Belgian beer for dummies?

I don't know whether I'm up to the challenge.
So, someone, tell me: should I brew or GTFO?

I recently discovered Corsendonk Abbey Brown Ale.
I bought a case ($91 + tax) and I'm saving the dregs.
There isn't a lot on the interwebz about it, but I did find one poster who had plated it and found S cerevisiae, Brett, and bugs.

I'm not sure I can control Brett if I let it loose.
How close can I get with just, say, WLP500 or 530?

If the original cultrue has brett you will not be close at all. Brett has a very distinct flavor and smell. I love it.

Use glass carboys with some saran wrap over the top, that way you get no bugs in any plastic hosing or rubber stoppers.

Then designate a "buggy" hose for tranfer of final beer. Use this hose for nothing else or you will have a huge problem in your brewery.

OK, thanks.
That's what I was looking for.

I'm going to culture what I've got and make a small batch.
Then decide based on what it tastes like.:cross:
It might be a separate bottling strain.
Though one review said they bottle with their 'natural' yeast.
Whatever that means.

Reverend JC said:

Use this hose for nothing else or you will have a huge problem in your brewery.

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If I recall correctly, I know that you do a large scale operation, JC, but for the homebrewer, there isn't anything to be paranoid about. I use the same hose and autosiphon to transfer a Brett beer as a regular beer and no ill effects. A strong hot PBW soak for cleaning followed by proper sanitation in Star-San is all I've ever done.

Larger operations are different with many more nooks and cranies in piping and plumbing to worry about.

Can one of you dumb this down for the.... dumb?

I understand the yeast, I figured out what brett is (Brettanomyces), but BUGS?

Bugs is just slang for the bacteria that goes into the beer. There are numerous examples, the most common being different strains of lactobacillus and pedioccocus.

PseudoChef said:

If I recall correctly, I know that you do a large scale operation, JC, but for the homebrewer, there isn't anything to be paranoid about. I use the same hose and autosiphon to transfer a Brett beer as a regular beer and no ill effects. A strong hot PBW soak for cleaning followed by proper sanitation in Star-San is all I've ever done.

Larger operations are different with many more nooks and cranies in piping and plumbing to worry about.

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Large scale is a whole different animal. I know others in the industry that refuse to even look at a package of brett let alone have it brought into their breweries.

BUT, on the home scale you could still get some of the bugs in there. Most of my home brewed stuff is gone 3 or 4 months after it is brewed, that is not near enough time for the bugs to get going. Now lets say you transfer a RIS with a hose that has some brett in it and you open one in a year only to find it as dry as a popcorn fart and a nice horse blanket smell. You may get lucky and it will be great, but why take the chance. Hose is cheap.

Edit: I hope no one gets the wrong idea, I love brett and lacto producing bugs and have some sitting and getting happy at home.

Reverend JC said:

... gone 3 or 4 months after it is brewed, that is not near enough time for the bugs to get going. ....

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So how much time are we talking here?
I'm still working on that whole patience thing.

egolla said:

So how much time are we talking here?
I'm still working on that whole patience thing.

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6 months minimum before the Brett character begins to emerge, a year or so before it's really developed.

PseudoChef said:

Bugs is just slang for the bacteria that goes into the beer. There are numerous examples, the most common being different strains of lactobacillus and pedioccocus.

Click to expand...

Gotcha. So you're referring to wanted bacterias, as opposed to contamination.

Thanks for the info.

egolla said:

So how much time are we talking here?
I'm still working on that whole patience thing.

Click to expand...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f72/drunk-owl-mango-55227/

At 4 months I was going to toss it, at 10 months I wished I had 100 more