Mixing saison yeasts?

[illinibrew04]

OK, so I've read the threads on here about mixing different yeast strains and they don't seem to have much info. Here is what I'm thinking:

I want to brew a saison that dries out really nicely. I will be adding regular sugar to part of the recipe in addition to mashing at 147F for 90 minutes.

But, from what I've heard/read, the white labs WLP565 saison yeast is quite finicky and underattenuates a lot. I picked up this yeast strain in hopes of using it while my LHBS still had it, so I def. want to use it. Should I...

1. Mix two different saison strains in the starter (i.e. mix the 565 with a saison II blend or even a wyeast saison blend that attenuates better? Or will the more attenuative strain just take over and cause the other to flocculate?

2. Ferment as far as I can with the 565 and then pitch an already fermenting starter of something neutral like cal ale yeast?

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[Doog_Si_Reeb]

I just put a Saison in the fermenter about a week ago, although I ended up using WLP568 from a buddy's homebrew bottle.

I did a whole lot of reading before I brewed it and I listened to the Jamil show about Saisons. From what I have read on several threads and what one of the Whites (from White Labs) said, option 2 is the better way. That option will ensure you get a lot of the desired characteristics from the yeast. If it gets stuck, which is pretty common, you can then either pitch a fermenting starter or rack the batch onto a cake of a good clean ale yeast like cali ale.

 

[illinibrew04]

Cool, that's kind of what I was leaning toward after listening to the Jamil show on saisons. God bless Jamil, and Chris White as well!

 

[brewt00l]

I used 565 for a few beers over the course of last summer and fall. Personally, I had no problem getting the attenuation I wanted with a properly prepared wort and fermentation conditions. I kept the carboys in the upper 80s after the first couple days and while it seemed to stall out at one point, a little patience was all I needed.

White Labs offers a blend too : http://whitelabs.com/beer/strains_wlp568.html

 

[illinibrew04]

I used 565 for a few beers over the course of last summer and fall. Personally, I had no problem getting the attenuation I wanted with a properly prepared wort and fermentation conditions. I kept the carboys in the upper 80s after the first couple days and while it seemed to stall out at one point, a little patience was all I needed.

White Labs offers a blend too : White Labs - WLP568

Yeah, I saw the blend and considered that, but I already have the 565. So would you recommend starting out at a more normal 68-70F for two days and then ramping up to the mid/upper 80's to finish? Thanks for the input.

 

[climateboy]

Yeah, I saw the blend and considered that, but I already have the 565. So would you recommend starting out at a more normal 68-70F for two days and then ramping up to the mid/upper 80's to finish? Thanks for the input.

Yah, just let it ramp up naturally. Patience is your friend on these...take it to the warmest part of your house and let it go for a month.

 

[brewt00l]

Yeah, I saw the blend and considered that, but I already have the 565. So would you recommend starting out at a more normal 68-70F for two days and then ramping up to the mid/upper 80's to finish? Thanks for the input.

I pitched into 70 degree wort and then bumped the temp into the mid-upper 80s with an aquarium heater the next day before fermentation took off. It seemed to stall around 1.018 for about a week or so then chewed its way down below 1.010. The next beer I used on that cake, I just started in the upper 80s and didn't have any pause for the yeast to attenuate (course it was a higher grav brew on a much higher cell count).