Wit + Brett

[popihead]

Ok so I was going to do an experiment with this batch of Wit and split it, using Brett in half. I am thinking that it will taste too good and so I need to doo the entire 5 gals with Brett. Here's the thing... Should I dump the Brett into the bottling bucket and bottle w priming sugar then cap it OR drop the whole thing into secondary for a bit.

The Wit has been in primary for 3 weeks now and needs to either go to secondary or bottling. It could use the Brett for carbontion and develop a unique flavor as it ages or I could toss into secondary and then when it is where it tastes great, bottle it. Any thoughts?

Robert

[mediumsk]

if you add brett at bottling the residual sachromyces will carbonate your beer long before the brett does.
think about this, brett will keep working until the beer is almost sugarless,and thats in the carboy or the bottle. so i would recommend adding brett at bottling, its part of the fun, you can taste it as it changes. aging with brett is cool but that shit takes forever to start changing into different flavors so it's nice to have in bottles not 5 gallon carboys.

P.S. your making beers with brett, your a BNer, and you live in my city, why don't we know each other??

- Paul

[popihead]

those were my thoughts. I guess the big question that I really need to ask myself is how much of this am I going to drink/give out. Because i know that the Brett will take a few months to begin to develop the flavors. That's why i was debating on letting it age a bit before bottling. But then, you are right, letting it sit and tasteing it as it ages would also be cool. It will probably be the way i go, especially since our house is for sale and the less filled carboys in closets the better.

Well Paul as for the other part, maybe we just brew, eat and drink in different circles . I am in NE, close in. Are you part of any of the brew clubs in PDX?

[mediumsk]

those were my thoughts. I guess the big question that I really need to ask myself is how much of this am I going to drink/give out. Because i know that the Brett will take a few months to begin to develop the flavors. That's why i was debating on letting it age a bit before bottling. But then, you are right, letting it sit and tasteing it as it ages would also be cool. It will probably be the way i go, especially since our house is for sale and the less filled carboys in closets the better.

Well Paul as for the other part, maybe we just brew, eat and drink in different circles . I am in NE, close in. Are you part of any of the brew clubs in PDX?

Ive thought about joining the brew crew but have just never gotten around to it.
believe it or not im moving to 9th and alberta 2 days from now so maybe our paths will cross.

[brewinhard]

If you are going to let the bottles sit and age anyway with brett in them, why not just add it to the wit in secondary and let it sit for 4-6 mos. I have had great results with that and the beer still continues to change in the bottle. I am just not sure how much or how fast the beer will change in the bottle with brett before oxidation starts to take its toll. Anyway, the next time I plan on doing a brett in secondary beer I will definitely mash a few degrees higher than normal (155-156) and then rack to secondary after about a week of fermentation or just as it starts to slow down. That way the brett will have a nice head start on the remaining sugars and the beer will suffer from less oxidation due to the leftover co2 scrubbing in the carboy.

[popihead]

Th reason for adding the Brett to the bottles is to see how age and time effects the Brett. It also creates a unique experience as the beer is continually changing. SO it becomes like a living thing and you can enjoy the changes along the way. There will be no oxidation issues since it is capped in the bottle and the yeast is creating co2 while he Brett is doing its thing. DeStreuse Brewery does something similar and their Witte is spectacular.

[brewinhard]

Cool! Let us know the results and if you are happy with them. I am currently drinking a 100% Brett C. beer that has some very interesting tastes to it. Slightly sour (probably from mini-sourmash), lemony and citrus notes dominate with a moderate hop flavor and bitterness (used some FWH). I plan on a double brett (L and B) brew next!

[popihead]

Update: The Wit has been bottle conditioning for almost a month now. I pitched the entire Brett with the primimg sugar and the 5 or so gallons, then bottled it. Currently it has a very clean, slightly herbal and citrus taste with just barely a hint of sour at the end. It has a great nose on it and is surprisingly clear, not crystal but not hazy either. Oversll a really good tasting beer and the sour I am sure will develop more over time. This one will be stored, or at least some of it