bug country 2014

[Jumpman]

Hi everyone it is that time of the year when Ecy 20 Bug County comes out. mine just came in yesterday. i am curious what other people are brewing with this yeast as i am trying to figure out what style goes best with this yeast, maybe a golden Belgian, or a simple saison or anything!!!!! also anyone have more info on these specific strains other than the websites?

 

[sweetcell]

just received my ECY20 yesterday.

what style to use this in? i am going to use this as my primary yeast, nothing else, so it'll technically be an american sour i guess. i'll be using aged hops.

not sure how you'd use this in a "golden belgian" or simple saision - pitch it as your secondary yeast?

 

[wobrien]

I ordered mine Thursday and it showed up about 30 hours later :rockin:

I brewed up the shipwreck saison recipe from HBT and added Malta dextrin and pitched only ECY20 in primary. I'll let you know 9-12 months if it was a good idea, haha.

 

[Jumpman]

i'm thinking now maybe like a 70/30 pils/wheat mash high around 155 and add a low aa hop around 10-15 ibu. primary for about 3-4 months then transfer to secondary and add fruit to it and let it sit for another 5 months.

 

[Coff]

BugCounty is good for anything really, except maybe an IPA

You most certainly can use it in a Golden Belgian or a simple Saison. Al uses Saison sacchromyces strains in all of his blends, so a simple Saison would be pretty great. You can really go about it any number of ways, I like to keep it simple though with a 60/40 pils/wheat base, mashed at 158F+ and pitch only BugCounty and let it ride.

As for whats in BugCounty, its basically everything that ECY banks. Al doesnt really list exactly whats in the blends, but here is whats on the website.

ECY20 BugCounty : SEASONAL (OCT-DEC). With over 20 different isolates combined for fermentation to overwhelm the senses, this blend is the mother-bugger for wild ales. Like the BugFarm, Brettanomyces dominants the overall population, however, other wild yeast seen in spontaneous fermentations are also included (such as Pichia and Kloeckera ). Several strains of Saccharomyces, Lactobacillus and Pediococcus round out this large and complex culture.

 

[TheZymurgist]

Where do you guys get this stuff? I can't find it anywhere.

 

[sweetcell]

Where do you guys get this stuff? I can't find it anywhere.

order from love2brew.com, or through Princeton Homebrew's email list. The stuff sells out really quickly. Dirty Dozen lasted 10 minutes before selling out, i believe that Bug County lasted maybe 20 or 30 mins. ECY bug mixes do not sit on shelves.

only reason i got some this time 'round was because i was bored at work and was refreshing the page regularly. they don't tell you the exact moment they go on sale. you know that they have the bugs through their facebook page, so you just gotta wait for the drop. more info in this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f127/ecy-love2brew-com-right-now-386747/

they have been hinting that the next drop will be bigger than this last one, so hopefully the next round will last longer.

 

[dcHokie]

Where do you guys get this stuff? I can't find it anywhere.

It's only available at Princeton Homebrew and love2brew.com (where most of us snag it). But it sells out in minutes when it hits the love2brew site.

 

[dcHokie]

you need to order it from love2brew.com, or through Princeton Homebrew's email. The stuff sells out really, really quickly - think concert tickets to U2/bruce springsteen/taylor swift/etc.

only reason i got some this time 'round was because i was bored at work and was refreshing the page regularly. they don't tell you the exact moment they go on sale. you know that they have the bugs through their facebook page, so you just gotta wait for the drop.

Figures you'd beat me to the punch

 

[finsfan]

Im doing a Sour Red Ale (not to be confused with a sour red lager ). Its based on RU55 from Jester King

OG: 1.055


Grist:
46% Munich II
21% Pale 2-row
20% Pilsner
3% Carared
3% Amber Malt
3% Crystal 120
3% Vienna
- just a pinch of roasted barley (but I am using dehusked carafa III)

I am also adding 4oz malto dextrin.

Hops:

~12IBUs of goldings at 60min.

 

[hirschb]

I was planning on using it for a lambic/pseudolambic. 5 gallons with BugCountry, and another 5gal with cultured dregs. Is there any reason not to use BugCountry on a lambic?

 

[sweetcell]

Is there any reason not to use BugCountry on a lambic?

i can't think of any. seems like ECY20 is a great mix for a long-aged sour. this is essentially what i'm doing, although my malt bill isn't that of a traditional lambic (no unmalted wheat, i'm using other starchy adjuncts, blah blah - but i will be using aged hops).

 

[hirschb]

i can't think of any. seems like ECY20 is a great mix for a long-aged sour. this is essentially what i'm going, although my malt bill isn't that of a traditional lambic (no unmalted wheat, i'm using other starchy adjuncts, blah blah - but i will be using aged hops).

