Quick sour & brett question

Hey y'all,

Got 4 corny kegs in the attic enjoying themselves, 3 with WLP 655 (sour mix), and one with WLP650 (Brett Brux).

Without checking the FG (I know, it's the way to go), how long should I 'expect' for them to finish their work?

I realize that it's not an exact science, but a 'guestimate' would sure be helpful.

Also, botle conditioning on those two yeasts, how much priming sugar, and how long should I expect the yeasts to take to eat away all that extra energy?

Not looking for definate answers per se, but any pointers would be helpful

Thanks y'all in advance!

suggestions:

sour mix: give it a year.

brett brux: give it 6 month.

when the above times are up, taste & take gravity. if it doesn't taste right (not sour/funky enough) or hasn't attenuated sufficiently, seal back up and wait some more.

priming sugar: use same amount as usual. use a priming calculator to determine what is "usual". prime about 0.3 vols higher than the desired level of carbonation. it will take a while for the brett to prime, give it 2 months then test. conditioning in a warm room will speed this up.

Perfect, thanks!

I'll bring 2 kegs down tomorrow and I'm having a friend over for testing. I'll do the gravity then too.

Again, thanks for the answer!

If it tastes good drink it. If not, leave it alone for another 6 months.

Calder said:

If it tastes good drink it. If not, leave it alone for another 6 months.

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I get that, and I'll do it. Question was for approx. times (carrying kegs down all the time becomes tiresome if I 'know' that it should be left for at least 12 months

Malloy said:

I get that, and I'll do it. Question was for approx. times (carrying kegs down all the time becomes tiresome if I 'know' that it should be left for at least 12 months

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It can still be developing flavors for 30 months. I don't think the pedio or lacto have reached their max population for at least 18 months.

Ok, we had a good one with both cornys, wow!

WLP 655 (sour mix) (8 months in) were down to 1.010 (from 1.057).
Distinct sourness, but overwhelming barnyard. Already very drinkable, but I'll try to restrain myself to see where it goes. Also, I need to empty out some of the beer as I plan to spike it with strawberries in 2 months time when the season hits. Poor me.

WLP650 (Brett Brux) (3 months in) down to 1.008 (from 1.052).
WOW, I would never have thought it, but I've created a banana-beer!
Banana flavour hitting hard, hardly any sourness detected, fatty, almost buttery, taste and very distinct taste of alcohol.

SO far I'm very happy with both beers, and although both need more time (especially the Brett showed signs of 'needing more time'), both beers were very drinkable.

Malloy said:

WLP650 (Brett Brux) (3 months in) down to 1.008 (from 1.052).
WOW, I would never have thought it, but I've created a banana-beer!
Banana flavour hitting hard, hardly any sourness detected, fatty, almost buttery, taste and very distinct taste of alcohol.

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you are not going to get any sourness with brett alone (unless you give it a ton of oxygen, in which case it can make some vinegar). you should get some funk/horse blanket/barnyard/etc, but no sour. you need bacteria for sourness, like the 655 has.

sweetcell said:

you are not going to get any sourness with brett alone (unless you give it a ton of oxygen, in which case it can make some vinegar). you should get some funk/horse blanket/barnyard/etc, but no sour. you need bacteria for sourness, like the 655 has.

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Gotya. I expected a slight amount, but I am in no way dissapointed.

Grain bill was 2/3 pilsner malt, 1/3 wheat (unmalted) so, technically I made a Brett wit

I want to try brett in some of my 'standard' recipes, to see what it does to them. Can I expect the same amount of 'witty' taste, or should I blame the unmalted wheat for that?

Malloy said:

Gotya. I expected a slight amount, but I am in no way dissapointed.

Grain bill was 2/3 pilsner malt, 1/3 wheat (unmalted) so, technically I made a Brett wit

I want to try brett in some of my 'standard' recipes, to see what it does to them. Can I expect the same amount of 'witty' taste, or should I blame the unmalted wheat for that?

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Depends what you mean by 'witty' taste. Some strains of Brett can be spicy and some can be fruity. It has a lot to do with strain, temp of fermentation, and precursors in your wort.

fermentology said:

Depends what you mean by 'witty' taste. Some strains of Brett can be spicy and some can be fruity. It has a lot to do with strain, temp of fermentation, and precursors in your wort.

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WLP650, 'Witty' as in very fruity, not so spicy. It felt almost oily.