Hey all! Long time lurker, first time poster. I've made a couple batches before, and I decided to make a saison this round. One problem: I don't think I added enough water to the fermenter (supposed to be a 5 gal batch), so I think I'm currently working with a 4 gallon batch. I pitched the yeast already, and it's been fermenting for about a day-lots of activity. Here's my question: is it worth boiling another gallon of water and adding it to the carboy? I don't want a massively high ABV beer just because I screwed up a measurement, but at the same time, I don't want to ruin the the batch because I'm being neurotic. Any help is hugely appreciated. Thanks!
I would let the fermentation finish out as it is. When you transfer the beer to a secondary fermenter or keg or bottling bucket (whatever your process), you can add the gallon of make-up water then. Make sure you rack the water with the siphon just like the rest of the batch. Just pouring the gallon in would probably cause aeration/oxidation problems.
Hmm. You should be fine, but +1 to siphoning it in rather than dumping it. Just out of curiosity, what Saison yeast did you pitch?
alan, I used White Labs Saison blend (WLP568) Another thing, how long is a typical ferment time for a saison? The recipe I used is pretty vague about ferment/conditioning time. Thanks for your answers guys, you really put me at ease.
I typically use 3711. I get 80-84% attenuation in about 7 days, but I give it an extra week to clean up. I normally don't let mine get more than 1-2 weeks old before i run out, but I remember reading that a great Saison requires lagering for 4 weeks to hit its peak. I think that was in jz's podcast on saisons.
I'd say it depends on what you wanted your OG to be. 1.065 sounds very reasonable for a saison. I'd worry about being a few IBUs short, especially if you're going to add a gallon of water later. 1.015 is pretty high for a FG for a saison. If you like your saisons sweet, you'll probably be ok with just the 4 gallons. As said above, taste it after a few weeks and think about thinning it out. A little water's probably going to go a long way though.
Wait until it is finished, as determined by 2 identical hygrometer reading 3 days apart. I personally don't secondary. I know many more that don't. I'm not pooping it either though. It is one more chance for infection and oxidation. It also simplifies the process to take out one more step. I don't know the cutoff where it would be better to secondary, I just know I havnt reached it yet. Great saisons are bone dry. I try to get mine with similar gravities to yours around 1.008 or drier. The petite Saison, my house beer, gets to 1.003 with wy3711. Scroll down to Saison: http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style16.php#1c Vital Statistics: OG: 1.048 – 1.065 IBUs: 20 – 35 FG: 1.002 – 1.012 SRM: 5 – 14 ABV: 5 – 7%
Why are you going to lager it? Saisons like it warm to ferment, after that, you can condition it in bottles, or kegs, and roll with it. Some saison yeasts will get laggy and slow when they are too cool. Edit, I'd also vote against adding anything to it. Adding water will do nothing but.. water down your beer, including the flavor at this point. Just deal with 4 gallons of the good stuff, and worry about it next time.
Yes. Once you are satisfied that it has reached its FG. Bottle, allow them to carbonate, then cold condition. If that's all you can do, they will benefit from it.
My recommendation for Saison is give it as much time as it needs. Saison yeast (particularly the Wyeast 3724 and White Labs 565) are known for taking a long time to finish out. A secondary is unnecessary and you can be confident in leaving it on the yeast for up to four weeks without any autolysis worries. 1.010 is a good FG for a Saison, but don't panic if it's lower, anything down to 1.002 is OK according to BJCP guidelines.
