Lets talk Wyeast French Saison 3711

[ChshreCat]

I don't taste any banana/bubblebum in my saison I brew with 3711. It's got a nice earthyness to it and a good bit of citrusy tartness.

 

[Jboggeye]

Ok, well, I've got a small saison lined up for the weekend with just pilsner and wheat, EKG, STG, and Saaz, fermenting with 3711.
I'll ferment on the low temp side, and I'll see if that doesn't get the banana. Maybe my last 3711 got higher than I thought...

 

[ChshreCat]

Mine probably spent most of the time in the low-mid 80's if that helps.

 

[Jboggeye]

haha, no it doesn't. My temps never got close to 80..

 

[smizak]

Smizak,
Just listened to the Sunday Session you mentioned, it's quite interesting. I'm now pondering using just a couple percent of acidulated malt. What are your thoughts on adding acidity to the recipe? I know that you made a sour mash, is it crucial to the crispness we all hope for in Saison?

I don't know if Dupont sours their mash, but it definitely has a distinct sour and slightly funky aroma to me. Plenty of Saison recipes don't use acidulated malt or a sour mash and rely on the yeast alone. I prefer my Saisons to have just a touch of sour, funky character, makes them more refreshing and interesting.

You should try the sour mash. If it smells like Bigfoot's d!ck, just chuck it and throw in some acidualated malt. You're only risking a pound of grain. Like I said, it definitely adds complexity to my beer, I really enjoy it.

 

[passedpawn]

Pitched this yeast a few hours ago and there is already a nice krausen. I made a 3L starter.

I guess I better get the blowoff tube ready.

 

[ChshreCat]

Don't get too close to it right now. You could lose fingers.

 

[Pivzavod]

Mine probably spent most of the time in the low-mid 80's if that helps.

In the past I made a few batches keeping it in low to mid 70's. Right now I have a batch that is 75-80F.

Did you notice any significant flavor change with the temperature increase or have you always done them above 80F?

 

[ChshreCat]

Always been in the 80's and I love the way it tastes. Not sure if I'd want to do 5 gallons of it differently since I might not like it as much that way.

 

[Jboggeye]

well boys, it's 100 degrees right now, I've not been able to recycle my ice bottles, so I'm expecting my saison to be around 85 degrees. I'm still within the first 48 hours of pitching, so we'll find out what flavors I get out of the yeast at high temps. I'm hoping the fusels will be restrained...

Anyone have a chest freezer for me in NYC?

 

[Jboggeye]

Just an update for anyone interested. After 6 months, my 3711 saison turned out to be the best beer I've ever tasted. Only had one bottle left... smooth, crisp, and creamy. Mixing the two yeasts (3711 and 3724) hasn't given me such a good saison as a simple grain bill, 3711, and a good 6 months.

My mixed yeast saisons haven't aged that long, so we'll know for sure in a few months.

 

[Gritsak]

I've got a starter of this going last night and all i can say is WOW! I've never seen a starter act like this before. I came out this morning to a thick krausen and co2 bubbling like crazy from the bottom of the flask. I can't even use my stir plate because it almost instantly begins to foam up.

Looking forward to using this in my upcoming dark saison and definitely saving this yeast for the future.

 

[joety]

How did the Dark Saison turn out.

I'm brewing an attempted clone of L'Ambree D'Esquelbecq tomorrow.

 

[Gritsak]

How did the Dark Saison turn out.

I'm brewing an attempted clone of L'Ambree D'Esquelbecq tomorrow.

It's really good. Yeast dropped it from 1.060 to 1.005, making it about 7.5% ABV. Lots of dark fruit flavor from the malts, but the yeast definitely adds a nice touch of spiciness. I will be using this yeast again soon to make a nice lighter saison for the summer months.

 

[KraphtBier]

I brewed a saison style ale a couple weeks back using 3711. I took a hydrometer sample after 12 days and it had ripped down to 1.009 from ~1.068! It is still chugging away in the fermenter atm and I expect it will continue to crush through sugar. The hydro sample tasted great, dry and a little spicy with some fruity ester in there as well. The yeast didn't seem to overpower the malt character of the beer but it definitely added its own kick! I fermented at temps between 70-76 in the bathroom of my apartment.

