diff --git a/.github/workflows/beam_PreCommit_Java_HBase_IO_Direct.yml b/.github/workflows/beam_PreCommit_Java_HBase_IO_Direct.yml
index 35d00af9aafd..a16d013b4b2a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/beam_PreCommit_Java_HBase_IO_Direct.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/beam_PreCommit_Java_HBase_IO_Direct.yml
@@ -87,6 +87,8 @@ jobs:
           github_job: ${{ matrix.job_name }} (${{ matrix.job_phrase }})
       - name: Setup environment
         uses: ./.github/actions/setup-environment-action
+        with:
+          java-vesion: 11
       - name: run HBase IO build script
         uses: ./.github/actions/gradle-command-self-hosted-action
         with:
diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/apache/beam/gradle/BeamModulePlugin.groovy b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/apache/beam/gradle/BeamModulePlugin.groovy
index 8298eacff4d2..c0ae4feb5909 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/apache/beam/gradle/BeamModulePlugin.groovy
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/groovy/org/apache/beam/gradle/BeamModulePlugin.groovy
@@ -993,6 +993,13 @@ class BeamModulePlugin implements Plugin<Project> {
       if (!project.findProperty("java${ver}Home")) {
         return
       }
+      // TODO(yathu): remove this once generated code (antlr) no longer trigger "this-escape", see above
+      // Unpin global opts when ver is lower than current
+      if (JavaVersion.current().compareTo(JavaVersion.VERSION_21) >= 0 && JavaVersion.toVersion(ver) < JavaVersion.VERSION_21) {
+        options.compilerArgs -= [
+          '-Xlint:-this-escape',
+        ]
+      }
       if (ver == '8') {
         def java8Home = project.findProperty("java8Home")
         options.fork = true