Boulavard saison-Brett

[bunt1828]

I just picked up a bottle of this. I want to learn more about the Brett flavor profile and being in Houston I haven't found many options. Anyway.. I've got a few questions...

I plan to cellar this for a while to let the Brett come out more. Any suggestions for how long to wait?

Should I cellar it in the fridge or fermentation chamber (currently at ~60f)?

Can I use the dregs in a future homebrew? If so can I expect saison yeast strains to be there too? Or should I brew a normal saison (or something else?) and throw in the dregs after primary? I've never used dregs before so that whole process would be new too..

Thanks for any help.


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[shaarm]

Boulevard filters their beer and then normally bottle conditions with a champaign yeast. However saison-brett is bottle conditioned with brett-b, which is a strain of brett.

I just did a side by side of 2013 and 2014 and the only real difference we noticed was that the hop flavor had dropped out of the 2013. We didn't notice any additional funkiness. So, I would say if you are looking for more funk, longer that just 1 year is needed. I am not sure, but I would say cellar temps are better. If it is too cold, the yeast will go dormant, right?

I did make a normal saison with 3711 and pitched the dregs into 2 gallons of finished beer. I made a full 5 gallons and added priming sugar to whole batch and then "bottled" 2 gallons into another container and pitched the dregs. I let it sit for quite a while(4 months maybe) before dry hopping and bottling. My brother actually said he preferred mine to theirs as mine was a little bit more funky, which is what he likes.

Good luck. I am no expert but just adding my two cents.


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[moti_mo]

I would drink your bottle of Saison Brett now, but that's just my two cents. One of the best parts of that beer is how the brett flavors and aromas blend with the Amarillo dry hops. Its really quite amazing when young, one of my favorite brett beers.

But of course, its your bottle...

 

[bunt1828]

Fantastic. Thanks! I probably won't wait for a year - don't have the patience. But I do want to try using the dregs just for learning if nothing else so ill probably wait and drink it closer to when I'm ready to pitch. Probably wont be a few months as I'm out of town every weekend for a few months.. Maybe I'll break down and buy another bottle in the mean time...


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[shaarm]

I would Agree that I like the amarillo hop flavor better than the year old version, which the hop flavor dropped out. I have one more bottle of 2013 that I am hopefully going to age another year or two and see what happens.


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[kchomebrew]

I live in KC and have heard lots of verifiable pieces from legit sources about how saison Brett is made. Just read this and I think you'll find it interesting and should give you some good hints on how to make it:
http://kcbeerblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/boulevard-saison-brett-interview.html?m=1


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[tagz]

Great read, thanks!

 

[40watt]

You certainly could culture the dregs, but be aware that Brett Brux is widely available, so apart from just playing around, you don't NEED to use your dregs to get that profile.

 

[Fermented_minds]

You certainly could culture the dregs, but be aware that Brett Brux is widely available, so apart from just playing around, you don't NEED to use your dregs to get that profile.

The character that will develop totally depends on the strain of Brett b being used. Brett b is as diverse (if not more) a species with respect to the different strains as Sacch c. To say "Brett b is widely available" implying that they are all the same is a misleading statement. If they use a unique strain of Brett b, it's quite possible that you do need to use the dregs to get that profile.

 

[kchomebrew]

If you read the article i posted it does note that Blvd is adding the Brett during bottling. This is also what Orval and Anchorage do with their Brett beers. I've done this on a couple of beers as well and it works. Add about 30 drops of Brett to a 750ml bottle or about 15 to a 12oz. Check this article out also.
http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2012/08/bottle-conditioning-with-brett-belgian.html?m=1



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[MileHighBrewer]

Peaches are all the same species, yet there are dozens of varieties that differ in every way...flavor, sugar content, skin color, flesh color, aroma, size, even when they are in season. Brett. B isn't just Brett. B.....could be a unique isolate (trois, anyone?) Or a very specific source that is not the same as Wyeast or White Labs. Besides a vial of brett is about 8-10$ I'd rather spend 8-20 on a beer for the dregs, plus I get to enjoy the beer

 

[40watt]

The character that will develop totally depends on the strain of Brett b being used. Brett b is as diverse (if not more) a species with respect to the different strains as Sacch c. To say "Brett b is widely available" implying that they are all the same is a misleading statement. If they use a unique strain of Brett b, it's quite possible that you do need to use the dregs to get that profile.

Of course, I know this.
On the other hand, I've consumed an oceans' worth of Boulevard Saison Brett. Have both White Labs and Wyeast Brett B. banked right now. I have used them both, and not only are they very similar, but either one would be perfect for an attempt at Saison Brett.

 

[fletchergsmith]

I love this beer and have a bottle of dregs full of wort and have a saison in my fermenter as of two days ago. Split it up and toss the Brett in a couple gallons for a long secondary.


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