Hot Alcohols, fix with brett?

[philosofool]

I made my first WLP 644 (Sach. Bruxellensis Trois) beer.

I racked to a keg today and tasted the hydrometer sample. The beer had a lot of mertis that suggest a good-start recipe, but the beer had a lot of fussel alcohols. I'm not talking a little sharp, I'm talking burning sensation at the back of my throat still, fifteen minutes after tasting.

Soooo....

This one may not be drinkable as-is. I'm not totally going to judge yet, since this wouldn't be the first time a muddy hydrometer sample had some characteristics that were absent (or different) in packaged beer.

However, I'm not optimistic. This was really bad stuff.

What are the chances I can save this beer by adding true Brettanomyces? I was considering adding some Brett C. in hopes that the Brett C. would esterify some of that higher alcohol into a complex, good beer.

The beer was very well attenuated (81.5%, 1.071 to 1.013), so I could add some lactose to feed the brett if that would help.

What do you guys think? Is it worth it? (It seems pretty low risk, if the beer really is undrinkable.)

 

[aeviaanah]

Never heard of this... I'll be sticking around to find out! Good question!

 

[specharka]

Fusel alcohols belong to a separate group of organic chemistry, not the same as esters or phenols. Brett has the capability, with time, to acidify certain esters into volatile organic compounds, but it has no effect on fusel alcohols. I've found that the "hot" alcohol flavors actually get accentuated by Brettanomyces since it chews through residual sugars.

 

[philosofool]

Fusel alcohols belong to a separate group of organic chemistry, not the same as esters or phenols.

Esters in beer are formed by the combination of an alcohol and an organic acid. Thus, for example, ethanol plus caproic acid and the right yeast can make ethyl caproate (aka, ethyl hexanoate, an apple/pear ester) and isoamyl alcohol and acetic acid can produce isoamyl acetate. Since the esters have extremely low flavor thresholds, they are often detectable even when the necessary acids are orders of magnitude below the flavor threshold. Without the relevant substrates present, the esters don't form, and the genetic ability of yeast varies a lot in its ability to make these esters and the alcohol substrates (which they also create). Some yeast are also suspected of producing the relevant acids as well.

 

[TheHairyHop]

Esters in beer are formed by the combination of an alcohol and an organic acid. Thus, for example, ethanol plus caproic acid and the right yeast can make ethyl caproate (aka, ethyl hexanoate, an apple/pear ester) and isoamyl alcohol and acetic acid can produce isoamyl acetate. Since the esters have extremely low flavor thresholds, they are often detectable even when the necessary acids are orders of magnitude below the flavor threshold. Without the relevant substrates present, the esters don't form, and the genetic ability of yeast varies a lot in its ability to make these esters and the alcohol substrates (which they also create). Some yeast are also suspected of producing the relevant acids as well.

well, I wish I knew this much o chem

 

[petrolSpice]

Fusel alcohol flavors seems to tone down with aging, at least it does for me when bottle conditioning at/near room temp for 4-8 weeks.

 

[Sourz4life]

There are some non sacc yeast strains that are using in Wine making to not only lower the alcohol content but to help produce more complex flavors http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168160514002001 is the study. I wouldn't add Brett. In my opinion if your original intention was to be a clean beer then I would never add Brett to try to make it better, it most likely won't make it any better. I'd say if anything give it time.

 

[m00ps]

if something was burning my throat 15 minutes after tasting, i wouldnt touch it. no matter how extensive my knowledge of organic chemistry