Beer Forum

On Friday I brewed a saison using the White Labs WLP 568 Belgian Style Saison Ale Blend. I learned from the Jamil Show's saison episode that the blend contains four different strains, including the regular saison yeast, WLP 565. Does anyone know which other three strains are in the blend? Also, I noticed a marked slowing down of the ferment when the gravity had fallen to 1040 (OG was 1060), but it is still chugging along at a lower pace. I pitched a standard-size starter (per JZ's calculator) and oxygenated the wort properly. The fermentation was started at 20 C (68 F) and after 24 hours I started ramping the temperature up. Today, four days later, the temperature is steady at 25 C (77 F). How long can I expect to have to wait until I reach my FG?

I've brewed at least half a dozen saisons. All were with White Labs 565 instead of that blend. They all took several weeks to reach final gravity. They had a tendency to stop fermenting for a few days at seemingly random times and then start up again on their own. The yeast is very sensitive to sudden temperature changes so a slow ramping up is the correct procedure. You may want to go even a little higher to get the characteristic esters for the saison. 85-90 degrees F is a good range once the initial fermentation slows down.

Just be patient. This will take up to 3-4 weeks to reach final gravity.

Wayne

Although I dont't really mind waiting, I was under the impression that the blend was made partly to finish the fermentation in a more timely manner than with the 565 strain. Should I still expect it to take closer to a month?