first time using Brett.

[Jeepaholic]

I brewed a tank 7 clone 2 weeks ago. I usually use just Wyeast 3727 farm house but also added Wyeast Brett b. I wanted to pitch the Brett right from the get go to get the most flavor. I should add I had a OG of arround 1.095 and only pitched about a 3rd of as much 3727 as I usually do for this beer. It started off strong, it even popped off the airlock the next day.

My question is about secondary. I was planning to transfer off the yeast cake at 6 weeks. I know the Brett won't be done yet. Should I pitch more brett?

 

[Jeepaholic]

Edit: that should be Wyeast 3726 for the primary strain.

 

[dcp27]

you shouldn't need to add any more brett, just a few months

fyi, adding brett earlier will not get more brett flavor. most of the characteristic brett funk doesnt come from the metabolism of sugars, but rather conversion of esters n such. 100% brett beers are actually quite clean.

 

[Jeepaholic]

you shouldn't need to add any more brett, just a few months

fyi, adding brett earlier will not get more brett flavor. most of the characteristic brett funk doesnt come from the metabolism of sugars, but rather conversion of esters n such. 100% brett beers are actually quite clean.

Good to know, I can't wait to try this next spring. Thanks

 

[GTG]

My experience with brett in the primary will have a beer ready for packaging at 6 weeks depending upon your recipe and fermentation temps. Of course aging has some benefits too but that's a while to wait for a beer that will be ready before that.

 

[Warthaug]

The bret will do fine on its own, no need to pitch more. Brett do well in long ferments - they survive off of the materials released as the sacc dies and lyses. 6 months or more of ageing will likely be required.

Bryan

 

[Jeepaholic]

The bret will do fine on its own, no need to pitch more. Brett do well in long ferments - they survive off of the materials released as the sacc dies and lyses. 6 months or more of ageing will likely be required.

Bryan

Should I leave it in primary longer then? Say 2 months then a 2 month secondary and 4 months in bottle? I don't plan to drink this until next year.

 

[dcp27]

unless you need the primary for something else, i'd just leave it in there the whole time. the gravity should stabilize around 3 months (check at least a week apart), at which point feel free to bottle and age as desired. the brett character will continue to change, especially under pressure, but you definitely don't need to wait 6+ months for it

 

[Warthaug]

Like dcp said, you can leave it in the primary as long as you like. When I use brett, my tendency is to ferment in the primary for 2-4 weeks, then transfer to a secondary until bottling time. When I do the transfer I make a point of grabbing a bit of the yeast cake, so the brett has something to eat...

Bryan

 

[sweetcell]

unless you need the primary for something else, i'd just leave it in there the whole time.

a potential issue is the amount of headspace in your primary vessel. some people say it doesn't matter. personally i don't like leaving that much air above my beer when bulk aging. that's when a smaller secondary comes in handy, IMO.

When I do the transfer I make a point of grabbing a bit of the yeast cake, so the brett has something to eat...

there is plenty in the beer for the brett to eat without needing to grab any cake: sugars sacc can't ferment, sacc's esters, sacc will die during the extended aging period, etc.

 

[Jeepaholic]

a potential issue is the amount of headspace in your primary vessel. some people say it doesn't matter. personally i don't like leaving that much air above my beer when bulk aging. that's when a smaller secondary comes in handy, IMO.

Wouldn't the head space be nothing but CO2 at this point? If it won't hurt anything I will just leave it in the primary for 4 months then bottle.

 

[ryanhope]

Wouldn't the head space be nothing but CO2 at this point? If it won't hurt anything I will just leave it in the primary for 4 months then bottle.

The brett will also form a pellicle if there is too much O2. I would just leave it.

 

[sweetcell]

yes, a pellicle will form for the brett to shield themselves from O2 but i've had bad luck with the beer becoming too sour with a lot of headspace. it was an early batch so maybe i wasn't sanitary enough and acetobacter got in, or the brett soured in the presence of O2 despite the pellicle... or maybe i was just unlucky. since then i've been putting brett'ed beers in a secondary with very little headspace and it's been working great. maybe i'm just paranoid.

 

[Warthaug]

yes, a pellicle will form for the brett to shield themselves from O2 but i've had bad luck with the beer becoming too sour with a lot of headspace.

Actually, Brett is an oxygen-loving beer; the pellicle forms in order to float the Brett to the surface and give it access to the O2. The pellicle also helps protect the beer from the O2, although it isn't perfect. The sourness you experience is a direct result of that oxygen - in the presence of O2 Brett makes acetic acid. A bit is good; too much is unpleasant.

One reason I transfer to a secondary is to limit O2, as the airlock keeps most of it out. You do need some, however, for proper ageing with Brett.

Bryan

 

[Dan-]

What temperature do you mature the beer at after adding Brett?

 

[Warthaug]

Same as you'd use for the equivalent style of beer with regular yeast.

Bryan