Brett secondary - first timer, some questions

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cinderbike

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Hey everyone, getting ready to split a batch and age half with brett for awhile.

How long should I ignore it before bottling it? I don't want bottle bombs.

Also, I hear about how Brett sticks around. If I use a glass carboy and dedicated bottling wand/siphon I shouldn't need to worry about infecting future batches should I? Thanks.
 
Ignore it until the gravity is stable, you can start checking once a month after about 4 months, but it will probably be more (especially if it is a stronger beer). Don't worry if there is or isn't a pellicle, or if it smells weird/off at different points.

You'll be fine, bottling bucket, and tubing are the other things to really worry about.

Good luck!
 
Okay. I'll go ahead and stick it somewhere in a corner for 4 months+. Thanks.
 
One more question - Do I need much headspace with brett or will 1-2" be fine?
 
4 months later...

The aroma seems unchanged. A thin film formed over the secondary - I assume this is the pellicle. It is much dryer and has what I can only describe as a band-aid like flavor in the finish.

Success? Go ahead and bottle? Gravity has stayed at 1.010 for about a month now.
 
I give it another month, 1.010 is still pretty high. If it is the same in a month I'd say you're safe.
 
Okay. Will I get more 'brett-ness' in the bottle, or should I only expect the level I'm at now with Brett B.? It's got a bit of that Orval funkiness, but really, not as pronounced as I was hoping for.
 
Brett can keep developing in the bottle, and with that much gravity I'd suspect that it would keep working before bottling. What was the OG?

If you want more character next time I'd pitch it in primary along with the primary yeast strain.
 
1.096. It was at 1.018 before the Brett, so it dried out quite a bit. I think I'll wait two weeks and bottle from there. A tad more carbonation is fine. I have thick bottles.
 
That may be all you get, for big beers ~1.010 is about as low as my beers have gotten. Be4 careful with carbonation though, a ~.002-.003 drop is all it takes for standard carbonation levels, it doesn't take much fermentation to make a really foamy beer.
 

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