Coriander Weiss with French Saison yeast

[Jeffro74]

As a new brewer and someone who's just starting to figure out the nuances of what I like, I'm attempting a slight alteration on a Midwest Brew Kit. I'm going to take their Lemon Coriander Weiss, skip the lemon, and use Wyeast's 3711 French Saison strain.

Any comments or suggestions, I am happy to take. I'd also like to know if anyone thinks I *need* to have a secondary fermenter for this, or if I just have it ferment for 3 weeks (or so) that I'd be fine.

I'll post how it's looking at bottling and then as it ages. Thanks in advance for any insights.

 

[dcHokie]

I don't know any of the details on this recipe kit, but that 3711 strain will finish out much lower than a Weiss yeast (in the 1.002-1.006 range), just fyi.

 

[WileECoyote]

Hello, Remember to ferment at that yeasts recommended temp, and not at the standard 62deg, I use the (Belgian Saison Activator Wyeast ACT3724- 4.25 oz.) all the time and it will stick at 1.030 if you don't keep it above 82deg, its recommended temp range is from 70 to 95deg.

The French Saison Activator Wyeast ACT3711- 4.25 oz. the recommended fermenting temps are 65 to 77deg

I have not tried the 3711 yet, so Im not sure if this is necessary, but with the 3724 I start fermenting at 70 to 72 and ramp up the temp to 85 over 3 days once active fermentation has begun, this works great to avoid the dreaded stuck fermentation.

Hope this helps!
please let us know how it works out.

Cheers

 

[WileECoyote]

Primary alone or secondary is more a preference thing on most ale beers IMO, you should be just fine ether way.

Cheers

 

[dcHokie]

Hello, Remember to ferment at that yeasts recommended temp, and not at the standard 62deg, I use the (Belgian Saison Activator Wyeast ACT3724- 4.25 oz.) all the time and it will stick at 1.030 if you don't keep it above 82deg, its recommended temp range is from 70 to 95deg.

The French Saison Activator Wyeast ACT3711- 4.25 oz. the recommended fermenting temps are 65 to 77deg

I have not tried the 3711 yet, so Im not sure if this is necessary, but with the 3724 I start fermenting at 70 to 72 and ramp up the temp to 85 over 3 days once active fermentation has begun, this works great to avoid the dreaded stuck fermentation.

3711 is not as temperature sensitive as the notorious 3724 Dupont strain mentioned. You can ramp up 3711 to higher temps if you want it super dry, but it'll finish out (dry) in normal ale temp ranges.

 

[Jeffro74]

Thanks for the tips, folks. Much appreciated. I'm brewing this weekend... pretty excited.

 

[eulipion2]

3711 is my go-to saison strain. I've never ramped the temperature up, and the HIGHEST it's ever finished for me is 1.006. I'd say you could mash a bit higher, 155 or so, but 3711 is a hungry little strain.

 

[TNGabe]

Not sure how much coriander you're planning kn using, but might want to scale it back so as not to dominate the yeast flavors.

 

[cram]

I absolutely love the 3711 strain and the above comments are correct in that it'll finish really low, probably less than 1.006 (and if you use O2 and a healthy starter 1.000-1.003), even if you mash high, so factor that in when you're figuring your recipe.

Personally, I like the coriander addition but I ferment at 70 or below in a chamber. My favorite saison recipe adds the juice and peels of two Valencia oranges and .2 oz. of coriander seeds (mashed up in a mortar and pestle) at the sub-five minute mark of your boil...

 

[tagz]

Not sure how much coriander you're planning kn using, but might want to scale it back so as not to dominate the yeast flavors.

I would second this. I have been fine tuning my witte for a little while, and each batch I have scaled back the indian corriander. It has nice flavors but tends to dominate the profile. I'm down to 1/4 oz and it's almost where I want it. I will probably go less on my next...

 

[Jeffro74]

Just took a gravity reading after fermenting for 3 weeks at 70 degrees... 1.003

That is a hungry lil' strain, folks... thanks for the advice. I did cut down slightly on the coriander, but decided to still keep 3/4oz of it... it is noticeable but not overpowering. There is a nice fruity bouquet to it that whomped me when I opened the bucket... I'm assuming that's the 3711.

Very happy with how it tasted. Now to bottle and let it sit at least until Christmas, if I can wait that long!

 

[Jeffro74]

Drinking this with my half-German brother-in-law and he gives his approval

Very good head on the beer, good aroma. I'd say the fruitiness of the yeast is predominant in the smell... but the coriander does take over when you drink it. Good mouthfeel... it did half a lot of LME even if the 3711 went to town eating it. I don't miss the lemon, and don't think it would add anything to the beer at this point - which was the goal with the yeast alteration.

Overall. I give it a B. I will have no problem drinking it, or offering it to guests. Probably won't make it again until next holiday season... though the coriander does give it a nice pseudo-spicy holiday flavor.

 

[TNGabe]

Glad it came out well!

 

[Jeffro74]

This one is getting better as it sits around. It's been in the bottle for almost a month now... the coriander has mellowed a bit, still has a nice tangy bite to it. Still best with a veggie pizza, but I had it with a lemon / caper chicken dish tonight and it didn't clash.