Your experience with WLP565 Belgian Saison I Yeast

[redalert]

2 weeks ago I brewed a saison using this yeast. I fermented at around 66F which I know is a little cool for this yeast and now it's stuck at around 1.020 after 4 days of moderate activity. I know I probably should have mashed around 148ish but I still believe 1.020 is too high. The yeast has since gone dormant and are dropping clear. Now I read that this strain tends to stall out before picking up again. My grain bill was as follows:

10 lbs. 2-row } 5 gallon batch
1 lb. grits } measured OG 1.052

I mashed at 155F.

I am worried that since the beer is starting to clear, it won't attenuate out like a saison should. I don't want to add a finishing yeast and I would rather wait without stirring to see if the fermentation will kick up again even though the temps are pretty low for the strain.

I was just wondering what your experience was using this yeast at the colder fermentation range. Thanks in advance.

 

[CaptKiRkLeS]

Try getting the temp up. I haven't used a saison yeast yet but from my understanding, the temps should be warmer.

Anyone else?

 

[ArcaneXor]

Heat that sucker up into the 80-90 degree range. Hell, Cigar City ferments their saisons (which also have Brett in them) at up to 105 degrees!

If it refuses to budge, you can dry it out with Brett to give it a nice sourness, or, if you don't want to wait that long, any attenuative neutral ale yeast. Most of the flavor has already been produced.

 

[TheDutchman]

Yep, get it in the high 80s and be patient. Hopefully it starts up again; it makes a delicious beer.

 

[redalert]

I told myself to wait it out at 66F for 2 more weeks. That was 2 days ago. Today I got impatient and moved it to my room which is currently at 79F. I stirred it up. It picked up as soon as I stirred it and is bubbling as I write this. Thanks guys.

 

[Tread82]

I try to swirl my saisons once every 5 days or so. During the summer I jacked the temp from 66 (1 week) up to 80 and just left it there in primary for 5 weeks while it got down to 1.004. My beer was nice, spicy, and dry.

 

[redalert]

As of today it's 80F in my room and the airlock is slowly bubbling 1 every 90-120 seconds.

 

[0110x011]

565 is notorious for stalling out at lower temps. At 75-80 you'll do fine. Also keep in mind that 565 won't always superattenuate like many other saison strains. I actually prefer it because I can get those spicy saison phenolics without dropping the FG ludicrously low.

 

[redalert]

Well after having it at 80-90F for 2 days it stalled again. I turned off the heat in my room and it started bubbling again with the downswing of temperature. Ambient temp as of this writing is 68F and has been for at least 16 hours with the airlock bubbling 1 every 60-90 seconds. I found it odd how it would stall at 80-90F only to pick up at the original ferm temp of 68F.