Wyeast 3711 - result too sweet

[albino314]

I brewed a 3gal batch of Drew Beechum's Springtime in Amarillo. It fermented down to 1.003, but it still tastes strangely sweet. I can't tell what it is, but I don't really like it. I was expecting it to taste dry and spicy.

The grapefruit of the Amarillo hops comes through clearly, and that aspect of the beer is good.

The recipe said to let the temperature free rise, and on the podcast Drew implied it would get fairly warm. I fermented in my basement at 65F, and I don't think the beer got much warmer than 70F.

I left it in the fermenter for 16 days, and then bottle conditioned for 3 weeks before tasting it. So I don't think the beer is green.

Any thoughts on what would cause this beer to taste sweet? Would fermenting 3711 at 70F cause it to taste wrong?

Thanks,
Josh

 

[Grod1]

what were your mash temps? whats the abv/ intended abv?

 

[foxchainman]

I think wyeast 3711 is the best Saison yeast. Fruity esters and dry, with out the peppery phenolic. This beer will keep changing for up to six month before anything negative will take place. The hops will fade and expose more of the fruity esters. This yeast make a great Belgian IPA too. It's dry finish will showcase fruit hops and the yeast will take center stage once the hops fade. High alcohol or fruity esters may be perceived as sweetness. The temps you fermented at are fine. I like to ramp 5 degrees for a diacetyl rest the last 3 days. 16 days sounds fine especially since you finished with a nice and low gravity. That is one of the best things about this yeast 85% attention can be reached to dry out your Saison for light body beer with lots of fruity yeast character. Maybe more carbonation will improve the taste. 4 volumes of CO2 will make this beer have a dry champaign mouth feel.

 

[secondbase]

3711 is a high glycerol producer, giving the finished beer a full mouthfeel. This may be perceived as sweetness if you don't have enough ibu to counteract it with a firm, bitter finish. What was your hop schedule and water profile?

 

[albino314]

I mashed at 152. My OG was 1.058, I got about 94% attenuation, 7.2% ABV.

I only carbed to 3 volumes. My water was basic bottled water, no mineral additions. 50IBU total, here's my hop schedule:
31 IBU Amarillo at 60min
19 IBU Amarillo at 20min
3/4oz Amarillo at 0min