Beer Forum

Ok, so giving my 1st shot at some bugs. Planning on a Northern English style dry brown, fermenting the batch down then splitting 1/2 into a 3 gallon carboy with some fresh apples and brett c.

Opinions...insults...any input. Never used bugs, plan on getting a set of hoses and pretty much whatever I can't thoroughly clean just for brett.

Thanks for the input.

Getting all plastic for brett is a good idea.

Why apples with the NEB?

eh, something to play with, food for the bugs, I just went apple picking 2 weeks ago and want to make sure they all get used up...

This is a peeve of mine...so bacteria are bugs, right? Brett is a yeast, just like what you brew with, just a different species, so it is a bug because it is "wild"? I guess you can say that but I think it is a poor fit. I am just picky like that.

ok true, it is yeast

How about shit floating in the air that you don't want to normally just let in your beer, better name?

to me, the apples sound like a strange fit for the NEB, but this is homebrewing so do what you will and enjoy. Having brewed many wild brett beers, I highly recommend mashing a bit higher than your recipe calls for to leave some unfermentables for the brett to chew on. Brett C. is not super highly attenuative as brett b. or L is (at least in my experience) and is much more neutral and subtle in the way of flavor and aroma. Give it time to do its thing (at least 6 mos or so) before packaging. Don't be afraid to mash up the apples as well to allow the yeast to work on the sugars, just be sanitary about it.

so stepping on them is bad?

Yeah i was going to mash a little high, but I'm also splitting the batch, so I want 1/2 of it to be drinkable early.

Got a culture coming to me from a local brewpub, which is awesome. Thinking might got a couple degrees higher just to give something long term to munch on. Then tuck it in nice and tight.

Well, if you want to be picky, spoilage agents but discerning yeast from bacteria is what I care about. On the other hand, most people only want sac. C in their beer.