I'll be making my first beer with brett and bugs this week. I decided to go with the WL sour mix (from their website "Brettanomyces, Saccharomyces, and the bacterial strains Lactobacillus and Pediococcus."), I'll be using some acidulated malt, putting in some french oak chips for the bugs to live in and get oxygen from while it ages for a year, and I'll be adding some lactose and extra sugars when racking to secondary. Hopefully these are all good ideas...
When would it be recommended to rack this? I assume after about 3 weeks would be fine, but I don't know if I'll be leaving behind the brett and bugs before they get a chance to do their job. But I assume I want to rack before a pellicle forms, right?
If I want to save some of the bugs and the brett for making more sour/wild type beers, what would be the best way to do this? I've been washing yeast lately, but I assume that I'll get a lot of the sacch if I harvest from the primary, maybe with just a bit of Brett - anyone have any ideas for getting more brett than sacch? Would I want to wash from the secondary?
Should I just keep the oak chips to keep the bugs, and if so, how would I store them? Maybe make a low gravity wort, toss the bugs in, and toss that in the fridge?
When would it be recommended to rack this? I assume after about 3 weeks would be fine, but I don't know if I'll be leaving behind the brett and bugs before they get a chance to do their job. But I assume I want to rack before a pellicle forms, right?
If I want to save some of the bugs and the brett for making more sour/wild type beers, what would be the best way to do this? I've been washing yeast lately, but I assume that I'll get a lot of the sacch if I harvest from the primary, maybe with just a bit of Brett - anyone have any ideas for getting more brett than sacch? Would I want to wash from the secondary?
Should I just keep the oak chips to keep the bugs, and if so, how would I store them? Maybe make a low gravity wort, toss the bugs in, and toss that in the fridge?