saison yeasts

By pitching together, I'd worry you wouldn't get enough out of the DuPont strain before the French just mows through it.

 

Is the Ommegang Hennepin yeast strain 3711 (French Saison)? Do you know this for a fact?

Cheers!

 

No I don't know anything about Hennepin yeast, I just assumed that's what PortLargo meant. Although the point still stands, be careful with mixed yeast fermentations because they can be unpredictable and produce beer of varying quality.

 

Agreed. I've had that one take it all the way down 0.00 (which was a total shock). I have a Saison fermenting right now using a blend of the 3711 and the 3463 Forbidden Fruit, the temp ranges are very similar and it creates an interesting beer. (Did the same batch over the summer and it turned out great.) The French Saison strain is voracious.

 

I cannot speak to Hennepin, but to the best of my sources 3711 is related to BrasserieThiriez

 

I'm hoping you meant 1.000 (at 0.00, you would have a hard time keeping the beer in the glass )
The first time I used 3711, my refractometer told me it was at 1.000. The skeptic in me decided to confirm it with the hydrometer, which read 0.998 (!!!) Turns out, I forgot to adjust for temperature (I got out of that habit years ago when I got the refractometer). It was, indeed, 1.000. That's probably been the most consistent and predictable yeast I've used. The fact that I love the flavor profile I get from it is icing on the cake (actually, it's the whole point - I'm exaggerating for effect )

 

Here is some of what I've dug up about Hennepin yeast (this is an old email from Ommegang):

> Our yeast strain was purchased from a yeast bank at the University of
> Leuven in Belgium. If it is used at other breweries, we are unaware and
> prefer not to know anyway (to avoid endless comparisons).
> The same strain is used for fermentation and bottle-conditioning. Two
> notes on usage for homebrewing:
> 1) Pitch copious amounts of yeast to ensure a healthy and clean
> fermentation.
> 2) Keep your fermentation temp at ~75F to ensure a complete
> fermentation.
>
> Good luck,
>
> Randy Thiel
> Brewmaster
> Brewery Ommegang

From other sources I have read quotes from Randy Thiel that they ferment at 77F and one quote says fermentation is at a minimum of 77F. I'm fairly certain the bottle yeast is their real house yeast, but unsure of what temp to use. I believe DuPont is regularly taken into the mid-80s. Of course mixing it with anything is always a gamble, but isn't that how great beers are developed?

If anyone has every used Hennepin, I would welcome their input.

 

Based upon the statement of: “Keep your fermentation temp at ~75F to ensure a complete fermentation.”, I am 99.99% sure that the yeast used for Hennepin is not 3711. Wyeast 3711 will ferment to completion at ‘regular’ ale fermentation temperatures; Wyeast provides a recommended fermentation temperature range of 65-77F for this strain.

Cheers!

 

Also, I have brewed with 3711 a few times, and had Hennepin more than a few times, and I don't get the 3711 earthy spice in Hennepin... but that is just one man's palette.

 

Don't give up on 565 just yet. It has been my favorite strain for saisons. Here are some tips for dealing with it:
1. As Jamil says, start fermentation cool, around 65, and ramp up about a degree or two a day up into the 80s
2. Pitch a big healthy starter
3. Put the lid on your fermenter loosely
4. If you're adding sugar (cane, candi, or I've even done honey with fantastic results), add it to the beer 24-48 hours after pitching.

If you brew saisons often, harvest the yeast from previous batches and reuse up to 5-10 times.