3711 Pitching Temp

[srqbrew]

Hi,

I'm about to brew my first saison (woooo!). I'm using 3711, and hoping to bring out big citrus esters. I have heard these are brought out by warm temps, so I'm planning to ferment around 70 degrees ambient, hoping the beer will reach upper 70's through fermentation heat.

With that said, should I still cool down to the low 60's before I pitch? I'm in the habit of pitching cool to avoid off-flavors, but I'm moving into a new class of yeasts here so I'm not sure what the best practice is.

 

[Double_D]

Pitching cool and raising temp is useful during lager fermentation. That said, if you're planning on an ale (saison) fermentation you should be fine pitching at the temp at which you plan to ferment.

But as far as yeast goes, if it's in it's normal range you don't have to cool to it's lowest temp.

 

[moors]

I've been using the Imperial B64 "Napoleon", which is reportedly similar to the Wyeast 3711. My first warning is to reinforce your floor. I was afraid this yeast would burn straight through the fermenter, and I'd have a big hole in the floor the next morning. It works hard, and fast.

I made three batches with a single can of B64. It created huge white fluffy clouds of krausen with yeast flocks. I took a soup ladle, top harvested some, and dumped it straight into subsequent batches. I also did several 800ml runs in a beaker on a stir plate, just to experiment with the yeast viability and taste. I would top-harvest some yeast, mix it with 800ml of oxygenated 1.050 wort, stir plate it for 2 days, then test it.

I tried 62F (ambient temperature of my basement), 70F, and 80F. The temperature did not have an effect on the aggressiveness of the first 24-48 hours of attenuation. This could be an artifact of the stir plate. The stir plate may force the yeast to attenuate regardless of the temperature (at least within the range that I tested).

Unhopped wort from the stir plate after 48 hours and cold crash was tasty. I could drink it as-is. It's not like ale yeast. The B64 imparts a familiar spicy/fruity flavor profile that would work well with spicy/fruity hop varieties. I might have tasted a some sour lemon flavors in the warmer batches. Since I don't like sour, I ran my brews in the high 60s to low 70s.

So, in summary, the B64 (and therefore the 3711) should attenuate within the temperature range I tested. My main fermenter is on its 3rd week, so I moved it to a "hot box" at 80F for the final week. I also dropped in a dry-hop canister for the final week.

 

[danthebugman]

3711 is my go to for Saisons. I usually cool the wort to about 65 and pitch. I then try to keep it around 68 for about a day before letting it rip. Don't be afraid to let it get up into the 80's even. Also make sure you have plenty of room because 3711 is a beast!

 

[olotti]

So I just used this on my first saison. I pitched at 67 for two days then moved to upstairs closet where it's 70-72 and left there for two days then moved it to my laundry room where it low to mid 80's where I let it finish out. Huge fruit esters. its such an easy yeast to work with. Og was 1.062 and fg was 1.002!!!