Beer Forum

thinking of doing an all bret fermentation. thinking of using one wort and splitting it up and doing what ever strains of bret I can get my hands on. has anyone done this befor and if so what strain did you use and your results?

I have done 100% brett fermentations with WY brett B, Brett L., and WL brett trois. I have also done a mixed fermentation with brett B. and L. from WY. All have been interesting beers.

Do make sure to make a large starter. Be patient with your fermentation. Don't be afraid to let the beer sit in primary for 6+ wks. if need be. Do not expect your beer to be overly funky or sour as brett will not do that much in the primary. Most of the fermentations have resulted in a fairly clean beer with minimal earthiness and a somewhat "slicker" mouthfeel to them.

Some of the beers were then aged on oak and fresh fruit which really made them unique while others were consumed as is. I do think that these beers benefit from some added "body fillers" in the grain bill like rye or wheat that can add proteins that do not get completely devoured by the brett. Even with mash temps around 148F, the beers only dried out to around 1.010-1.012 or so. Some may continue to attenuate slightly over long periods of time but I have not noticed much of a drop if any.

brewinhard wrote:Some may continue to attenuate slightly over long periods of time but I have not noticed much of a drop if any.

Did you warm them up a bit? I like to raise them into the low/mid 70's after 6-8 weeks. They'll get down & funky. Not like George Clinton, but more like a well attenuated horse.

Definitely make a starter and let the starter sit for at least a week. It may even take a little longer to see a krausen. Some Brett Strains are fine below 70 (Brett C), but some will just sit there and not do much at all until it gets to 70 or above (Brett B). Add some acidulated malt to your mash too (5-10%).

If you are an AHA member, you can listen to a podcast from Chad Yakubson (Crooked Stave) on Brett Fermentations.

This is a good summary:

http://beermusing.com/joomla/77-nhc/78- ... ve-brewing

markyv wrote:thinking of doing an all bret fermentation. thinking of using one wort and splitting it up and doing what ever strains of bret I can get my hands on. has anyone done this befor and if so what strain did you use and your results?

If its your first one the I'd suggest grabbing 2 vials of White Labs Trois per 6 gallons wort. Pitch at 70-72F and let'er go

I've done quite a few over the last couple weeks, what I've found is they are awesome. You need to think about mouthfeel, as the brett can strip out any body. I like to add oats or rolled oats into the recipe. Ive found the best way is to place it in a mesh bag and steep it in the kettle during sparging. So that the oats are around 170+ that way the sugars do not convert into something that the brett can eat. Then take them out once you reach a boil..

Here is the recipe for my personal favorite. http://www.lewybrewing.com/2013/05/parallel-world-brett-trois-ipa.html and the tasting notes on it. http://www.lewybrewing.com/2013/06/parallel-world-brett-trois-ipa-tasting.html

As for the fermentation, go for it under the same conditions as you normally would. I find im only in primary for 2 weeks then right into a keg for a week or so of cold crashing. The beer really needs to be drank fresh. After 2 to 3 weeks on tap it really starts to change. The awesome mango, tropical notes start to subdue a little.

Good luck and let me know how it turns out.

Lewy