Brettanomyces bruxellensis fermentation time

[Alain2]

I made a Saison with Belle Saison yeast and after the primary fermentation was completed one month ago (finish at 1.007), I racked to secondary with Brett B. (White Labs vial). I observed some activity during the last month, but now the airlock is not showing any sign of activity. I am now wondering when this beer will be ready for bottling.
I know that young Brett fermentations are fruitier and the older have more barnyard and rustic characteristics.
My goal is to enjoy a bottle once in a while and see how the beer age over the next year.
Based on the fact that my beer didn’t have much residual sugar, could my beer be ready to bottle?

 

[Kharnynb]

I bottled a brett only sour after about 3 months fermenting and 3-4 weeks bottled i tasted it and it was pretty damn good.

 

[jfolks]

Give it at least 3 months, probably 6 to be on the safe side. Only way to know is to take gravity readings one month apart and bottle once gravity stops going down.

 

[jurgenph]

if you bottle it after 3 or 6 months, will it still be able to carb it up?

i started a similar small batch (brett secondary) about a month ago, and plan to cold crash and bottling it at around the 3 months mark.


J.

 

[oli-aus]

With my saisons and Brett beers I've been bottling once the gravity is down to 1.002 and then put in thick glass bottles with priming sugar edition on the low side.

Apparently it takes 4 gravity points to carb a beer to within the normal range, so I've actually done this with a Brett saison recently which was 1.004. I wouldn't of done that without thick walled bottles though.

 

[Agate]

if you bottle it after 3 or 6 months, will it still be able to carb it up?

i started a similar small batch (brett secondary) about a month ago, and plan to cold crash and bottling it at around the 3 months mark.


J.

Absolutely - at 6 months, there is plenty of active yeast in a brett beer to bottle condition. I recently bottled one that was in secondary for 18 months, and although it has gone slowly, I have some nice carbonation after about 4 weeks. At 6 months, there should still be some viable sacch to carb fairly quickly.

 

[Alain2]

Okay I will leave it alone for 3 months and take a reading and another at 4 month.

 

[JosephN]

I know that young Brett fermentations are fruitier and the older have more barnyard and rustic characteristics.

I'm not brett pro, but where did you get this info? I was under the understanding that even the exact same Brett strain could give off different characters depending on man different factors. Personally I'm trying to learn as much about this as possible. I'm looking for the fruitier Brett and how to manipulate it to do so. I don't care for horse or barnyard.

 

[mxstar21]

if you bottle it after 3 or 6 months, will it still be able to carb it up?

i started a similar small batch (brett secondary) about a month ago, and plan to cold crash and bottling it at around the 3 months mark.


J.

You can always add some yeast with your priming sugar to ensure it carbs.

 

[Alain2]

I'm not brett pro, but where did you get this info? I was under the understanding that even the exact same Brett strain could give off different characters depending on man different factors. Personally I'm trying to learn as much about this as possible. I'm looking for the fruitier Brett and how to manipulate it to do so. I don't care for horse or barnyard.

"For 100% Brett the flavors are pretty steady, although sometimes a beer can go from fruity when young slowly towards the more “classic” leather, barnyard, horse blanket etc… as it ages."

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2008/06/all-about-brettanomyces.html

I may have misinterpreted what he was trying to say. Maybe he was just showing how the flavour can go from one end to the other.

 

[Agate]

Esters tend to dominate the flavor profile in a young brett beer. They break down over time, though, leading to the phenolic flavors taking over in the long run.