Question on Fermentation heater recommendations and wyeast 3724

[_Keven]

Hello, we're thinking of brewing an extract saison and planned on using the wyeast 3724 strain. Our last brew was a tripel which although tasty had a higher final gravity then we'd like (we used the wyeast 3787 for that one). After doing further research on the 3724 strain it seems like it also has a propensity to stall. We're thinking that using a heat wrapper would come in handy in reaching a more desirable attenuation. I know extracts do stall more frequently but would we be able to get a good attenuation with this strain if we used a heat wrapper? We are brewing a Saison so a dryer beer would be best. If not, any yeast strain recommendations would be appreciated as well. Also does anyone have any recommendations on good heat wrappers for 5 gallon plastic and glass carboys? There were a few on northern brewer's site but they all seemed far too small for 5 gallons.

 

[SourLover]

I have about eight heating wraps, and the ones from Northern Brewer similar to what is shown in the photo seem a little more sturdy. One of these will wrap partially around a 5 - 7 gallon fermenter and heat it up just fine. I use electrical tape to hold it tight to the fermenter with custom sleeping bags that wrap around the it, but you could also use some heavy towels to keep the heat in if necessary.
I currently have two fermenters with 3724 going and I have them at 88 degrees right now. I use the Inkbird ITC-308 to control the heating wrap.

 

[hotbeer]

If your ambient temperatures that you keep the FV in are outside what the desired fermentation temp is, then you'll have to heat or cool it somehow.

I don't necessarily agree that not heating the previous batch was the reason you didn't make the FG you wanted. More likely to me is that your temperatures were going up and down by quite a few degrees and that you just didn't pitch enough yeast. The instability of the temperature may keep the yeast from being in the phase where they work toward the one goal of turning sugar to alcohol.

Your 3787 has a ideal range of 64-78°F (18-26°C). But you don't want to have it bouncing between the two extremes. Pick a temp and try to keep it within a few degrees. Though I will let my beer increase temps naturally to nearly the upper limit for the brief day that it is at peak krausen.

The 3724 has a ideal range of 70-95°F (21-35°C). So if you are in a cooler climate, you might need to use something to heat it. But again, keep the temperature stable.

For a Saison, typically it shouldn't be a very high gravity beer. I'd use US-05, S-04. But my ambient temps are almost always 69°F (20°C) where I keep the FV. Your 3724 should be fine without heat at all if your ambient temps are stable and above 70°F (21°C). Only if you want to ferment at a higher temp do you need to ferment at a higher temp.

 

[Ramjet]

I use the heat wrap from N Brewer on a 6 gallon bucket inside a fermentation chamber and an INKBIRD temperature controller. Works good

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Hello, we're thinking of brewing an extract saison and planned on using the wyeast 3724 strain. Our last brew was a tripel which although tasty had a higher final gravity then we'd like (we used the wyeast 3787 for that one). After doing further research on the 3724 strain it seems like it also has a propensity to stall. We're thinking that using a heat wrapper would come in handy in reaching a more desirable attenuation. I know extracts do stall more frequently but would we be able to get a good attenuation with this strain if we used a heat wrapper? We are brewing a Saison so a dryer beer would be best. If not, any yeast strain recommendations would be appreciated as well. Also does anyone have any recommendations on good heat wrappers for 5 gallon plastic and glass carboys? There were a few on northern brewer's site but they all seemed far too small for 5 gallons.

I have a couple Vivosun branded seedling heating mats that I picked up off Amazon. One was a kit that came with the heating pad and a heat controller. They have worked well for me to keep batches up to 85F.

Belle Saison dry yeast is not quite as flavorful as 3724, but is a beast that always drives my beers down to near 1.000.

 

[mashpaddled]

If you look online for reptile tape sold at reptile pet shops, you can find what is essentially the same thing as what homebrew shops sell but way cheaper. Get the 12" and get it cut to the length of around 75% of the circumference of your brewing vessel. You will need a temperature controller to go with it to make sure you're not getting too hot. Fermentation is exothermic so you can end up way above target if you don't have a controller to shut off the external heat source.

Personally I wouldn't add heat unless you know your normal fermentation temperatures. You may be chasing a problem that doesn't exist and creating a new one by fermenting too hot. Are you sure your fermentations aren't getting into the 70s?

I wouldn't look at heat as the main culprit in your beer not finishing as low as you would hope unless your beer gets down in the very low 60s or lower at the tail end of fermentation. More likely culprits are fermentation practices and the use of extract. Belgian strains can be finicky about getting as dry at home as commercial breweries if you don't have healthy yeast practices. Extract also pretty much always has carapils in the grist to maintain body which is not ideal for a style like tripel.