Making a Saison need help on fermentation and more......

[Boozer84]

So can I ferment at 70 or should I try and bump it up a bit? I'm using 3724 from Wyeast. This is my first Saison but my main point in this beer is aeromatics and keeping the beer dry. I use a biab method and was wondering mostly if anyone has tried some interesting dry hopping ideas. Also the mashing schedule. Would you step mash or mash in the 140's? How much sugar should I have percentage wise for a 5 gallon batch to dry it out? Thanks for the help.

[thomscottson]

I am mashing a saison right now actually. Low and slow is what I am doing, Mash at 149 for 90 minutes. I am putting a pound of turbinado sugar in at flameout. I think that about 10 percent sugar is a good amount. I plan to pitch at 72F and let it rise up to as high as it wants. I'll keep it hot, 85F, and let it finish fermenting.

[morticaixavier]

10% sugar is a good place to start. no reason to step mash, 148ish for 90 minutes will do just fine. saison yeast will dry a beer out a lot almost no matter what. Dry hop if you want. the style can take it and it can come out wonderfully. Keep your bitterness in check as a very dry finish will accentuate the bitterness a lot.

personally I like to pitch around 65 like I would with any other ale, but I let it free rise to where ever it wants to go after that. I can't recall if 3724 is 'that one strain' that likes to be started at 90+ and held there the whole time. if it ISN'T then don't do that.

[BDawg]

I agree with Morticia.

Try the Belle Saison yeast and you won't have to worry about it getting stuck.

The only other thing I'd add is do a long 90 min boil because pilsner malts have a lot of SMM and you want to drive that out so you don't end up with a DMS addled beer. Then the fermentation characteristics are accentuated without the vegetal/corn flavors mucking up the works.

[spiderwrangler]

Try the Belle Saison yeast and you won't have to worry about it getting stuck.

+1

10.7% ABV with this yeast. It rips.

[saffire]

So you have had good success with the belles saison yeast? I have heard that you don't get much saison character from this yeast. Is that true?

[madcowbrewing]

I just did a side by side of the Belle Saison and the WLP565...I love the 565 and usually ferment that at what ever temp it wants. Just before this side by side I did my usual Honey Saison and temps got up to 90+ degrees. The Belle Saison worked great, chomped through the sugars down to 1.004. There is Saison character to it. I started it at 65, then ramped up to 75, then crashed it 48 hours before kegging.