Brewed a all grain saison 12-31 used whyeast #3724 saison yeast. Had a OG 1.062 kinda of high but using a new set up. Here’s the problem the fermatation got stuck at 1.040 and has not dropped in almost a week now. I want to re pitch but know yeast has a hard time in something that already has alcohols in it. I am getting ready to keg a cider that used champian yeast. I can wash and do a starter can I pitch with that? Or should I get another whyeast pack. Any help would be great.
http://www.wyeastlab.com/rw_yeaststrain ... .cfm?ID=60
I would raise the temp before using a 2nd yeast.
I use this yeast and WL 565 at least a couple of times a year. I basically brew, pitch, and wait 4-5 weeks before I even check it. I let it sit in my hot garage at 80-90 after a couple of days in the mid 60s. This yeast is often a slow fermenter, but makes an excellent beer. Don’t bottle it before it gets below 1.010 or you will have bottle bombs. It should finish out at 1.004-6, and I have had saisons start at 1.055 and finish at 1.001. I usually pitch a flocculant English strain at bottling to make sure the beer carbonates in the bottle at a lower temperature. That is the only time I pitch a second yeast. Just be patient.
I honestly can’t stand this yeast or 565 (I believe they are both the Dupont yeast) for this exact reason. I’ve raised the temp into the 90s and only gotten a fusel bomb. Chris White actually admitted on a podcast that 565/dupont is meant to be used IN CONJUNCTION WITH ANOTHER ‘HOUSE’ YEAST!!! ie buy two vials from us!
I went to WLP 566 “Saison II” and haven’t looked back, because it is a workhorse (in all likelihood, its probably a blend of 565 and US-05 or something!). Some people say they don’t get enough ‘saison’ character from it, but IMHO “saison character” means “a dry-arse beer”, and I want a yeast that will get me there. I get plenty of subtle white/black pepper/orange/clove phenolics from it.
There is another thread I will try to find with another saison yeast that people swear by (maybe French Saison?). I will try to find it and edit this post.
For your situation, I would second the opinions of everyone else, to raise the temp and give it some time. If that doesn’t work, I would recommend ‘krausening’ the beer, where you pitch new actively fermenting wort into it (this is also what White recommended in the podcast). My understanding of the easiest method:
-boil about 2000ml of water with 200g of DME for about 30 minutes, add a few hop pellets once you reach a boil
-cool it to 70, pitch a FULL PACK of S-05 or Nottingham, or something that attenuates well into it.
-wait until it is at high krausen and going nuts (probably an hour or so), then pitch the whole starter into your saison
-thjs should get it going, but if not, you may have a dumper
Wyeast 3711 French Saison is where it’s at! Freaking awesome saison yeast.
Took my Winter Saison from 1.076 to 1.004. Then it jumped to another fermentor and beat the hell out of some 1272 before picking another fight with Pacman.
Seriously though, my Winter Saison was one of the best beers I brewed in the last year.
[quote=“dobe12”]Wyeast 3711 French Saison is where it’s at! Freaking awesome saison yeast.
Took my Winter Saison from 1.076 to 1.004. Then it jumped to another fermentor and beat the hell out of some 1272 before picking another fight with Pacman.
Seriously though, my Winter Saison was one of the best beers I brewed in the last year.[/quote
3711 works great for me in the mid 60’s. Nice pepper notes. Ferments with out raising the temp and get the job done in normal time.
