Brewing my first saison- any advice?

Pilsner malts tend to have more DMS precursor than others, and a 90 minute boil will remove more DMS than 60 minutes. I boil my pilsner worts for 90.

 

Everything looks good, although I've never used Opal hops. I've fermented 3711 in the 70's with good results. 80 should be fine, but I don't think I'd let it go much higher than that.

Vikeman beat me to the punch on the 90-minute boil issue.

 

Keep it simple. Boil it for 90 minutes, and let it ride.

3711 is a beast, so expect it to take it all the way down.

 

Two comments.

I used to boil for 90 minutes when using Pilsner malt but a brewer who I respect recommended that 75 minutes of boil is sufficiently long enough to boil off DMS. I now boil for 75 minutes with good effect.

The Wyeast recommended temperature range for 3711 is "Temperature Range: 65-77F 18-25C"

I personally ferment 3711 in the low-mid 70s. I have seen posts where some homebrewers brewed with 3711 in the 80s and experienced fusel oils. Based upon this information I would suggest not fermenting at 80 degrees F.

Good luck with your hoppy Saison!

Cheers!

 

Ah, 3711, the BEAST. Don't even think for a second that it's done when it hits 1.010. But if you DO decide that 1.010 is good enough, and "let's go ahead and bottle it now," then I HIGHLY recommend that you store the bottles in an open top container, right next to your bed. That way you won't miss any of the hot action when the time comes.

I've also used 3711 in a "petite saison smash" which essentially means a saison with only (whatever) malt* and only one hop, OG 1.060-ish, fermented COOL (64F-ish). Also comes out great, albeit with a bit different flavors than the same yeast fermented warm. Everybody, even the BMC specialists, loved that beer. It will get brewed again very soon, maybe next up (i6's a good summer beer). I used willamette first time around, bittered to around 20-25 IBUs, then gave it an ounce at 5 and a couple ounces at flameout. I would again hop it similarly, preferably with a mellow, earthy, more subtle hop like willamette, fuggles, or a noble hop.

I think there's an application for a citra based version of this beer too, but this would NOT be a case where I'd blast the hell out of it with a lot of citra. Probably an ounce at flameout would be enough, with a small bittering charge. It's not a beer that I'd want to be all hops, because 3711 gives off nice flavors (at both warm and cool temperatures).

*think i used maris otter first time around, but it could have been GP, I'm too lazy to look it up

 

Good call Jack. OP: keep it in the 70's.

 

I wouldn't ferment 3711 that warm personally.

 

I recommend starting your fermentation at 65F or so, letting it naturally increase to 72-75F (the yeast is working hard and giving off heat), and putting it in a warm place, 77-85+F, for the last 3 days or so before bottling. I do this by chilling, starting it off in the basement and moving it to the greenhouse for the final touch; you could also use heat pads, a hot garage, etc. The temps here are just ballpark numbers; the important thing is to start cool and finish hot. This gives the high attenuation and spiciness you want without so much risk of fusels, solvent aroma, etc.

 

Jerry has a valid discussion topic of letting the yeast get 'hot' at the end of fermentation. Fuses oils generally get generated early in the fermentation. My only 'editorial comment' is that 3711 does not really require a hot temperature at the end of the primary fermentation cycle; it will complete just fine at 70ish temperatures.

So, @geneseohawk it is your call. Just don't let the fermentation temperature get hot in the first few day (e.g., 3-4 days). IMHO, you really do not need to ever get hot with this yeast.

Cheers!

 

1.060 seems none too petite

 

That's close to an 8% Saison using 3711...

 

keep it on the right temp range, enjoy it.

 

Yep. I brewed something similar last year at 1.065. Didn't expect it to get down to 1.000. This year went with 1.055 and it is tasting great. Fermented at 68 for 3 weeks and still getting a lot of character from the yeast.

 

I always use 12 lbs as a base starting point for "standard" beers. I generally consider saisons to be similar to the first six or seven I tried (which were almost all 8% or higher). Thus, "petite" saison*.

Note that on my system 12 lbs yields a beer in the general neighborhood of 6-6.5%, OG about 1.060 (obviously some wiggle depending on the grist and how attenuative the yeast is, but even 3711 won't give me 8% on the best day).

*Yes, I am aware of the potential pitfalls of this theory of mine, but am too lazy to re-formulate it. No sense giving up a perfectly good theory just cuz it ain't true.

 

It's all relative. I once set out to make a lowish gravity saison, the first time I used 3711. I ended up having my best efficiency ever, coming in ~ 10 points high. It probably didn't need the sugar I added to the boil, but it was all weighed out. And then 3711 attenuated to 1.000. It couldn't put astronauts on the moon but probably could have launched a small com-satellite -- petite rocket fuel!

 

I'll be brewing a saison soon, a tank 7 clone. For 18 gallons I'll be using 41 lbs of pilsen, 1.5 lbs white wheat, and 11 lbs of pregelatinized corn flakes. I've never used corn before, looking forward to the results. Hops are 2 oz magnum 60min., 2 oz simcoe 45,min., 2.5 oz Amarillo 5 min, 1.5 oz Amarillo at flameout, and 2 oz Amarillo dry hop. I got the recipe from the brewer who posts on BA now and then. I hope I translated his instructions correctly. ( wyeast 3711)

 

I assume this is flaked corn? I've never made a beer with it I didn't like, even with this being 25% of the grist. Gives it a lightly sweet, corny taste, even in a really dry beer.

 

Yes it is flaked corn. If it makes it taste anything like tank 7 , i'm all for it.