Help Brett My 'Old Ale'

Recipe:

17lbs Maris Otter 91%
8oz Bisquit 3%
8oz Special B 3%
8oz Treacle 3% (or molasses/Homemade Dark Candy Syrup)

Mash@152
OG 1.071
FG 1.017????

I will be pitching onto a yeast cake of 1968 that currently has a Best Bitter on it. I would like to add Brett B & C to the mix, for just a touch of sour cherry and some horsey notes.

I am surprised to see that the attenuation levels for these yeasts are 69% and 72% respectively (according to Beersmith).

So my questions are as follows....

Are these attenuation numbers accurate?
Should I just add the brett during primary?
Do I need to adjust my mash temp to prevent the FG from being too high or to low?
Should I be concerned about a high FG from using an under-attenuating English Ale Strain such as 1968?

Cheers, happy brewing!

corkpuller said:

So my questions are as follows....

Are these attenuation numbers accurate?
Should I just add the brett during primary?
Do I need to adjust my mash temp to prevent the FG from being too high or to low?
Should I be concerned about a high FG from using an under-attenuating English Ale Strain such as 1968?

Cheers, happy brewing!

Click to expand...

nope. as secondary brett nears 100% attenuation. as primary i usually get in the 80s
the brett character tends to be more muted the earlier u add it, i'd wait til most of the activity is over
if anything it'll be too low as the brett will begin to chew thru the leftover dextrins. mashing higher just leaves more food for the brett
nope. 1968 IME also attenuates far more than listed.

Ok, so Brett at the end of primary or into secondary will give me close to 100% attenuation. What will that do to the balance of the beer? I don't want this beer to get too dry.

I'm aiming for the subtle character that brewers get from extended barrel aging (minus the oxidative wood influence)

it'll certainly be drier than without the brett, but i think the body will still be fine

here's something that sounds like what you're aiming for: http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2007/08/funky-old-ale-1st-tasting.html

here's some more info about brett: http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2008/06/all-about-brettanomyces.html

and while your plan sounds good, just an fyi that one of the wyeast private collections currently is the old ale blend (9097) in case you change your mind

Crazy. I thought I'd read all of these posts, but missed both!

Cheers

Here's to hoping this old ale turns out well!