Saison w/ 3711 fermenting at 90 degrees...

[edin88]

I pitched some 3711 into a 1.064 OG (or around there) Saison Sunday night and it was fermenting after 12 hours. Last night, i dipped a thermometer into it and it was 78 degrees, seemed pretty perfect. I had a heating pad on it all day set to low in my otherwise kinda cold room (60 deg). Welllll i kinda turned the heating pad up to medium and today I came home from work and it was 90 degrees. I took the heating pad off so I assume it'll go down now, hopefully back to high 70s, low 80s, which is where i want this.

Anyone have experience with a beer with 3711 being this hot for 8 or so hours? I'm worried about diacyetl (i think that's what i should be worried about...right?). If it just becomes super funky in that good Belgian way then Im ok with that though

 

[climateboy]

You're fine. I've done the same thing. That yeast can tolerate high temperatures, but I don't think you want to do it for more than a week. You can keep it at 90 until primary fermentation is finished (check gravity to determine when it's done), then let it cool down (your cool room is fine, also you can put it in a water bath, or put wet towels on it) and leave it on the yeast for another two or three weeks or so to let the yeast clean up any higher alcohols and other byproducts. Then cold condition for a few weeks. It will be delicious.

Again, this is a high-temperature tolerant strain. It also is not a big diacetyl producer. The folks at Wyeast are very responsive to customer inquiries. You can also write to them if you want further guidance.

 

[TopherM]

I've never worked with 3711 (I make all of my saisons with 3724), but most saison yeasts are notorious for sticking around 1.030 if you ferment under 80F. The yeast manus recommend that once active signs of ferementation start to slow down to a crawl at 80, you should ramp up to 90 over about 24 hours to jumpstart the yeast and finish off that last 10-15% of gravity points.

If you really like the "saison funk" flavor, you can even ferment saison strains up to 100F to get more of that funky yeast flavoring with no other adverse results.

So, you were following the typical suggestions all along, you just didn't know it! I'd leave the heating pad on 90F and let this beer stay there for 4-5 more days and take a gravity reading to make sure you're at FG, but definitely no need to cool it back down, it may do more harm than good.

Good luck!

 

[climateboy]

I'm basing the cooling it back down on advice from Wyeast when I had a similar concern. Also, the major Saison brewers (Dupont, etc.) do cool or cold (but not down to lager temps) conditioning.

 

[wormraper]

I've never worked with 3711 (I make all of my saisons with 3724), but most saison yeasts are notorious for sticking around 1.030 if you ferment under 80F. The yeast manus recommend that once active signs of ferementation start to slow down to a crawl at 80, you should ramp up to 90 over about 24 hours to jumpstart the yeast and finish off that last 10-15% of gravity points.

If you really like the "saison funk" flavor, you can even ferment saison strains up to 100F to get more of that funky yeast flavoring with no other adverse results.

So, you were following the typical suggestions all along, you just didn't know it! I'd leave the heating pad on 90F and let this beer stay there for 4-5 more days and take a gravity reading to make sure you're at FG, but definitely no need to cool it back down, it may do more harm than good.

Good luck!

I've had 3711 ferment all the way out in 68 degree temps... it's much less temp sensitive than 3724

 

[beergolf]

I've had 3711 ferment all the way out in 68 degree temps... it's much less temp sensitive than 3724

I agree. 3711 is a totally different animal than 3724. It won't stick at 1.030, and does not need high temps to finish.

 

[wormraper]

I agree. 3711 is a totally different animal than 3724. It won't stick at 1.030, and does not need high temps to finish.

my latest finished at 1.000 (or .999 not sure) with ambient temps of 62-64 degrees from a OG of 1.075

 

[looneybomber]

my latest finished at 1.000 (or .999 not sure) with ambient temps of 62-64 degrees from a OG of 1.075

How did you pull that one off? You sure that wasn't a batch of skeeter pee :cross:

 

[beergolf]

How did you pull that one off? You sure that wasn't a batch of skeeter pee :cross:

3711 will almost always finish very low. I have had a couple of extract w/steeping grains finish at 1.004. All grain batches mashed low will finish near 1.000.

That yeast is a beast, but even that dry it has great mouthfeel.

 

[wormraper]

How did you pull that one off? You sure that wasn't a batch of skeeter pee :cross:

lol, my recipe has a late fermentation addition of 2 lbs cane sugar to dry it out really well. tends to finish FREAKING low. I've never had it finish above 1.002

 

[looneybomber]

Well guys, I've gotta try this yeast out this summer. I'd love to make a saison with a little rye in it.