New Danstar Belle Saison Dry Yeast?

[ChocolateMaltyBalls]

I say skip the sugar, this yeast doesn't have any problem drying out a beer, and you don't want the body to come off too thin, which in my experience has not been a problem when using a malt based wort.

 

[peterj]

I say skip the sugar, this yeast doesn't have any problem drying out a beer, and you don't want the body to come off too thin, which in my experience has not been a problem when using a malt based wort.

That is true. I just did a quick extract Saison with just DME and a couple of steeping grains and it took the gravity from 1.046 to 1.001 with no sugar in the recipe. That was my first time using this yeast and I can't believe how much it attenuated. Ridiculous!

 

[hopbrad]

That is true. I just did a quick extract Saison with just DME and a couple of steeping grains and it took the gravity from 1.046 to 1.001 with no sugar in the recipe. That was my first time using this yeast and I can't believe how much it attenuated. Ridiculous!

wow, yea i will skip it for sure. no need to go any lower that that!

 

[sweetcell]

and some sort of spice addition at 5 (citrus zest, coriander or if i can find Grains of Paradise)

add spices if you want, but the yeast will provide plenty of spiciness.

if you add spices, you won't be able to get a good feel for the yeast... you won't know what is responsible for those spicy flavors!

 

[hopbrad]

add spices if you want, but the yeast will provide plenty of spiciness.

if you add spices, you won't be able to get a good feel for the yeast... you won't know what is responsible for those spicy flavors!

true good call

 

[FRS]

Ended up with about 2 gal excess ipa wort yesterday, decided to pitch a package of belle I had received as a prize at a home brew comp. It started extremely fast, within 3 hours of pitching. It's fermenting in the low 70s now; I'll let you all know how it turns out!

 

[m3n00b]

Ended up with about 2 gal excess ipa wort yesterday, decided to pitch a package of belle I had received as a prize at a home brew comp. It started extremely fast, within 3 hours of pitching. It's fermenting in the low 70s now; I'll let you all know how it turns out!

Hmm...banana IPA?

 

[FRS]

Hmm...banana IPA?

We'll see... I like to get a little experimental with any ingredients I get for free!

 

[Mikethepoolguy]

I just picked up a blue ribbon for my rye saison that used this yeast. FG was .998

 

[FRS]

I pulled a sample of an ipa with this yeast a week into primary, it's already at 0.998 and pretty tasty. It's not as hop forward as the version brewed with Conan, and has some nice, but not overwhelming, Belgian character. It's got some cloves and pepper, and some fruitiness that could come from the yeast or hops. I will probably end up liking the Conan version slightly better, but it is fun to experiment

 

[Pilgarlic]

Anyone have any experience yet with this yeast at cooler ferm temps? I pitched yesterday into 1.052 wort and it's at 68-70 room temp.

I've had GREAT success with this yeast in the past, but each time it was at 78 room temp.

 

[skunkfunk]

It's worked great for me everywhere from 65 degrees on up. Even made an IPA from it, turned out fabulous.

 

[piteko]

Anyone have any experience yet with this yeast at cooler ferm temps? I pitched yesterday into 1.052 wort and it's at 68-70 room temp.

Hi,
I used it the first time at:
- pitching at 18°C;
- krausen at 19°C;
- when fermentation was almost done, slowly ramped up to 22°C.
Turned out great but I ended up making the same batch and using the same fermentation temp profile, just 1°C higher. Turned out a bit better. And, quoting Charlie Bamforth, I won't apologize for using the metrical system

Cheers from Italy!
Piteko

 

[stbnj]

I am going to give this a try in my late winter/early Spring saison, Thaw. Its a 50/50 blend of Oat Malt and Pale Ale Malt with cascade hops. Its modeled after a beer I had at Tired Hands this fall, wish I knew what yeast they were using. I emailed once and they never answered me. 3726 is my usual yeast but its a seasonal so I rely on starters and washing yeast to keep my supply year round, hope I like this yeast.

 

[piteko]

3726 is my usual yeast but its a seasonal so I rely on starters and washing yeast to keep my supply year round, hope I like this yeast.

I have to say that Danstar belle saison and windsor have surprised me. I started with liquid yeasts and, after many years, I ended trying dried ones. This two are not as good as liquid ones but they are very interesting. The ratio work and money vs. flavour profile is incredibly high and I think I will at least keep one in the fridge, just in case.
On the other side, they are strange with attenuation. Belle saison is extremely attenuating, windsor is exactly the opposite. Anyway, with some tuning they work really well, in my humble opinion. Now I'm giving a try at Nottingham and it seems interesting too.
Cheers from Italy!!
Piteko

 

[troy2000]

I have to say that Danstar belle saison and windsor have surprised me. I started with liquid yeasts and, after many years, I ended trying dried ones. This two are not as good as liquid ones but they are very interesting. The ratio work and money vs. flavour profile is incredibly high and I think I will at least keep one in the fridge, just in case.
On the other side, they are strange with attenuation. Belle saison is extremely attenuating, windsor is exactly the opposite. Anyway, with some tuning they work really well, in my humble opinion. Now I'm giving a try at Nottingham and it seems interesting too.
Cheers from Italy!!
Piteko

I've used the Belle Saison yeast three times, including once on a straightforward copy of Shipwrecked Saison. I just ordered a five-pack of it online, if that gives you any idea what I think of its performance....

