Calder

Recipes 

I'm wondering if this is something different, or if people have done this before.

I have an all-Brett beer going. Pitched Brett-B at 1.060, after 4 weeks was clearing and was down to 1.016 and stable. I racked the beer off the yeast, and then added ~20% of the cake back in. 3 weeks later it is cloudy and started fermenting again.

This is my third time doing this. The first 2 started at similar gravities (1.055-1.060).

The first got down to 1.018 and stopped and cleared. I racked and re-pitched part of the cake, and by 12 weeks had gotten down to 1.004.

The second got down to 1.008 and stopped and cleared. I racked and re-pitched part of the cake and by 10 weeks had gotten down to 1.002.

dcHokie

Recipes 

I'm wondering, for an all-Brett beer, wouldn't just rousing the yeast during the primary ferment accomplish the same thing?

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Fermenting: Sour Pale Ale, Brett Belgian Rye Stout, FunkPaleI, FunkPaleII
Aging: Brett English Brown, Funky Fig/Date Saison, Drunk Owl Mango, OudBruin, FunkyDirtyBlonde, Solera
Bottled/Kegged: Brett IPA, Apollo Red, Hobgoblin, Brett Old Ale, FlandersPale, Dark Saison, Orval, JP BamBiere, Rapture RIS, RIS09, Oak Barleywine, Basil Saison

stevehollx

Recipes 

Regarding rousing the yeast--isn't disturbing the pellicle a bad thing to do, since it will expose the Brett to more oxygen (and potentially create higher levels of acetic acid)?

ReverseApacheMaster

Recipes 

The oxygenation from racking is probably essential to restarting fermentation from brett to kick it out of the primary fermentation qualities into the secondary fermentation qualities. You could probably do the same thing by agitating the fermenter to degas the beer, just like when making mead.

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Homebrew blog: http://homebrewingfun.blogspot.com/
Beer Review blog: http://ireviewedbeer.blogspot.com/

Fermenters: Lambic solera (year two), aging lambic from solera year one, framboise lambic, apricot brett saison, sour brown, probiotic oud bruin, probiotic sour blonde

Recently bottled: dubbel, Redemption clone, Belgian stout

Up next: Petrus Aged Pale clone, Perry, hatch chile blond, spelt saison

dcHokie

Recipes 

I'd be curious to see the difference in fermentation doing a side-by-side experiment with 1 fermenter getting agitated and 1 fermenter getting the rack & re-pitch treatment.

Calder, you mentioned your 3rd time doing this. Has this consistently been your process for funky beers, or is this a change in process for all-Brett beers?

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Fermenting: Sour Pale Ale, Brett Belgian Rye Stout, FunkPaleI, FunkPaleII
Aging: Brett English Brown, Funky Fig/Date Saison, Drunk Owl Mango, OudBruin, FunkyDirtyBlonde, Solera
Bottled/Kegged: Brett IPA, Apollo Red, Hobgoblin, Brett Old Ale, FlandersPale, Dark Saison, Orval, JP BamBiere, Rapture RIS, RIS09, Oak Barleywine, Basil Saison