I have brewed many saisons with WLP 565. I am going to split my next batch with 566 and WY 3711. I ferment my saison for 4-5 weeks at Texas, summer garage temps which is usually around 90 in the carboy. They come out great, but I want to try the new yeasts because the 565 often takes quite a while to finish. Does anyone know at what temps WLP 566 and Wy 3711 work best?
My basic recipe is for a saison like Dupont’s.
I ferment 3711 at 65*. It finishes with no problems. Nice pepper notes to it.
I start 3711 in the low-to-mid 60’s, then let it go after 2-3 days. The last few gravity points tend to creep down slowly, so I usually allow an extra week more than a typical ale fermentation just to make sure it finishes out before bottling.
I wouldn’t say that it’s very DuPont-like as saison strains go, but I’m a huge fan of 3711. It ferments super dry, but leaves a nice mouthfeel so it doesn’t get too thin. It also gets a bit tart, which works nicely with the dry, spicy finish. My last Saison with 3711 drinks like the beer equivalent of a dry white wine - it’s the perfect summer brew.
I talk to all these people that swear by fermenting saisons HOT, like in the mid-90’s. Do you get any fusel alcohols?
I ferment mine like Nighthawk, pitching at 65, then ramping up to 70-72. I typically am getting attenuation in the high 80%'s.
Both 3711 and 566 work at all these temps (including yours in the garage). And both are way easier to work with than 565/Dupont, which is a notorious staller. Chris White actually admitted on a podcast that its meant to be used in conjunction with another yeast to finish up, which I personally find ridiculous.
I ferment with 3711 often. I pitch around 75F and just let it ride. The closet it sits in gets up to the upper 70’s. So I assume fermentation gets up into the 80’s. Makes a damn fine beer!
One word of advice though. 3711 REALLY brings out the flavor of any spices you may add. It adds it’s own as well, but I usually cut back what I would normally add to a Saison.
Thanks for the info. My saisons are malt, hops, water, and yeast. I don’t need sugar or spice to make a tasty saison that finishes dry. I enjoy the spice character that the yeast creates. I have tried quite a few commercial saisons and I know they are all different so I am open to 3711 being different than Dupont. I used 566 last summer, and it was a lot cleaner than 565. WL 565 is so complex and seems to age well so it is my favorite so far.
I have never gotten fusels or off flavors from a hot ferment with 565. I pitch at 68-70 and keep it there for a couple of days before setting it in the garage. My usual O.G. is 1.052, but I have gone as high as 1.070. That is what is so great about this yeast.
I have had infected batches with 565 though. Sometimes it just quits and wild yeasts can take over. This has happened to me a couple of times. I usually split the batch with WL 530 and call it a blond ale. It comes out great, but I ferment that at 68 and then let it go up to 78 the last couple of days. I just want to try some new yeasts this time.
