Sweet Saison

[MNRon]

I brewed a Saison~6wks ago that I'm sure didn't ferment out as it's sweet. I used Wyeast saison. It sat in a secondary for ~2wks @70degF. I don't have any gravity readings. It's been force carb'd at ~38degF for the last 3 weeks. My question is what ate my options, and what you would recommend:

1- chalk it up to experience and throw out
2- drink it sweet
3- help the yeast finish by taking out of fridge, and leaving at 70deg for a while? At 85deg for a while?
4- bleed off carbonation and toss it on a Maibock yeast cake to finish, the recarb

Other ideas or recommendations welcome.
Thanks

 

[beergolf]

Which Wyeast saison yeast did you use? If it was 3724 it most likely stalled at. aroung 1.030. You really need to take gravity readings. 3724 likes it hot to finish out.

 

[highgravitybacon]

I brewed a Saison~6wks ago that I'm sure didn't ferment out as it's sweet. I used Wyeast saison. It sat in a secondary for ~2wks @70degF. I don't have any gravity readings. It's been force carb'd at ~38degF for the last 3 weeks. My question is what ate my options, and what you would recommend:

1- chalk it up to experience and throw out
2- drink it sweet
3- help the yeast finish by taking out of fridge, and leaving at 70deg for a while? At 85deg for a while?
4- bleed off carbonation and toss it on a Maibock yeast cake to finish, the recarb

Other ideas or recommendations welcome.
Thanks

I'm throwing this out as a suggestion, but it doesn't come from my own experience. It's an off hand idea. I know people have used corny kegs to ferment in. There's many threads explaining the process, but since I don't keg (don't have the equipment), I never paid much attention to it. Here's one starting point:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/primary-fermentation-corny-keg-127876/

Without knowing the specific gravity currently, it would be hard to determine exactly where you are sitting.

Three options of many possible that I would try if I was in your situation are, in order of least work to most work:
1. Shake the hell out of it, bleed it, and then warm it up in the keg to >80F to finish it off.
2. Shake the hell out of it, bleed it, then pitch a vigorous starter of another yeast. In Brewing Classic Styles, Zainasheff suggests finishing with a neutral ale yeast like 1056, S-05, or WLP001 or a "dry champagne yeast" if you have attenuation issues. People have reported getting a rather splendid flavor from beginning with the dupont yeast, 3724, and finishing with French Saison 3711 which is a potent attenuator.
3. Transfer back to a sanitized carboy and then choose option 1 or option 2 in the carboy.

 

[TriggerFingers]

Its kind of tough to know where you are if you don't know where you started. If its cold and carbed then drink it...I mean how sweet are we talking here? Invite some friends over and finish it off?
If it weren't kegged temperature increase might be the easiest first option. If that didn't work I would get some 3711, make a big starter, and repitch.

Next time take readings and I would suggest using 3711 from the get go (yes I know some like 3724 but for me 3711 is amazing!--it will dry out for sure!) BTW, just made a starter of 3711 from some saved samples for a rebrew of my 9.2% Saison I made in January. That beer went from 1.078 to 1.008.

 

[pjj2ba]

I don't use that particular strain but I do use White labs saison II yeast and this yeast leaves a definite sweetness to the beer, even with gravities as low as 1.007! The sweetness is even more pronounced if the beer is not clear and has some unsettled yeast in the pours