I’m seeking opinions from those of you who have fermented with the Belle Saison yeast… specifically those whose fermentation temps were above 75-85F throughout. I was told by the Lallemand rep that this yeast can ferment up to 90F.
For best results pitch in the 60s then keep in the low 70s for a few weeks. Personally I would not recommend going higher but it is your beer so hey do what you want.
I started in the low 60’s for a few days and then let it free rise to almost 90 and it seems fine. YMMV, of course!
I started in the low 60s and finished in the low 70s. Apparently this yeast was not completely finished when I kegged it and it continued to chug along for a few months at minus 45 degree temps. So this is an impressive yeast!
do you actually mean sub-45 degree temps or did you freeze your beer solid?
I start in the mid 60s and it usually free rises to mid 70s and that still gets me to FGs lower than 1.005. I think I will go higher next time to see what I get.
Oh lord, the semantics police are back. 
As impressive as that strain is I don’t think it would work at 45 below zero.
deepspace yeast (deepspace 009 for the sci fi geeks out there)
WY-1701?
dmtaylor… I just assumed that when the company rep tells you it’s fine to ferment in the 90’s, it would be safe to pitch at ambient temps. I hope that turns out to be a safe assumption.
So no one else has pitched the Belle Saison at 75F+? I’m just trying to figure out what to expect.
I think you will be fine. But I do find that for every yeast I have ever used pitching cooler than 70 works best to suit my tastes.
Nice Steve!
I cannot say for sure what you will get but I do think your odds of getting a good beer with saison yeast at high temperatures are far better than if you were using any other type of yeast. Belgian yeasts in general can turn out good at higher temperatures than other strains. It is certainly worth the experiment. And yes, the manufacturer and many homebrewers do report good results at high temps with this yeast. So try it and see if you like it. It hasn’t been something that I would personally experiment with but that is not to say it isn’t worthy of experimentation at all. Sorry if my previous post came out that way. Experimentation is awesome.
It is common for saison yeasts to ferment into the 90s. I don’t have specific experience will Belle but others certainly perform well at those temperatures. You can find lots of people online discussing these warmer fermentations with this strain so I think you will be ok going north of typical ale temperatures.
I’ve done WLP565 at 90 degrees with good results but have not tried any other one’s.
I find that 3711 needs a little longer on the cool end, 68-72, before ramping up.
I used this yeast over the summer to to brew a simple Saison. I chose this for two reasons. One reason is that Saisons are delicious ant second I don’t have refrigeration for my fermentation. Saison was the perfect choice for summer temperatures. I was hoping for some nice 80 referee plus days for the fermentation. But this sumer was cool. The beer fermented in the mid 70s. The beer turned out great. I had it judged by a local BJCP. His only question was “Did it ferment in the 80s?”. He was expecting some more peppery notes associated with high temps. Short answer is let it rise high because it should.
With the Belle Saison I have made a few beers. The last one is started at 77 F and let it warm up itself till 83 F and after that I kept it on 75 F.
This beer became more a Saison then the previous ones I started on 68 F and let it rise in a day to 71 F. This beer was a good beer but not realy a Saison. It was too sweet dispite the final SG of 1001.
The next time I want to start at 82 and let it rise to 86 F to get even more Saison character.
FWIW, Stan Hieronymus starts his Belgians in the low to mid 60’s. However, many here claim to jump into the higher temps right away. Perhaps a split batch would give you a way to determine what you prefer? Just a thought.
I fermented a rhubarb rye saison using Belle Saison starting in mid seventies and let it go up to the mid eighties after a couple days. It’s a beast. I think my og was close to 1.060 and fg was 1.000. It wasn’t fruity at all and had nice spice and sour character which was enhanced by the rye and rhubarb. I accidently overcarbed which turned out nice actually. The dryness of the beer and the high carbonation made it like champagne except that it tasted better than champagne. The only problem was the high carbonation brought up sediment whenever I opened a bottle.