WLP566 Saison II - Should it be sour/tart?

sca · Nov 29, 2014

When viewing the surface of the beer through the airlock hole I thought my beer had been compromised by something foreign. On closer inspection it seems they are just yeast colonies which haven't fallen?

My first saison, it seems quite tart/sour (tastes pretty damn fine tho!) for what I was expecting.. not sure if this is normal or not. Could it actually be that something wild got into my beer?

I did make a starter (24+ hours) which also smelled kind off sour (or maybe more fruity, didn't taste) and reasonably high target pitch rate (1.0mil/ml/plato)

The pic was day 7 @ ~23C, its fallen from 1.050 to 1.005 so far. Perhaps if it's just the yeast on site they still have some sugars to consume (though note that this strain isn't supposed to attenuate as low as WLP565 or WY3711)

Any input appreciated

serum · Nov 30, 2014

I've found the dryness of a saison can make it taste a little tart. As long as it tastes nice it's alright.

I've found a fair few of my starters had a bit of a sour or apple like smell but never had a problem with them being infected.

That pic definitely looks like yeast floating on the top. Sometimes it just floats rather than falling. It might actually be done so keep an eye on your readings and see if it's stable.

Shred · Nov 30, 2014

Not sure what the tartness is you're tasting, but "lemon" is a common aroma/flavor descriptor in a lot of Saisons. That is definitely not an infection in your beer. I've figured out over the years that you KNOW when it's infected. If it just looks a little funny, you're fine.

DrKnow · Nov 30, 2014

566 has a big fruit/citrus character. Combined with the dryness of the beer and and the alcohol content (you are sitting at almost 6% abv) it may come across as tart. I've made more saisons than everything else put together, so I have used a good portion of the available strains and I've never had one get stuck. I've had some take longer to finish but getting it warmer always seemed to help it along. I'd still have to say that I prefer 565 over 566. It has just the right amount of fruit and spiciness.

dk21 · Nov 30, 2014

Mine had a lot of yeast on top of the finished beer as well. Not sure why, but the beer was good.

Also, I've found that some yeasts smell a bit sour out of the vial and in a starter. If I remember correctly, 566 was one of them.

sca · Dec 2, 2014

Wow so many helpful responses, its a little overwhelming as a first time poster

Gravity is still dropping, 1.003 today! The sour/tartness seems to have mellowed a bit, it has cleared up a fair bit as well.. probably less yeast in suspension. Sorry for losing my cool earlier, I don't normally pay such close attention to the visuals during fermentation so I was a bit thrown off..

@DrKnow - started with 566 first because i was worried about 565 getting stuck and this was my first really pale AG batch. What is your preference 566 vs WY3711 or how would you contrast them? Definitely stepping up to either one of those next

I'm just using a very simple recipe 70% Pils, 20% Wheat, 10% Vienna, Saaz/Styrian @ 60,20,0 mins

@dk21 - ah yes, it did smell sour out of the vial!

DrKnow · Dec 2, 2014

3711 is great because it's virtually unstoppable. The drawback is it has a very restrained flavor profile, kinda bland (in my opinion) when compared to wlp 565.

dk21 · Dec 2, 2014

I'd agree. I like WLP565 but have avoided it due to it's reputation for being fussy. I was happier with the results from Wyeast 3711 over WLP566 in my rye saison. Since my friends keep asking for it, 3711 must compliment the rye characteristic well.