The first time was basically with no temperature control; I was still putting gear together. It came out good. The second time was at low-to-medium temperatures; it came out good. The third time, I ramped up to 90 degrees F for a week, then backed off to 80. I'm expecting it to come out good....

 

[piteko]

I just ordered a five-pack of it online, if that gives you any idea what I think of its performance....

HAHAHAH!!!

The third time, I ramped up to 90 degrees F for a week, then backed off to 80. I'm expecting it to come out good....

I would expect the same. Please let us know which are the main flavours you catch. 90 degrees are pretty high and I'm interested if the pepper (or something else) covers the rest or not...

Cheers from Italy (and, by the way, the dilbert signature rules )!
Piteko

 

[tarmac]

Just brewed an all extract (DME + candi-sugar) Belgian Golden Ale using the Danstar Belle Saison yeast.

1.081 OG
1.006 FG

Aerated by vigorously shaking carboy for 2 minutes. Constant 68F for 21 days.

Can't wait to try it! Bottled it Friday night. Extremely satisfied with this yeast's attenuation. I harvested the cake and will use again.

 

[Pilgarlic]

Just brewed an all extract (DME + candi-sugar) Belgian Golden Ale using the Danstar Belle Saison yeast.

1.081 OG
1.006 FG

Aerated by vigorously shaking carboy for 2 minutes. Constant 68F for 21 days.

Can't wait to try it! Bottled it Friday night. Extremely satisfied with this yeast's attenuation. I harvested the cake and will use again.

I'll be interested in hearing about what phenolics and esters you get out of the yeast at this temp. I've had one at 68 ambient for 9 days and it's still off-gassing at a pretty good rate. The airlock sniff is very fruity.

 

[tarmac]

I'll be interested in hearing about what phenolics and esters you get out of the yeast at this temp. I've had one at 68 ambient for 9 days and it's still off-gassing at a pretty good rate. The airlock sniff is very fruity.

Will let you know how the final product is.

The off-gassing and krausen hung around for 2+ weeks, still fermenting, then it all stopped and went away within 24 hours like a switch was tripped. Airlock sniff was fruity (citrus-y / sweet) for me too. Sipping the warm uncarbed beer at bottling was fresh, fruity, and spicy. Definitely needs plenty of time to improve.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[fearwig]

Anyone have any experience yet with this yeast at cooler ferm temps? I pitched yesterday into 1.052 wort and it's at 68-70 room temp.

I've had GREAT success with this yeast in the past, but each time it was at 78 room temp.

I took Jamil's advice, pitched low 60s and brought it up in the mid 70s to attenuate. OG 1.070, FG 1.000 (with 10% sugar). One of my favorite brews yet. Great fruit, some clove. When I rebrew this soon I'm going to carb a bit more and dry hop with saaz.

I drank mine young and found it did not improve with age, but ymmv, mine was hopped very mildly and that was a factor.

 

[stbnj]

Just checked on my saison I brewed with this last Wednesday. 5lbs oat malt, 5 lbs pale ale malt, .25 caravienne, 1 lb Simplicity sugar, 1oz hops at 60 and another at 5 left. Its down to 1.005 already, I am surprised as I had a harder time keeping the temp up. My house is at 65 so I assumed ambient plus yeast activity would bring it up higher. It tastes ok so far and is cloudy as hell. I ordered a brew belt that should come tomorrow, I wonder though if it is too late to raise the temp and squeeze out a couple points and some funk.

 

[fearwig]

The funk comes from early fermentation, but some heat at the end will help dry it out and balance the fruit esters. Won't get too much drier with that grain bill though. If you give it an extra week at room temp or higher you might get to 1.002-3.

 

[707]

Any thoughts for using this in a Delerium Tremens clone?

 

[samwhois]

If you want a dry yeast for a Tremens clone I would go with a couple packs of Fermentis T-58. As I am sure you know it is a pretty strong brew. You might be able to get away with using the Danstar Belle if you ferment at cooler temps, like 65-68. I think they recommend the White Labs Belgian Golden Ale yeast. I have read that you can make some good Belgian styles with T-58, like Belgian Strong ales and Tripels.

 

[fearwig]

Yeah, even if you managed to ferment this at 55F it would still be a saison. Saison is technically a belgian strong but the yeast character is pretty different from all the others.

 

[Pilgarlic]

Saison is technically a belgian strong

What??

 

[afr0byte]

Yeah, even if you managed to ferment this at 55F it would still be a saison. Saison is technically a belgian strong but the yeast character is pretty different from all the others.

By what standard is it a belgian strong? Certainly it's not listed as a strong ale under bjcp guidelines.

 

[sweetcell]

I have read that you can make some good Belgian styles with T-58, like Belgian Strong ales and Tripels.

my experience has not been good with T58. it's way too peppery and phenolic and doesn't produce any nice belgian esters. i haven't used it extensively, mostly because my few experiences with it have been so negative that i didn't want to pursue it any further.

Saison is technically a belgian strong

saisons can be strong belgians (as in belgians with high alcohol), but they are not belgian strongs in the sense that belgian strongs are defined as a style (belgian golden strong, belgian dark strong).

 

[fearwig]

You're right, it's obviously in 19, basically the definitive beer in 19--I don't know where that came from, I knew it was counterintuitive, but I still went all, "well, TECHNICALLY". Head hung in shame, etc. I'm itching to go edit that post and make you all look like crazy people.

I swear I read someone say that the other day and thought, "Well really? That's strange, but I guess so!" Or maybe I had a ridiculously geeky dream about counterintuitive beer reclassification.