Blended Yeast Strain

[Phil_Ozzy_Fer]

Hello All,

I'm brewing today (hooray!) and am trying a yeast I've never used before. Its a blended saison yeast. Information below:
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Old World Saison Blend

A characterful blend of two classic Saison strains. Produces complex fruit and black pepper notes along with a reliable, fast and high degree of attenuation. We strongly encourage a free rise fermentation, starting at 22C and rising to ~27C for optimal results. NOTE: One of the strains in this blend contains the STA1 gene, meaning it is a diastatic yeast. Many Saison yeasts are diastatic, due to the desire for very high attenuation levels. However extra care must be taken to ensure these yeasts do not cross-contaminate non-diastatic yeasts. Contact us with any questions or concerns. Attenuation: 85+% // Optimum Temp: 22-27+ºC // Alcohol tolerance: High // Flocculation: Medium-low
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That attenuation though...

What I'm curious about is aging this thing. I had wanted to bottle age it, but due to the slow acting nature of these kinds of yeasts, I wasn't sure if this is a good idea. The dryness isn't an issue for me, but I was a bit concerned about excessive pressure in the bottles. The guy at my LFHBS suggested I plan on using less sugar to prime, but I'm still a bit unsure. I'm brewing anyway, but wasn't sure if I should completely avoid bottling for a few weeks. Suggestions? Advice?

 

[ESBrewer]

I would use strong bottles and when the expected level of carbonation is reached, store the bottles in a cold place (close to freezing point) so that everything will slow down considerably. Open one bottle now and then to check the situation.

 

[brownni5]

Don't worry about it. I use diastaticus yeast all the time (more often than not, really) and don't see any problems. You might need to be a bit more patient than with other ales - 3 weeks in primary isn't too long. Heavy bottles are good insurance, but failing that, I've carbed my saisons to 3 volumes in regular bottles and haven't had a problem (yet). If you never go too far, how will you know how far you can go?

Sounds like a 3711/Dupont blend. My guess is you'll have no problem bottoming out the FG before packaging.

 

[ListerH]

Don't worry about it. I use diastaticus yeast all the time (more often than not, really) and don't see any problems. You might need to be a bit more patient than with other ales - 3 weeks in primary isn't too long. Heavy bottles are good insurance, but failing that, I've carbed my saisons to 3 volumes in regular bottles and haven't had a problem (yet). If you never go too far, how will you know how far you can go?

Sounds like a 3711/Dupont blend. My guess is you'll have no problem bottoming out the FG before packaging.

Agree with this. It sounds like 3711/3724 blend... and on that basis, I'd be tempted to ramp the temperature above the optimum range after the first 2 weeks and give it at least another week in the primary at the higher temp.
Ditto on bottle conditioning with those yeasts... give them every chance to finish out in the primary and you should be OK.

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

I don't necessarily treat saison yeasts differently for fermentation or bottling other than letting them ramp as high as they want.

Once you take your FG readings and they are stable over several days it's done like any other yeast in my experience. Also unsure why you are concerned with the yeast being "slow-acting"? Most saisons I have used are just as fast if not faster than ale yeasts even though they chew through more.

I bottle right in 12oz regular beer bottles without issues and carb in the bottle usually using about 4-5oz for 5.5 gallons. If you are concerned you could give an extra week in the fermenter but FG is FG even with diastatic strains.

 

[Calder]

It will be done before you bottle, and you may well get 95%+ attenuation. I've used several of these high attenuation yeasts and they ferment out 'fairly' quickly and then stop. I've had them go down to 1.002 or 1.000 ..... not sure if I ever had one go below 1.000.

If it is the Dupont strain as some are speculating, you need to keep increasing the temp or the yeast may stall and the other (less flavorful yeast) will finish the job. I think Dupont ferment their beer in 5 days at 95 F (35 C), so dn't be afraid to push the temp.

 

[Phil_Ozzy_Fer]

Thank you very much for the responses! I knew I could count on this community for help. I'm not familiar with the DuPont strain, but store owner basically said other customers had achieved almost 100% attenuation. We'll see. No worries!