I'm glad I found this thread - I have (or had, now that I've read some of your responses!) some similar questions.
I will be brewing up this Saison recipe tonight:
http://wiki.americanhomebrewers.org/SaisonDuMont-Extract
Instead of either of the liquid yeasts they recommend, I also am going with the T-58 dry yeast. I think I will rehydrate it (I do have some GoFerm, but some of you said that shouldn't be necessary - wort has more nutrients than wine, cider, or mead must, so shouldn't need it?). The recipe says to pitch at 73-76, and then ferment at 76 for a week. My question is if I should indeed follow those directions...
On The Jamil Show Saison podcast, he said to start at 68, and then slowly ramp up to around 80. But, he also was talking about the liquid yeasts, as he specifically said you would not get good enough results (dry enough) with dry yeast. So I don't know which way would be better, or if it would make much of a difference. It sounds like, based on some of your posts, that the big thing is to make sure it does get warm enough to not get stuck. I'm just wondering if starting lower and then getting warmer, or just starting and holding warmer, would be the best way to avoid getting a stuck fermentation. (I do have champagne and cotes de blancs dry yeasts, if it does happen, as the recipe directions note it might - but would rather just avoid in the first place, obviously.)
If I do start warmer (and especially if I use the GoFerm, it sounds like) ill prob get quicker, more vigorous activity... So I built one of these PVC blow-off tubes to prepare for that possibility (attached photo). Never needed/used one before - do you guys just attach it from the get-go, in anticipation, or do you start with an airlock and just monitor closely to see if/when you need the blowoff? I'd rather just attach initially - seems easiest - any downside to this?
This will be my first time using dry yeast for a beer, too... Is it true that you don't need to aerate the wort with dry? I'll still be dumping it from my kettle into my ferm bucket, so that'll aerate some anyway...
Also, the coriander I have are seeds that need to be crushed... Best way to do this? (Put in plastic bag and use rolling pin, like is suggested with grains? I'd think my coffee grinder would work, but its way too clogged/infused with coffee grains, and I'm too lazy to give it a deep cleaning - don't want this beer tasting like coffee!)
Thanks for any advice!