 

[joety]

KB, were those ambient or actual temps?

 

[KraphtBier]

Temps were the ones given by the therm on the carboy, ambient was a bit cooler. I pitched at around 75 and wrapped the fermenter in a blanket for three or four days. The temp maxed out according to the therm sticker on the carboy at 76. Only after 14 days in the primary has the temp come down to 68-70 even with the blanket off (still above ambient).

 

[joety]

I think I'll do the same thing. I don't really want to spend the energy to heat my basement up much more than 65ish, so I'll steal your blanket wrap idea.

 

[Gritsak]

I left mine to ferment at ambient temps in the winter--started around 65 (actual temp of wort) and climbed to about 72 (actual temp) by the end.

 

[bkpsych]

Using a smack pack of 3711 to restart a stuck fermentation on a Belgian with OG of 1.100, stalled at 1.030. Details & updates for those interested on below thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/stuck-fermentation-1-100-belgian-t-58-3787-a-239994/

 

[joety]

Using a smack pack of 3711 to restart a stuck fermentation on a Belgian with OG of 1.100, stalled at 1.030. Details & updates for those interested on below thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/stuck-fermentation-1-100-belgian-t-58-3787-a-239994/

Let me know how it goes. I have the exact same issue on my Gulden Draak clone.

 

[phished880]

I used this as a blend with wlp500 for a dark strong, the OG was 1.086, prior to 2# of sugar, and took it all the way down to 1.004
Somewhere close to 12% abv. Which is a little higher then I was looking for but has got me messing with mash temps and that blend.

 

[smokinghole]

I finally go around to isolating a single colony out of a old top cropped mason jar of this strain. I figured I needed to clean the culture up for myself and start from new so now I am just waiting to get more DME on saturday morning. I think when I'm not busy growing starters for beer I want to brew I'll grow up the 3711 and do a test.

What I propose is take my two 2L flasks. Stick one in unhopped DME and stick one in Maltodextrine. Aim for the same gravity in both and do a sort of forced ferment test with them after getting the yeast to settle out I will measure the gravity. I don't think it can but I wonder if 3711 can at least consume SOME more complex carbohydrates. It obviously has no problem at all with sugars like maltotriose.

 

[2brew1cup]

Brewed up a simple end of winter saison last saturday.
13lbs belgian pils
Sorachi ace
Pepper corn
And rosemary
Pitched at 70
Lets rise to about 82 with heater assitance.
Smells like golden rays of sunshine
Pumped to let this thread know how it turns out fermenting high temp with this!

 

[MrOH]

One thing that I have noticed about this yeast the three times I've used it is that it's never done. I've had it bring a beer down to 1.000 from 1.056 and sit there for a week before bottling, and then still get gushers (I'm guessing that the priming sugar gave it enough of a boost to start eating the more complex sugars it had left behind.)

Now that I've been washing 3726, hopefully won't have to worry that, or 3724's stalling problems. Best of both worlds!

 

[Bonde]

Crazy yeast!!! or do i have an infection.

This is my first time using the Wyeast french Saison, and just checked my beer after 8 days in the primary. Krausen almost gone and no visible fermentation.

The reading i took said from 1050-0.998. Am i actually overshooting the data of the yeast or what's happening.

The recipie had only little sugar (6%) and a pils/munic/Wheat base. BIB test batch.

is this yeast really that crazy?

 

[kmos]

It is possible to get a FG that low with this yeast (however, it is unusual). Mine usually end up around 1.004 or so on average.

If you are using a hydrometer, are you compensating your reading for temperature?

 

[Bonde]

It is possible to get a FG that low with this yeast (however, it is unusual). Mine usually end up around 1.004 or so on average.

If you are using a hydrometer, are you compensating your reading for temperature?

i'm using a refractometer with auto temp compensation, mesaured both OG and FG at around 76f...

And using this converter: http://onebeer.net/refractometer.shtml