a wit recipe.

 

[Cider123]

I haven't done this yet but have been planning to before the summer is up. I think the fruitiness of 3711 in the 60s would pair well with a wit recipe.

+1 on keeping it in the 60's, unless you want to try something unique. I just think 3711 would give a wit too dry a finish for my taste.

 

[hotwatermusic]

[moved from Recipes Database; that is only for tried and true recipes]

Sorry, didn't mean to post there.

And for a further shot in the dark... How about pairing it with Sterling. I know it plays well with wheat, pilsner malt and coriander. Oats don't seem to offer any danger, I should have something of a known commodity. I think I will try it with my wit recipe and mash a bit higher to keep it from drying out too much. My default mash temp is around 151, I'll shoot for around 156?

 

[Cider123]

I think you could easily do 154-156F with good results on a wit. Also, if you using pilsner malt be sure to give it a 90 min boil.

Next time you make a wit, give 3944 a try. It is a great yeast for wits.

 

[hotwatermusic]

Since I started it, might as well finish it. The beer turned out well despite various glitches... Had to sub out some wheat malt because my lhbs ran out of flaked. Didn't have sterling, used mt hood... Didn't have bitter orange, used sweet... Did get my mash right, 2 step, 125 and 156 with better than anticipated efficiency. That paired with a highly attenuative 3711 and I ended up with a 6% beer that finished at 1.007. Also threw in some chamomile flowers do to a last minute home brewer wtf moment. Even dry hoped with mandarina Bavaria. What I will say is that I like the beer however it's hardly to style. I do miss that classic wit profile that 3944 gives. My only advice would be to ferment quite cold. I hung around 70f and really the yeast character is all saison. Ramble over!

 

[tagz]

Interesting. Thanks for the update.

 

[soundguy]

I'm brewing my batch of this today finally.
4.5lbs 2 row
4.5lbs flaked wheat
.5lbs acid malt
Mash 155

60 8gm simcoe
5 28gm lemondrop 1tbsp flour
0 8gm coriander zest from 5 oranges and 1 lemon

Chilling now, should come out to about 1.045 and 15 ibu

 

[hotwatermusic]

Sounds good. Can't wait to hear how it turns out, good luck.

 

[soundguy]

Kegged this guy up today. 1.042 down to 1.005, I was surprised at first it was that high but I usually mash lower and add simple sugars with 3711.
Wonderful aroma of orange zest and coriander. Flavor is very citrus forward with a slight candied lemon flavor, there is also nice wheat and slight spice flavor backing up all the fruit. I was afraid the coriander would be strong, but I could have used a little more without it being to much. I definitely went pretty heavy on the zest additions though (I estimate about 2.5oz), but it's still hard to tell where the zest ends and the hops, coriander, and esters begin. They all meld very well together. First time using zest and lemon drop hops, so I'm not sure how much of the lemon flavor is coming from the hops and how much is coming from the lemon I zested. I used 5 large oranges and one normal sized lemon. Lemon flavor is definitely there. I pitched a lot of yeast into this beer. Between that and fermentation at about 67 it doesn't have a lot of strong saison esters.
It's still a bit early to tell, but I have a feeling this will become a regular brew of mine. It was one of the few hydrometer samples I finished. I even took a cold, but not yet carbonated pour off the tap tonight to drink while writing this up. I'll try and update again in a week or so.
Pics are zest and coriander from brew day in case anyone is interested.

 

[soundguy]

I've been drinking off this a few weeks now and figured I should comment. Flavor and aroma very zest forward. With a bit of fruity esters from the yeast. Taste very orange and lemon with just a hint of coriander spice. The citrus of the coriander fits in very well. Wheat flavor is still there but being cold and carbonated tones it down a bunch. The flour in the boil did not do a remarkable job of keeping it cloudy. Other beers I kegged at the same time are more clear, but this doesn't have the intense cloudiness it did when fresh. Has a nice thick saison head, that shrinks after a few minutes but never goes completely away. I assume the lack of retention is from the amount of oily zest used. I definitely will be brewing this again, probably with out the flour. Was going to post a pic but it's a bit dark, will update next time I get a chance to drink in the daylight at home.