Belle Saison Yeast

[mashthat91]

Over the weekend I finally brewed my first beer on my own. I chose an all grain saison with this particular yeast due to the lack of a controlled temperature environment for the fermenter. My Actual O.G. was right on target at 1.051 (despite lack of boil-off due to the high humidity here in central Florida,) and an estimated F.G. of 1.006. I pitched the yeast at 68 degrees and stored the fermenter in a closet of a small bedroom with a window unit A/C set at 68 degrees. Because this is a dry yeast and the first of its kind, I didn't want to re-hydrate the yeast (as per instructions) because I was afraid the water for re-hydration would be at a different PH than my wort. So I simply sprinkled the yeast over top of the wort and sealed the lid. The next morning there was apparent evidence of a vigorous attenuation(beer made it into my air-lock and spilled over to the lid...) I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with this stain of yeast or if someone can help improve my strategy. I'm also considering re-pitching this yeast for future batches so any input would be appreciated. I can provide the recipe or any further information if needed.
Thanks, Clint

 

[giraffe]

It is in general considered good to rehydrate the yeast, when yeast is rehydrated in beer, it will kill some of the yeast cells, so you end up pitching less. A cup of water, as long as your water supply is good, (or you boil it and keep it covered while it cools), is too small of an amount to effect the ph or anything else meaningfully.

But as the yeast has taken off vigorously. So no worries.

Yeast volcanos happen. You can either leave more headspace (make a 1/2 gal smaller batch, or install a blowoff tube for the first 3 or so days. Or just be diligent about cleanup.

 

[mashthat91]

Northern Brewer suggests 2 packs per 5 gallons, I'm wondering how much yeast cells you would loose to rehydration and if, for next time, I should use 2 instead?
Thanks, I'll be ready for that yeast volcano next time.

 

[stpug]

I just used this for the first time about a month ago in a 1.048 standard saison. Pitched rehydrated yeast a 66F and left in a room who's ambient temperature is ~64F. By 15 hours later I was well into active fermentation and the internal temp had risen to 69F. I left it there for 24 hours and afterwards brought upstairs into ~73F ambient. The temp reached about 74-75F for another day before settling back down to ambient room temp. I sample the beer at keg transferring and it came out very nice. The strain has a lot more phenolics (spiciness) and less esters (fruitiness) than I'm used to, but it tasted great nonetheless. My beer finished off at somewhere between 0.999-1.000

As far as your volcano, definitely leave more headspace or start the fermentation off a tad slower (i.e. pitch a little cooler and allow to slowly rise). Or, just plan on using a blowoff setup.

As far as repitching, I've found belgian strains to be excellent repitching strains. Generally I'll capture about 2-3 jelly jars (7 oz) of the yeastcake after transferring to a keg, and store those in my fridge for quick-ish reuse (within 0-3 weeks). A jelly jar is usually plenty for beers up to about 1.085 OG.

Overall, I like the yeast but would like a little more fruitiness from it so my next attempt with this strain will be to let it get into the mid-upper 70s a little bit sooner - see if I can encourage some additional esters to come out.

Let us know how your beer turns out.

 

[mashthat91]

Thanks for the reply, guys. very helpful. Obviously I'm new here and love the input. Especially when it comes to repitching where i have no experience.
Was the yeast a balanced flavor or did the yeast over power the hops and malts? The reason I ask is I've read the yeast kind of takes center stage in this particular style, which may or may not be such a bad thing. Over all the reviews have been pretty good about the flavor of the yeast.

 

[stpug]

Thanks for the reply, guys. very helpful. Obviously I'm new here and love the input. Especially when it comes to repitching where i have no experience.
Was the yeast a balanced flavor or did the yeast over power the hops and malts? The reason I ask is I've read the yeast kind of takes center stage in this particular style, which may or may not be such a bad thing. Over all the reviews have been pretty good about the flavor of the yeast.

Repitching is an excellent way to save money on brewday, and as long as you're confident in your sanitation practices then the only thing you need to keep in mind is how old the yeast is and how much to repitch. Sanitation is KEY when repitching yeast.

As far as how much to repitch, I think the Mr. Malty calculator is sufficient for this purpose:
http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html
(see the, 'Repitching from slurry' tab)

As far as age of harvested yeast, I've started throwing out my refrigerated yeast at weeks 4-5 just so I won't reuse them. While there is still plenty of viable yeast in those containers, I would just rather start off on a better foot then that. If at 4-5 weeks you're not ready to brew but not willing to dump the yeast then repropagate it from a tablespoon of your old stuff. Build it up twice and you'll be sure you're using good, clean, viable yeast. I like the old yeastcalc calculator for this purpose:
http://www.yeastcalculator.com/

As far as the yeast characteristics in the beer I sampled, the yeast took center-stage which is to be expected and what I hoped for. If it had NOT then I would NOT have been happy . The pilsner graininess was subtle and the spicy Strisselspalt hops played a supporting role. Overall, the yeast DOES overpower the malt and hops (that's what I was hoping for), but it doesn't remove them from the equation. You can still taste the pilsner malt and sense the hoppiness.

The only other saison yeast I have to compare with that I've brewed with is Wyeast 3726PC Farmhouse Ale. It is a very fruity and tart yeast strain; very complex and refreshing. The tartness of this strain is very apparent. I like this strain a lot and doesn't give any stalling troubles like 3724. I guess I have tasted 3724 in Saison Dupont and it's the "defacto standard" when it comes to farmhouse ales. Obviously, it's top-notch, picture-perfect!