Wyeast 3711 French Saison

[BaylessBrewer]

I just did a saison using 3711
mashed at 154 degrees and the final gravity was 1.002

If you mashed at 150, you may be ending up with a very dry beer!

Wow that's low!! I don't mind it being dry as that's kinda what happens and what I look for in A saison.
How long did it take yours to get down to 1.002?

 

[beerlover77]

Wow that's low!! I don't mind it being dry as that's kinda what happens and what I look for in A saison.
How long did it take yours to get down to 1.002?

Not long... maybe 5-7 days
I started ferment around (22c) 71f and ramped up to (30c) 86f over aweek
even though it's dry, it has a nice peppery/fruity taste to it offsetting this.

check out a video of it fermenting Mad here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=581533

 

[Mainer]

Looks like a good beer. Too bad they don't distribute to St.Louis.[emoji25] I'd like to try it

I bet you could find it St. Louis. It's recently become very easy to find here in Maine.

 

[Mainer]

I just did a saison using 3711
mashed at 154 degrees and the final gravity was 1.002

If you mashed at 150, you may be ending up with a very dry beer!

Dry sounds good. I was worried this would turn out too similar to an ipa I brewed this spring with kolsch yeast and a similar grain bill (but with flaked oats in addition to the wheat) but that only got down to 1.013, so dry would be a nice change of pace!

 

[ThatVideoKid]

Wow that's low!! I don't mind it being dry as that's kinda what happens and what I look for in A saison.
How long did it take yours to get down to 1.002?

This strain does that all the time. I think it has more pathways for some larger sugars, it doesn't seem to care about your mash temp. There have been accounts of people mashing at like 158 and it still takes it down to around 1

 

[ThatVideoKid]

I bet you could find it St. Louis. It's recently become very easy to find here in Maine.

You guys get Apex in Maine? Around Portland? I have to make another day trip for some bissell...now it's even more tempting

 

[rhys333]

I just did a saison using 3711
mashed at 154 degrees and the final gravity was 1.002

If you mashed at 150, you may be ending up with a very dry beer!

3711 drops really low regardless of mash temp.

 

[Aristotelian]

Sounds similar to an Apex Predator clone I brewed this weekend with 3711. 9 Lb Belgian Pils, a pound of flaked wheat, and half a pound of honey malt. Mashed at ~150, OG at 1.052. 1oz Crystal @60, 1 oz Crystal @ 15, 2 oz Crystal @ flameout, 1 oz Sterling @ Flameout. Pitched at 80, and has come down to about 75.

I read somewhere that Apex Predator uses 3726 (Farmhouse Ale). It's one of the best beers I have had recently, so I just brewed a Saison using bottle dregs and it seems to be working just fine FYI. (Not exactly a clone, I used Sterling and Hallertau). My impression is that Apex Predator is a tiny bit fruitier and less dry than 3711 although I am sure your clone with 3711 will turn out great.

 

[BaylessBrewer]

48hrs in and the krausen has dropped already! No gravity sample yet though. Going to give it a couple more days.
Temp was 78 last night and now it's 74. I might move it out to the garage this weekend and try to get up around 80+ for a couple days.

 

[Mainer]

I read somewhere that Apex Predator uses 3726 (Farmhouse Ale). It's one of the best beers I have had recently, so I just brewed a Saison using bottle dregs and it seems to be working just fine FYI. (Not exactly a clone, I used Sterling and Hallertau). My impression is that Apex Predator is a tiny bit fruitier and less dry than 3711 although I am sure your clone with 3711 will turn out great.

I also did boil hops, whereas their site says they dry hop with Crystal. But that's okay. I prefer a beer of my own that's "inspired by" rather than a direct clone. Because if I were truly trying to imitate the beer exactly, I'd just go buy it.

 

[Mainer]

You guys get Apex in Maine? Around Portland? I have to make another day trip for some bissell...now it's even more tempting

Yep. They have it at RSVP, the Bier Cellar, the Craft Beer Cellar...

 

[Aristotelian]

I also did boil hops, whereas their site says they dry hop with Crystal. But that's okay. I prefer a beer of my own that's "inspired by" rather than a direct clone. Because if I were truly trying to imitate the beer exactly, I'd just go buy it.

Absolutely nothing wrong with that! Just wanted to clarify in case somebody trying to make a true clone stumbles onto this thread.

 

[Mainer]

Absolutely nothing wrong with that! Just wanted to clarify in case somebody trying to make a true clone stumbles onto this thread.

Good point.

 

[ThatVideoKid]

Yep. They have it at RSVP, the Bier Cellar, the Craft Beer Cellar...