Cool, I was planning to use roughly 50/50 pilsner & unmalted wheat, and then add several pounds of oats to the boil (in a bag).

 

[TrickyDick]

Im doing a Sour Red Ale (not to be confused with a sour red lager ). Its based on RU55 from Jester King

OG: 1.055


Grist:
46% Munich II
21% Pale 2-row
20% Pilsner
3% Carared
3% Amber Malt
3% Crystal 120
3% Vienna
- just a pinch of roasted barley (but I am using dehusked carafa III)

I am also adding 4oz malto dextrin.

Hops:

~12IBUs of goldings at 60min.

WOW! That's EXACTLY what I was trying to do! I thought up a recipe a while back based on the JK website. Never had the real stuff before though. I think I'll post my stab at it for critique:
Munich 1 (47.9%)
2 row pale (22.3)
Pils (12.8)
CaraRed (6.4)
c-60 (4.8)
Melanoiden (3.2)
Flaked rye (1.6)
Roasted barley 1.1%
Mash 156-158

OG 1.061 ( might have to drop this a bit)

Hops s. Goldings to 9 IBU single addition.

Sort of similar. Haven't brewed it yet though.

TD




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[finsfan]

WOW! That's EXACTLY what I was trying to do! I thought up a recipe a while back based on the JK website. Never had the real stuff before though. I think I'll post my stab at it for critique:
Munich 1 (47.9%)
2 row pale (22.3)
Pils (12.8)
CaraRed (6.4)
c-60 (4.8)
Melanoiden (3.2)
Flaked rye (1.6)
Roasted barley 1.1%
Mash 156-158

OG 1.061 ( might have to drop this a bit)

Hops s. Goldings to 9 IBU single addition.

Sort of similar. Haven't brewed it yet though.

TD




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Youll have to thank BGBC for his work in putting that together. Mine is going to be around 1.060. IVe never had it either but what the hay!

 

[TrickyDick]

BGBC has brewed and it's close? If so I'll make the revisions before I do it. Thanks

TD


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[finsfan]

BGBC has brewed and it's close? If so I'll make the revisions before I do it. Thanks

TD


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Nope, he just got the grist here not long ago but brewed something similar.

Edit: BUT the recipe was gotten from a jester king brewer so its probably spot on

 

[decktard]

Nope, he just got the grist here not long ago but brewed something similar.

Edit: BUT the recipe was gotten from a jester king brewer so its probably spot on

So what is the exact recipe, what you previously posted? Link?

 

[Coff]

It's only available at Princeton Homebrew and love2brew.com (where most of us snag it). But it sells out in minutes when it hits the love2brew site.

Not entirely true, my LHBS Philly Homebrew Outlet gets vials but not with the frequency that L2B and Princeton gets them. I would say they get 20-30 vials in 4-6 times/year.

You might want to follow them on Facebook/Twitter as I think they will get some in this fall/winter.

 

[Coff]

dupe

 

[Coff]

dupe

 

[BGBC]

BGBC has brewed and it's close? If so I'll make the revisions before I do it. Thanks

Fins is correct. The grain bill came from Garrett Crowell at Jester King. I ended up brewing a small batch using the recipe from American Sour Beers instead, but will also be brewing a 5 gal batch of the JK recipe this coming weekend. Sorry I can't provide feedback, but I'm sure the recipe's solid. I can forward you the original email too.

 

[TrickyDick]

Thanks! Garrett is a cool dude for sure. He's actually responded to a few emails I sent him about fruit sours.

By the way, any idea on oxygenation when using this Bug Country? It seems to me that either no oxygenation or like the PC sour limited edition strains, adding after a few days to give the bacteria a head start is the way to go. That said, the sour beer I did with ECY01 did fine with no oxygen whatsoever.

TD

 

[signpost]

I want Bug Country! I always find out too late. Guess I need to monitor the websites and Facebook pages a little more frequently.

 

[Coff]

Thanks! Garrett is a cool dude for sure. He's actually responded to a few emails I sent him about fruit sours.

By the way, any idea on oxygenation when using this Bug Country? It seems to me that either no oxygenation or like the PC sour limited edition strains, adding after a few days to give the bacteria a head start is the way to go. That said, the sour beer I did with ECY01 did fine with no oxygen whatsoever.

TD

Just oxygenate as you normally would, I wouldn't do that staggered O2 thing like for De Bom it'll get plenty sour on its own.

I actually under pitch and barely aerate when I use these blends in a Lambic wort.

Also, it's County not Country

 

[sweetcell]

any ideas on what the recommended fermentation temp is for ECY20?

i'm thinking of starting on the warmer side, say 75*F, for a week then letting it go ambient in my basement for secondary/aging/etc. carboys in my basement are currently sitting at 66*F, will likely dip down to 63 over the course of winter. is 75 too warm?

brewing tomorrow

Also, it's County not Country

beat me to it.

