Hi All. Thinking about doing a Saison de Noel before xmas. I have never done a saison of any type so I am wondering about WY3711. Can anyone who has used it give me their impressions? Would you recommend it over the Belgian Saison strain? What kind of attenuation should I expect? The average is listed at 80% and I want to get as much as possible.
Would you recommend any other yeast to brew this style?
I just saw that there is a similar string regarding Saison de Noel…I can probably get good info from that
WLP 566. Attenuates well and doesn’t have the stalled fermentation issue of WLP 565 (Dupont). I did a BGSA/Saison blend last year that went from the 1.10 range down to about 1.008 with it. Have heard good things about wy3711 though.
Thanks for that…looks like a good strain according to the reviews and it appearst to attenuate a bit more.
i did a french saison and used the 3711 and it took my 1.075 og down to 1.008. i double pitched. if i would have given more time i am sure it would have gone lower but wanted to keep some sugar in there.
3711 gives off much more spiciness than fruitiness. It also leaves a nice mouthfeel. I like it and will use it again for a saison.
Yes, expect a very pepper and dry finishing saison with this strain. The biggest plus about using it is it attenuates extremely well and is not as temperature dependent as some other strains. It is very easy to use.
I recently made an all pilsener saison with 3711. Attenuated very well, from 1.058 to 1.004. Nice and dry with some spice and a light amount of tart fruit. The saison has a dry white wine character to it.
White wine character is spot on. We aged our summer saison in chardonnay bbls last year. It was described to us as “liquid sunshine”. 
Yeah, I was at a winery a few weeks ago and was sipping on a chardonnay from California. It was a little warmer than chardonnay is usually served. All of the sudden it hit me that it tasted just like a saison I had just made. I had to tell somebody about my “aha” moment. My wife was like, “OK, that’s nice dear.” It’s good that someone else has the same opinion.
Thanks all. So it sounds like I should expect more than 80% attenuation with 3711. Think I should plan for 85% or so? I plan to mash at 148-150 for 75 minutes and add 1# of table sugar. OG is estimated for 1.067 with my current recipe.
I am not planning on a traditional saison as I plan to use American style hops.
Sounds good to me. I also think that 3711 works really well with citrusy American hops. I made a Saison with 3711 and Falconer’s Flight that was very tasty. It also works well with dry hops, IMO.
I brewed my first Saison with this yeast on Friday and have a question. What will the effects be of the fermentation decreasing over time? I believe we pitched the yeast pretty warm around 75 however the room has an ambient temp of around 60F so I assume the fermentation temp is slowly dropping. I don’t currently have an accurate way of montoring that actual fermentation temperature in the bucket.
With this yeast it seems like most pitch it cooler and let it naturally rise. I am just curious about how the opposite process will affect the beer.
Although the fermentation procedure may be incorrect for this style I am very excited about it and think ther recipe is solid enough for a first attempt. Any advice about how long to leave this on the yeast? Does this style benefit from prolonged aging? I only ask because I need the fermenter space.
3711 is a monster, so it will probably just keep plowing through. With that said though, a 15 degree drop in temp is not a good idea. The yeast may not finish up properly with that big of a drop. Can you move it somewhere warmer? With a healthy pitch, and temperatures in the 70s, my Saison with 3711 is usually done in 7-10 days. I like to leave it in the kegerator for at least 4 weeks before tapping, but it’s good young too.
Okay thanks. I guess I should get out the thermometer to take a quick reading. I assumed with it moving along at room temp of 60 that the actual fermentation temp is actually closer to 65. Also with pitching it pretty high I would think it would stay high while it is vigorous. Assumptions are never good things…just need it to finish up where it should be so I will take another look.
I believe 3711 attenuates around 77 -83% if I remember right, so under the circumstances, if you end up hitting the low end of the range , RDWHAHB and maybe try to ferment a little warmer next time. Let us know how it comes out !
From all accounts that I have seen, it appears that most people get above 85%. I am pretty confident that this will drop to where it needs to.
I use this yeast a lot and have never had less than 85% attenuation (1.060 down to 1.002).
One week in the fermenter. It is down from 1.054 to 1.006. Had to transfer it to a carboy to make space for upcoming batches. Hoping it may drop another couple of points…
Sample tastest great! Very spicy and citrusy. This batch had sweet orange peel, bitter orange peel, and coriander which is contributing as well. Hops are Magnum, Centennial, and Goldings
^^^^this +1. Do not be afraid of warmth…great yeast to use during the dog days of summer.
Will bring your wert down to nice dry levels.