Bottling with Brett

[Gnomebrewer]

I'd like to try fermenting a batch clean and bottling with Brett (as Orval does). I've read (milk the funk, I think) that it gives more funk and fruit than using Brett in primary/secondary and evolves well over time. Of course, there's the risk of bottle bombs! Does anyone have any experiences to share with this method? What primary yeast, recipe, Brett strain(s) have/haven't worked? What was the finished beer like?

Tagging @RPh_Guy (aka. the sour/funky beer encyclopedia) as this came up in another thread.

 

[RPh_Guy]

This is the process I've used for quick-bottled pale funky sours:
Make highly fermentable unhopped wort....
70% pale malt, 30% wheat malt, mashed around 145-150°F (62-65°C) for 2 hours. Target OG about 1.040.
Water: RO with CaCl2 for around 60ppm chloride, with lactic acid to hit mash pH 5.4.
Boil is optional, but recommended, 60 minutes.
Chill.
Pull off about 300-500mL to make a Lacto starter: add a little chalk and L plantarum; let sit at room temp.
Pitch WLP644 from a vitality starter.
Pitch Brett from a starter (this takes 1-2 weeks). I love Wyeast Brett Lambicus (5526)!
Let it ferment around 70°F (21°C), allowing free rise.
After 24-48 hours pitch the Lacto starter, decanting off the chalk.
Dry hop or hop tea is optional but recommended when it reaches the sourness level you want (a few days). Don't overdo it, 0.5-0.75oz per 5 gal Czech Saaz or Amarillo is great for my taste.
Add glucoamylase enzyme to help purge oxygen when you add hops, or add it when pitching Lacto if you don't plan to add hops.
It'll be sour, funky, and ready to bottle within a few weeks, with gravity around 1.000 (yay glucoamylase).
For variety, add Brett strains, mixed culture blends, or dreg cultures directly to bottles. A few drops of slurry from my yeast bank works perfectly well. With only 3 Brett cultures you can make 8 different beers from one batch this way.

In my experience the added funky character from the bottling stains becomes apparent within 2 months but starts to peak around 3-6 months.

....
I bet we could skip the Brett in primary and just add it at bottling. It seems like this would be an option as long as the enzyme gets the gravity low enough. This might avoid the possibility of THP formation, which would be a huge plus.
I'm going to try this process myself in a small batch.
The main downside is that it won't be ready to drink as quickly. Also it won't be as consistent from bottle to bottle.

the sour/funky beer encyclopedia

Lol! I love sours.

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

Not to thread jack but I'm using the above technique in a brew this weekend. @RPh_Guy's techniques have never let me down and I am sure this one won't either. Funky mixed ferm done in under a month, lets go!

 

[Miraculix]

This is the process I've used for quick-bottled pale funky sours:
Make highly fermentable unhopped wort....
70% pale malt, 30% wheat malt, mashed around 145-150°F (62-65°C) for 2 hours. Target OG about 1.040.
Water: RO with CaCl2 for around 60ppm chloride, with lactic acid to hit mash pH 5.4.
Boil is optional, but recommended, 60 minutes.
Chill.
Pull off about 300-500mL to make a Lacto starter: add a little chalk and L plantarum; let sit at room temp.
Pitch WLP644 from a vitality starter.
Pitch Brett from a starter (this takes 1-2 weeks). I love Wyeast Brett Lambicus (5526)!
Let it ferment around 70°F (21°C), allowing free rise.
After 24-48 hours pitch the Lacto starter, decanting off the chalk.
Dry hop or hop tea is optional but recommended when it reaches the sourness level you want (a few days). Don't overdo it, 0.5-0.75oz per 5 gal Czech Saaz or Amarillo is great for my taste.
Add glucoamylase enzyme to help purge oxygen when you add hops, or add it when pitching Lacto if you don't plan to add hops.
It'll be sour, funky, and ready to bottle within a few weeks, with gravity around 1.000 (yay glucoamylase).
For variety, add Brett strains, mixed culture blends, or dreg cultures directly to bottles. A few drops of slurry from my yeast bank works perfectly well. With only 3 Brett cultures you can make 8 different beers from one batch this way.

In my experience the added funky character from the bottling stains becomes apparent within 2 months but starts to peak around 3-6 months.

....
I bet we could skip the Brett in primary and just add it at bottling. It seems like this would be an option as long as the enzyme gets the gravity low enough. This might avoid the possibility of THP formation, which would be a huge plus.
I'm going to try this process myself in a small batch.
The main downside is that it won't be ready to drink as quickly. Also it won't be as consistent from bottle to bottle.


Lol! I love sours.

Would you do any other adjustment, if you would want to keep it funky but skip the sour, than leaving out the lactos?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Not to thread jack but I'm using the above technique in a brew this weekend. @RPh_Guy's techniques have never let me down and I am sure this one won't either. Funky mixed ferm done in under a month, lets go!

Very cool!

Would you do any other adjustment, if you would want to keep it funky but skip the sour, than leaving out the lactos?

Hmm that makes things a lot easier for you.
Yeah skip the Lacto.
Add hops on brew day and whenever else you want.
Add the glucoamylase when pitching.

Cheers

P.S. If anyone bottles this, make an acid shock starter to avoid THP.

 

[deadwolfbones]

I bottled a saison that got down to 1.001 with some Brett B (just a few drops in each bottle), and it had a wonderful Brett character after a year in storage. No gushers/bombs.