Sweet, thanks for the info! I don't think we have it in NH. Haven't seen it anywhere

 

[BaylessBrewer]

Couldn't stand it so I took a gravity sample. 1.010 @ 72 hrs in. Still bubbling like wine ferments so I'd say it's not done yet.
Put the fermenter out in the garage where it's about 80-82* F.
The sample tasted very promising!! Some hops, some yeast character going on, nice clean finish. I can't wait to get this bad boy on tap

 

[olotti]

Couldn't stand it so I took a gravity sample. 1.010 @ 72 hrs in. Still bubbling like wine ferments so I'd say it's not done yet.
Put the fermenter out in the garage where it's about 80-82* F.
The sample tasted very promising!! Some hops, some yeast character going on, nice clean finish. I can't wait to get this bad boy on tap

Yeah it's still got room. I used this on a saison starting at 66 deg for a few days then up to 72 then up to 82 and it finished out at 1.002. Turning a 6% beer into a 7+% beer and no detectable alcohol taste at all this yeast gets fruity at those high temps.

 

[Kiichi]

Has anyone done experiments with adding some sugar to this once fermentation slows down? I love this yeast for being fullbodied and generally on the clean side while being a bloody fermentation train. However, for some recipes I would want extra esters and I read that adding the sugar found in a lot of saison recipes when fermentation slows down helps ensure a quick and full attentuation and kick up the esters a bit.

I will try this myself for sure, but am just wondering if there are experiences with that before I do.

 

[rhys333]

Has anyone done experiments with adding some sugar to this once fermentation slows down? I love this yeast for being fullbodied and generally on the clean side while being a bloody fermentation train. However, for some recipes I would want extra esters and I read that adding the sugar found in a lot of saison recipes when fermentation slows down helps ensure a quick and full attentuation and kick up the esters a bit.

I will try this myself for sure, but am just wondering if there are experiences with that before I do.

You'll get quick and full attenuation regardless with 3711. I add about 5% sugar as a matter of course because I prefer dry. I find that slick fullness of 3711 without sugar to be a bit much.

 

[Mainer]

I brewed my first 3711 last week. It's fermented down nicely, but now it's got white dots forming on the surface that hopefully are yeast rafts, not a cross-contamination from the brett I bottled on the same day...

 

[beerlover77]

I brewed my first 3711 last week. It's fermented down nicely, but now it's got white dots forming on the surface that hopefully are yeast rafts, not a cross-contamination from the brett I bottled on the same day...

Pictures?

 

[Mainer]

Pictures?

Nah, they're going away. They were just yeast rafts.

 

[Stouterson]

This strain does that all the time. I think it has more pathways for some larger sugars, it doesn't seem to care about your mash temp. There have been accounts of people mashing at like 158 and it still takes it down to around 1

I'm still experimenting with this yeast strain at different mashing temps. My last batch was mashed at 152 and it finished at 1.005. I love the balance of this strain on the fruit and spice.

 

[tagz]

Sounds similar to an Apex Predator clone I brewed this weekend with 3711. 9 Lb Belgian Pils, a pound of flaked wheat, and half a pound of honey malt. Mashed at ~150, OG at 1.052. 1oz Crystal @60, 1 oz Crystal @ 15, 2 oz Crystal @ flameout, 1 oz Sterling @ Flameout. Pitched at 80, and has come down to about 75.

Just FYI, I emailed them a while back and was told that the yeast they use for Apex is 3726. Also available as Imperial Organic Rustic Ale yeast.

 

[Mainer]

Just FYI, I emailed them a while back and was told that the yeast they use for Apex is 3726. Also available as Imperial Organic Rustic Ale yeast.

Yeah, I shouldn't have called it a clone. It's more of an Apex-Predator-style beer.

 

[tagz]

Oh yeah, it was mostly just FYI. It'll still make a great beer with 3711. Especially if you can run it up into the 70s.

 

[ThatVideoKid]

Holy sh*t. The floccing mouthfeel on this baby for only starting at 1.032.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1471304729.445010.jpg

 

[rhys333]

Holy sh*t. The floccing mouthfeel on this baby for only starting at 1.032.

View attachment 366407

Yeah that mouthfeel can get a bit heavy for me on 1.040+ beers. I like to include 5-8% table sugar to keep it under control.

 

[Kiichi]

On that note: I am currently finishing fermentation on a "Belgian Dubble Weizen Bock-Ish with Sweet Potato". Those complex sugars take this beyond 3w at a 62 OG, giving me an almost 8% ABV in the end. Never seen this yeast be this slow. After an explosive 8 day primary that is.

Keep you updated on whether this may work for a dubble weizen hybrid style.

 

[Upthewazzu]

I've never had a saison in my life but grabbed a smack pack of 3711 at the lhbs and made what I think is a saison-like beer. It is...interesting, to say the least. Been on CO2 for about 5 days now so it's not totally carbed but not flat either. I would say it's a bit funky for sure, thinking that may be to style but not sure. Are there any Allagash beers that use this yeast (or similar, didn't try their saison)? I was there a couple months ago so I remember their stuff pretty well.

 

[rhys333]

I've never had a saison in my life but grabbed a smack pack of 3711 at the lhbs and made what I think is a saison-like beer. It is...interesting, to say the least. Been on CO2 for about 5 days now so it's not totally carbed but not flat either. I would say it's a bit funky for sure, thinking that may be to style but not sure. Are there any Allagash beers that use this yeast (or similar, didn't try their saison)? I was there a couple months ago so I remember their stuff pretty well.

What's your recipe?