 

[Jumpman]

any ideas on what the recommended fermentation temp is for ECY20?

i'm thinking of starting on the warmer side, say 75*F, for a week then letting it go ambient in my basement for secondary/aging/etc. carboys in my basement are currently sitting at 66*F, will likely dip down to 63 over the course of winter. is 75 too warm?

brewing tomorrow



that's what i am going for about 70 degrees i am going to ferment in my basement. it stays in the mid 60s down there so i will wrap it with a few blankets to keep it warm. i need to free up a carboy so i can use this yeast. think i am going to go for a kriek with this strain and see how it goes. hopefully this weekend i can bottle a batch so i can use the carboy.

 

[TrickyDick]

Do you think one "vial" is sufficient for a ten gallon batch??

TD


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[finsfan]

Do you think one "vial" is sufficient for a ten gallon batch??

TD


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I bet you could make that work. It is quite a large slurry. It may just take a little longer than pitching into 5 gallons but I dont see any bad reasons to avoid doing 10 gallons. You may get some more interesting flavors as the yeast will be more stressed, but I wouldnt think they would be bad flavors at all.

 

[jjp36]

Cool, I was planning to use roughly 50/50 pilsner & unmalted wheat, and then add several pounds of oats to the boil (in a bag).

I did a sort-of lambic with it last year. 4lbs pils/4lbs white wheat/1lb carabelge/8oz Maltodextrine. It just scored a 42 in a comp (took 3rd place in sours) at right about 10 months old. Its pretty fantastic now, can't wait to see how it ages.

It did get sick/slimy for about 6 months, but that cleared up with time.

 

[dcHokie]

Do you think one "vial" is sufficient for a ten gallon batch??

TD


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I did 10 gallons with a single pitch last December. Haven't sampled it though, so no feedback yet.

 

[finsfan]

Brewing up the RU55 clone today and using mine

 

[Coff]

any ideas on what the recommended fermentation temp is for ECY20?

i'm thinking of starting on the warmer side, say 75*F, for a week then letting it go ambient in my basement for secondary/aging/etc. carboys in my basement are currently sitting at 66*F, will likely dip down to 63 over the course of winter. is 75 too warm?

brewing tomorrow

All of Al's blends seem to like a warmer start, in the past I have pitched in the mid 60's and not had activity for 48 until I warmed it up to 72f. I would try pitching close to 70 then warming it up from there, even though these blends like it warmer I still dont like pitching too warm. Pitch cool and warm up is how I always go, helps limit fusel alcohols and ethyl acetate.

Do you think one "vial" is sufficient for a ten gallon batch??

TD


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Should be plenty, ECY vials come with 300-500b cells per vial. I actually like to under pitch my wild beers and will use about 1/3 of a vial of Bugcounty or Bugfarm in 5g then top the vial off with sterile water to use for another batch.

 

[dantheman13]

My results so far from ECY20 from last year:

http://tinyurl.com/l437y7f

In short, the beer tastes really good so far!

 

[Bassaholic]

I snagged a vial of ECY20 and I want to brew both a Flanders red and a lambic. What is the best way to pull this off with 1 vial? I was thinking of starting with the Flanders red and letting it go for a month or two, then rack it when I have a free carboy and use a portion of the cake to start the lambic. Would it be better to just use half the vial for each brew, or should I stick with my initial plan?

 

[ChugachBrewing]

I got some ECY 20 in a trade and just ramped it up before pitching it into a 50G barrel where I used a modified turbid mash. ECY20 came out much more sour (but not too sour by any means, just more) than the more traditional Lambic Blend from WYeast.

 

[sweetcell]

I snagged a vial of ECY20 and I want to brew both a Flanders red and a lambic. What is the best way to pull this off with 1 vial? I was thinking of starting with the Flanders red and letting it go for a month or two, then rack it when I have a free carboy and use a portion of the cake to start the lambic. Would it be better to just use half the vial for each brew, or should I stick with my initial plan?

that's how i'd do it. you're essentially making a big starter. the balance of bugs will be off in the second brew, but with enough aging everyone will get around to doing their thing.

 

[joshrosborne]

Do you think one "vial" is sufficient for a ten gallon batch??

TD


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For what it's worth, I split a vial of Bugfarm for two 5gl batches last spring and they are coming along fine. I'm sure it'd work just as good for Bugcounty.

 

[wobrien]

How long do you let this sit on the cake? If/when do you rack to secondary if not adding any fruit or anything like that?

 

[dcHokie]

...use about 1/3 of a vial of Bugcounty or Bugfarm in 5g then top the vial off with sterile water to use for another batch.

Do you top off with sterile water just to eliminate the possibility of anything airborne contaminating the vial?