The Muse, my second all-brett beer

Coastarine · Jan 21, 2010

Mine is finally carb'd to where I want it. Funny thing; the first two sips are always sort of overpowering with funk, and the rest of the pint tastes pretty much completely different to me. Much more tart fruit. I have one friend who comes over regularly to drink beer with me and he agrees. We both really enjoy it but I forsee plenty of people not getting past the first sip. The appearance probably doesn't help, since it seems to be retaining a muddy look. Just sort of a dirty yellow.

Without a doubt one of the most interesting beers I've ever brewed or even drank. I'm sure it will continue to evolve as I drain the keg, and I'll keep updating.

Steelers77 · May 24, 2010

Saq,
I just got some Brett B do you think this will be sufficient for this beer? Also how do you go about bottling this ale? Won't the brew continue to ferment and possible create glass grenades? Just wondering. I'm going to brew this next week once I get my yeast. Also do I need to add oxygen before I ferment? Never did an all Brett beer so I want to get it right. Thanks for the help.

saq · Jun 8, 2010

Steelers77,
Sorry I missed your post and didn't notice it until today.
Brett does not super-attenuate when its the only microbe in the wort. It does that in the presence of bacteria as a form of competition to try and get all of the nutrients for itself. When used alone it acts a lot like a very attenuative strain of Saccharomyces. It ferments until it hits its 85%+ attenuation, and then drops out into the bottom.
If you were to bottle condition you might want to cut back on the sugar added as Brett will definitely eat it all, but I bottle from keg so no worries.
Brett B has a totally different flavor profile compared to Brett L, but I think this kind of a beer recipe is good to show off the nature of the yeast.

oldschool · Jul 10, 2010

For some reason I have a pack of Brett. L. in the fridge. How long does it take this beer to fully mature? What I'm really asking is how long should I plan on having a carboy in use?

saq · Jul 10, 2010

About 5 weeks. Ferment it at room temperature. If it doesn't get to at least up to 72f it goes really slow.

SumnerH · Jul 10, 2010

These threads are really great. Thanks, saq!

oldschool · Jul 12, 2010

Wow! thats some great turnaround. You did make a large starter correct? around a gallon? I assume the pitch rate will really effect the brett character. I really love Orval do you think I should go all Brett L., or start with a good belgian strain and pitch brett a couple days in to fermentation?

saq · Jul 12, 2010

I like 100% brett beers, they are so unique and flavorful.
I did create a large starter, planning on similar pitching rates as for a belgian beer. Building up a starter is going to take a few extra days because Wyeast/White Labs only puts 1/10th the amount of brett in their media than they do for sacc. Just pitch it on the stir plate and let it run until it looks like a normal sacc starter.

Steelers77 · Sep 10, 2010

Saq,
I'm finally getting around to brewing this, do you think it would be wise to chiill my wort to around 85 and pitch the starter? I'm just wondering because the temp in my area has come down and it looks like its gonna stay here. Also, I have a ferm chamber I was going to put this in with the hopes that it will stay warmer than room temp. Is my thinking sound?

saq · Sep 10, 2010

The warmer the beer is the faster its going to work and probably the more tasty its going to be. I'm not sure about pitching at 85 but I don't think Brett would care too much. Worth a shot!

Steelers77 · Dec 28, 2010

Saq,

I finally brewed my brett beer. I did not use your recipe I actually used a Bells best brown ale recipe cut back the bitterness to 20 ibu's, and pitched US-05 and Brett B at the same time. Kept the beer upstairs so it was around 68 ambient temp.

I transfered to secondary last night and tasted, it was in primary for 4 weeks. There is a definite wild taste to the beer with a slight maltiness and bitterness on the back end.

Just wondering since I did a dual fermentation with saccharomyces do I have to condition this as long as an all brett beer?

saq · Dec 28, 2010

A different recipe and different yeast process would indeed make this a beer completely unrelated to The Muse.
When using brett in secondary you are probably going to see a significantly longer period of fermentation before brett finishes out. Look at how Orval handles it in Brew Like A Monk for info.

Steelers77 · Dec 30, 2010

I've been brushing up on my Wild Brews and Brew like a monk. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the help.

mhot55 · Mar 10, 2013

Gave this a try last week- pretty much followed same recipe with couple minor changes. Grain bill is same, but I used amarillo hops to get to 22-25 ibu's. I was going for a riff on goose island's Sofie (I didn't say clone!) which is a twist on Orval from what I've read. I mashed slightly higher too (150-152). Pitched a healthy stepped up Brett L starter. Lag time was 24-30 hours, then she took off. Started off low-65*- but after a day ramped it up to 72-75*. The Krausen looked weird-not like some pellicles I've seen. I will try to get a pic.
I plan on letting it go 6-8 weeks, racking to clear, and hitting it with a touch of orange peel (a la Sofie). I hope I can hold out several months. I get the feeling this is going to be a nice summer brew.

The Muse, my second all-brett beer

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