Mon Oct 08, 2012 11:08 am
Did you make a starter with your original saison yeast? That could've been much of the problem as you were starting at a fairly high gravity for a single smack pack. Did you aerate your wort well after chilling? Also helpful for the yeast to quickly reproduce.
That 3724 strain (Dupont) is my personal favorite saison yeast and I brew with it quite often. Even with a good sized starter, proper nutrients, wort aeration, and good temp control, that yeast is notorious for stalling out in the 1.020's. The first time pitching the yeast is also a slow generation to ferment out. The real trick is to let the yeast ferment around 68F for 2 days, then ramp up the temp over the course of one week to the low 80's and hold there until fermentation is fully complete. Swirl the fermenter every other day during this time period to keep the yeast in suspension and working for you. Even with a low 1.055 OG, a first pitch generation has taken up to 5 weeks to fully attenuate down to 1.006-1.008 providing simple sugars were used in accordance with a low mash temp (146-148F).
On the brighter side, when repitching this yeast, I have had no problems getting even strong saisons (1.075-1.080 OG) to finish out within 2-3 wks with the same methods using successive generations. It seems like the yeast benefits from acclimating to your brewing environment before performing well and in a timely manner.
Back to your questions -
WY 3711 is a very strong attenuator, and should help to kickstart the fermentation again. I don't think your original yeast is fully done, rather it just needs more time and higher temps to finish. I would've left the temps in the 80s for the repitch, but dropping it to 75 is no big deal for 3711. Next time you attempt a repitch though you would be better off making a small 1 pint starter for the yeast you are adding and pitch this at high krausen so the yeast are fully active and will adapt better to their surroundings to help finish the job off. Saison's are really all about patience at least with the 3724 strain which I feel is far superior in flavor and aroma than 3711.
You should brew another saison with the blend of those two yeast strains and I bet you could get coax some interesting characteristics and still have the beer finish in a timely manner. Good luck and keep us posted!
"A bad man is a good man's job, while a good man is a bad man's teacher."
