Fruited sour, worried about bottle bombs

Wait. When you checked the gravity, had you already added the priming sugar?

3 points in 5 gallons ~= 5.3 ounces sucrose.

 

In that case, I'd say those bottles might be a little overloaded, with possibly 3 points of residual sugar from the fruit plus whatever you primed with. If you primed with, say, 4 oz sucrose, you could be looking at something like 4.3/4.4 volumes of CO2.

If you used standard 12 oz bottles, there could be a problem.

I usually consider a week to be long enough to ferment fruit, but I keg, so if I'm wrong, there's no (safety) risk.

 

I am unfamiliar with this berry. Do you have any idea what sugars are provided by this berry? Any chance they provide complex sugars which are not metabolized by WLP565?

Cheers!

 

I just reviewed the presentation that Greg Doss gave at NHC 2012 entitled “Exploring Attenuation” and the highest attenuation yeast he studied of the Wyeast product portfolio was Wyeast 3711. The next was Wyeast 3724 (a Dupont yeast strain). For the same wort:

· Wyeast 3711: about 84%

· Wyeast 3724: about 80%

Cheers!

 

According to the link they have "a nutrient profile similar to the content of blueberries." And they look like blueberries. But taxonomically, they are not even close.

But assuming the sugar/carb content is similar... for blueberries, my fruit database/model estimates about 4% of their soluble carbs might be non-fermentable.

 

And one of my motivations for posting the data in post #6 above was to suggest that using your past performance with 3711 may not be an appropriate 'reference point' here. I have brewed with 3711 a number of times and that yeast performs (i.e., rate of primary fermentation, attenuation) like a thoroughbred. But for my palate it does not create a complex flavor profile so it is a non-favorite for me in that context.

I have never brewed with WLP565 but I have brewed with WY3724 which some folks claim is the equivalent. While I was always happy with the flavor profile of this yeast I was never happy with its performance. That yeast always took too damn long and on one occasion it suffered from the dreaded stall; as Wyeast discusses it:

"This strain is notorious for a rapid and vigorous start to fermentation, only to stick around 1.035 S.G."

I finally decided that for me personally WY3724 was not worth the angst. Lately I have been fermenting my annual batches of Saison with a co-pitch of Fermentis T-58/BE-134 using a 3:1 ratio (i.e., more T-58 than BE-134). I have been very happy with the results:

• Primary Fermentation complete in a timely fashion
• High attenuation
• Production of glycerol which provides a smooth mouthfeel despite the low FG value
• Complex (tasty) flavor profile

My recommendation is to monitor bottles. Check out the carbonation level at maybe 1 week and then 2 weeks. If you feel that they are approaching an overcarbed state you can place them in cold conditions (e.g., a beer refrigerator) to get the yeast to go dormant.

Best of luck here. Please report back how it goes.

Cheers!

 

Personally I would just chill them down as I discussed above. Pasteurizing the bottles may have negative flavor effects.

Cheers!

 

If you bottle them in heavy glass there should be no issue. They might be highly carbonated but the bottles won’t explode.


Personally I’d never bottle any diastaticus yeast in anything but heavy glass. You literally never know when it will finish.

 

I know Amelanchier spp. as Juneberry. The berries look like blueberries. They can be quite sweet, but the taste is less distinct, IME.

 

Below is from the White Labs website (with emphasis in bold by me):

“WLP565 Belgian Saison I Ale Yeast

None

Specialty / Belgian

A classic saison strain sourced from the Wallonia region of Belgium. This strain makes a classic saison by producing flavors and aromas noted as earthy, peppery and spicy. With attenuation averaging around 70 to 75%, some malt flavor will remain present. For best fermentation results, let this strain free-rise to allow for complete attenuation and production of the subtle, traditional aroma characteristics. With high gravity saisons, it’s suggested to dry the beer with an alternate yeast (such as WLP001 California Ale Yeast®) added after 50 to 60% fermentation.

WLP565 Belgian Saison I Ale Yeast is POF+, this strain will contribute phenolic characteristics to finished products.

**This strain has been genetically typed in our lab using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Through this genetic testing, we have determined WLP565 Belgian Saison I Yeast to contain the STA1 gene (glucoamylase), a potential indicator of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus. Brewers yeast are natural hybrids, which make it possible for certain strains to display elements of the STA1 gene. These strains have the ability to utilize some dextrins (unfermentable sugars), resulting in higher levels of attenuation than what is considered typical.

At White Labs, we do everything possible to detect for undesired organisms within our process and cultures. The strains we carry with known Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus genetics have been researched and validated to perform without excessive over-attenuating, which is possible through our nearly 25 years of experience paired with internal and external fermentation data.**

https://www.whitelabs.com/yeast-bank/wlp565-belgian-saison-i-ale-yeast

So, the language they use is “a potential indicator of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus”.

You will also read above that this yeast strain is not super highly attenuating.

Cheers!

 

Just about every “Saison” yeast is.. The gene is more active in some than in others. Some will hit 1.000 really quickly. Others might take months, or might not. The not knowing is the scary part, hence the thick glass.

 

Just monitor the situation. It is entirely possible that the bottles will not over-carb.

Sometimes the bread falls butter side up.

Cheers!

P.S. And if you decide to chill down the bottles you can drink them at your leisure; as long as they stay cold they will not get more carbonated.

 

Well, not super highly attenuating quickly. I'm sure you remember @Homebrew42 post where he took a picture of his hydrometer sitting at 1.000 on an average strength saison using either wlp545 or wy3274 (don't remember, but it was DuPont strain) that he fermented for a month at 70F.

 

Well, I have fermented my Saison beers with WY3724 for over a month (one batch went 7+ weeks) and I never achieved a FG of 1.000. My results for the last two batches using WY3724 are:

• 1.005
• 1.004

With that same OG and wort I achieved a FG of 1.000 with 3711.

I suppose it would now be time to state: YMMV.

Cheers!