I just picked up an imperial rustic pouch from my lhbs and I am looking for recommendations on a farmhouse ale grain build.
I’ve heard to add corn sugar straight into the boil. I was also thinking of using some melanoidin malt.
Thoughts and recommendations please. I’m not looking to pin down a certain style, I just want to try the yeast strain.
Here’s a saison recipe I’ve brewed many times:
67% Pils
26% Vienna
7% Torrified wheat
1 lb. cane sugar (assuming a 5 gallon batch)
Bitter with EKG, finish with SG and Saaz
How do you add your sugar? I’ve never used it in a beer but I think I’d just throw it into the boil at some point.
Interesting. My base saison is somewhat similar:
65% Pils
28% Wheat
7% Aromatic
Sterling throughout typically, especially when it’s a base beer for fruit or hibiscus.
I generally use 3711, so I don’t see a need for sugar additions. 1.003 is dry enough for me.
I’ve been using 3711 or imperial Napoleon.
Generally I am also 60-70 pils, then either wheat, rye, Vienna, Munich.
The word was this strain (rustic or wyeast3726) doesn’t stall the way 3711 does. And most recommended sugar.
I plan on using mittelfrüh, but saaz is also something I have.
I think I have misread this. Are you saying you get a stall from 3711?
Yea. I usually have to ramp up the temp for 3711 to finish out. Usually it stalls out around 1.020 when I’ve used it, on more than one account.
Now I’m just in the habit of wrapping my carboy and setting the temp to 85*.
It’s been recommended to me that I try an open fermentation next time I use the strain, but I’ve been using imperial Napoleon instead.
Interesting I have always had the opposite experience with 3711. It finishes between 1.003-1.005 quickly and without sugar. I have always read of 3726 stalling for some.
I too use 3711 and have never had it stall out. I let my saison free rise to about 90 degrees after pitching at around 70 degrees to get the desired phenolics and it finishes at between 1 and 1.2 degrees Plato ( 4-5 SG). It always comes in very dry which is desired. 565 always stalls for me which is why I went to 3711.
With respect to adding sugar, add it to the kettle just before the wort starts to boil so that you don’t scorch it. I use corn sugar instead of sucrose (table sugar).
Apparently the 3726 stall is related to pressure. I believe some have been doing semi open fermentations with good results.
Will do. As soon as my lhbs opens, I’ll be there, pail in hand ready to crush up some grain and get this sucker started.
3711 is the only strain ever I have had stall so I guess I’ll keep an eye on his one, although I plan ramp up the temp on this batch with a wrap. I have never had anything free rise above 80* usually just a few degrees higher than the ambient room temp a carboy is sitting at. Maybe it’s pressure, maybe it’s my elevation, maybe it’s both.
In the past when I had 3711 stall I’ve also done things like added Brett. Or sour bugs (with Brett) and then it didn’t really matter anyways.
What’s your sop for that fermentation? I’ve been meaning to try one but feel like I will a) make a mess or b) batch will get contaminated somehow.
For a recent farmhouse ale I used 3726 for the first time. Set my chamber to 74 for the first 5 days of fermentation, then allowed it to free-rise to 78, where it stayed until finished. Went from 1054 to 1003 without hesitation. When I use sugar in a brew, I always add it during the runoff, because I target a specific pre-boil volume and gravity. Adding it during the runoff makes this simpler. Otherwise, for all practical purposes it doesn’t really matter when sugar is added during the boil.
I went vary unconventional on this farm house, cuz that’s what I do! 
6# rye 2#pils and Vienna ##melanoidin. 16oz sugar.
Has a nice color to it.
I still wanna try that open ferment. So if anyone can advise on that. Lmk.
For this ones ferment I’m just gonna keep it at ambient room temp 72-77 depemding time of day. Let it go do it’s thing till it starts slowing down. Then ramp it up to 80-85.
I tend to stick to 60-80% pils malt. The remainder can be a combination of other base malts and unmalted grain. Vienna or pale malt are good additions. I’m not a fan of adding munich because I think it adds an unnecessary sweetness. Wheat malted or unmalted is a welcome addition. Corn, oats, spelt, rye, buckwheat, etc. are all good additions. You don’t need to get too crazy with the grain bill. Two or three grains are enough. 100% pils is fine too.
Specialty malts generally aren’t necessary for these beers. A little dark malt if you intend to make a darker beer. Crystal malts have no purpose here. Aromatic or honey malt can work if you have a particular reason to use them. Generally these beers are built around a less is more strategy for the grain bill.
You definitely do not have to add sugar. When you’re getting into the mid to low single digits in FG there’s not much need to dry out the beer anymore in my opinion.
Yeah, 3711/Belle is as reliable as it gets for me. I do tend to see a slowdown around 1.006-1.008, but it will usually get down to its FG of 1.004 or less within 3-5 days of that point.