Brewing with Brett

[danbriant]

So I'm finally taking the plunge and doing my first Brett beer.

I have opted for using WLP645 - https://www.whitelabs.com/yeast-bank/wlp645-brettanomyces-claussenii

I will be doing it as a 100% Brett only ferment from start to finish.
The base beer is a mix of MO/Crystal/Flaked Oats will be around 10 SRM and 6% for 20 litres
This will be fermented in my plastic conical topped fermentation vessel, until it's mostly all done, maybe a month.

Now the plan:
Split the batch into two 11 litre glass carboys. (I understand you can't really age in plastic due to oxygen ingress and this would produce acid.)
One containing Mangos and the other undecided yet. (Open to ideas)

Now here's where I'm stuck.
Obviously once it's finished fermenting, it will be racked onto the fruit. But how long should i leave this to condition out and what temp before I should even think about tasting it etc?

Also I'm concerned about oxygen when I do come to bottle this, as all I have is a siphon and a bottle bucket. I don't have any fancy COS equipment as I'm a bottle guy etc.

Just aiming for a nice tropical beer with a tartness, don't want to be tasting vinegar

 

[hbhudy]

I have done all brett and mixed brett cultures in plastic carboys without any issue from my point of view.. the question for bottling I can’t comment on as I keg my beers..

For the addition to your other brew try using dried tart cherries you get at the grocery store! I dumped 2 packs into a Brett Saison beer that turned out incredible!

 

[madscientist451]

Just aiming for a nice tropical beer with a tartness, don't want to be tasting vinegar

I'm not sure you are going to get a "tropical beer" by racking it on to mango.
Fermented mango doesn't taste like mango to me, but it may suit your taste, its hard to tell until you try it.
There are many commercial "tropical" beers that get their flavor from certain kinds of hops, yeast and adding mango puree or juice or other tropical flavors after they've filtered the yeast out.
I'm drinking an Allagash Brett IPA right now, (throwing the dregs into some cider)
I'm not getting anything tropical out of it, but I don't think they use the same yeast you are using.
I would suggest splitting your beer into 3 batches, bottle one with nothing added, try racking some on to mango, and try cherries suggested above. When they are all done, try opening 3 bottles at once and blending some in your glass to see what you get, maybe add some mango juice or other tropical juice from the store in your glass as well.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I will be doing it as a 100% Brett only ferment from start to finish.

FYI: WLP645 possibly does have Saccharomyces in it.

I understand you can't really age in plastic due to oxygen ingress and this would produce [acetic] acid.

This isn't true, in fact micro-oxidation is important for Brett flavor development. There's a good reason commercial breweries use oak.
I recommend PET (e.g. Fermonsters).

Obviously once it's finished fermenting, it will be racked onto the fruit. But how long should i leave this to condition out and what temp before I should even think about tasting it etc?

Ideally you should let it age first, and then add fruit a couple weeks before packaging. That way the fruit flavor is fresh when it's consumed.

Also I'm concerned about oxygen when I do come to bottle this, as all I have is a siphon and a bottle bucket. I don't have any fancy COS equipment as I'm a bottle guy etc.

You should add EC-1118 yeast from an acid shock starter while racking (both when racking onto fruit and when bottling).
Don't mix the yeast directly with concentrated priming sugar solution.

The yeast will aggressively remove the dissolved oxygen, preventing acetic acid and THP.

Just aiming for a nice tropical beer with a tartness, don't want to be tasting vinegar

If you want sour beer, you need bacteria. Brett does not produce enough acid to make beer taste sour.