Rapid Brett secondary?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

bjacokes

Active Member
Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
36
Reaction score
1
Location
San Francisco
After a 6-week primary with WLP530 that took my beer from 1.058 to 1.007, I racked to secondary and added 3 tbsp of yeast slurry that I had built up from Russian River Damnation dregs. I was prepared for a few months of little observable fermentation, which is what has generally happened when I add Brett. Instead, it's already bubbling away moderately quickly and there is a mini-krausen that's formed.

I'm almost positive it's not just degassing, because it's accelerated over the past day and just has that "feel" of being fermentation. But, I wouldn't have expected either yeast (the RR Brett or the Damnation primary yeast) to take hold this quickly in secondary. I'm not worried, mostly curious -- has anyone had secondary fermentation begin this quickly on a Brett beer?
 
My current brew showed signs of a brett pellicle forming a few days after pitching Wyeast brett b.
 
After a 6-week primary with WLP530 that took my beer from 1.058 to 1.007, I racked to secondary and added 3 tbsp of yeast slurry that I had built up from Russian River Damnation dregs. I was prepared for a few months of little observable fermentation, which is what has generally happened when I add Brett. Instead, it's already bubbling away moderately quickly and there is a mini-krausen that's formed.

I'm almost positive it's not just degassing, because it's accelerated over the past day and just has that "feel" of being fermentation. But, I wouldn't have expected either yeast (the RR Brett or the Damnation primary yeast) to take hold this quickly in secondary. I'm not worried, mostly curious -- has anyone had secondary fermentation begin this quickly on a Brett beer?

Brett doesn't usually ferment with a krausen and bubbles. Nor does it ferment that fast IME. There may be another type of saccharomyces fermenting. Could be the Damnation primary yeast.
 
I'd take a stab that any bubbles is more likely CO2 off gassing and not highly active fermentation as the beer is at 1.007 so its not going to go much lower, certainly not enough to cause much activity. My current batch showed signs of brett pelicle formation within a few days; however, it took a month to go from 1.015 to 1.011. There was no krausen, just some bubble clusters that are distinctly brett looking.

That said, if you have a krausen that is sustaining you got something goofy going in there.
 
I think RR uses champange yeast in bottling. Maybe that took off?
 
It might be partly due to the fact that I filled this carboy almost to the top -- the bubbles do seem to cause more of a stir on the surface when they're concentrated over a couple of square inches, and maybe that's leading to the quarter inch of foam as well. Other than that, I don't really have any ideas. I would be surprised if any yeast, champagne or otherwise, was able to get too much of a hold after a couple of days in an alcoholic environment. I guess maybe this'll just stay a mystery... a tasty, tasty mystery...
 
Back
Top