Recent content by wetherel

I've used wl Brett C 3-4 times (Always with lacto, sometimes with a lacto head start, sometimes not). I get an initial vomit aroma, which transforms into mega pineapple, but then slowly fades away. Maybe it fades away because I let it sit too long (months, when 3 weeks or less is probably more...

I'm thinking pineapple aroma(for Brett c) and cherry pie aroma (for wy Brett l) are created in the presense of oxygen, such as in a starter or in a barrel or initial fermentation. In a carboy with active fermentation, these great aromas seem to get scrubbed out. It's probably a bad idea, but...

To get good fruit character out of a lambic you should use 2lbs/gal. I've heard of much larger numbers. Expensive, but good.

How does the cost work out if you augment gas with a heatstick?

Even some lactobacillus strains produce acetate and high percentages of acetic acid. You could also have enterobacter or clostridium in there. Acetate stinks, but it's volatile and can boiled away or driven away with additional fermentation with regular yeast.

I think the final gravity is also a function of which bugs are present, and the percentage of simple sugars. Normally Brett alone doesn't super attenuate, nor does Brett + Lacto, or Lacto alone, or Sacc alone. Add some simple sugars, like fruit, then you'll see a nice gravity drop. Also, I...

FWIW, I did 2 psuedo lambic experiments, comparing extract to all grain, and the all-grains were better. I don't remember the details, but the all grain was better attenuated and more sour.

If you really want to push your gravity limits, then mash with 13lbs of grain, sparge into your kettle, dump the grains, add fresh 13 lbs of grain back into your cooler, the use your first runnings in the kettle for mashing the second time around. There's a podcast on it.

I don't think Brett C eats long chain sugars slowly to superattenuate a beer and add complexity. I have a few different versions of Brett C beers aging for 8 months or so in carboys, which I'm thinking I shoul have just bottled after a month. There's no autolysis notes. One of them I added...

Bentonite will clear it up fast and improve flavor: http://www.stormthecastle.com/mead/articles/bentonite-and-mead-making.htm http://mysticways.wiki.zoho.com/Clearing-Mead-with-Bentonite-(clay).html

I've used a sourdough starter with some success. Use an older runny starter, where the acidity has broken down the glutans. This is not ideal for making bread, but better for making sour, because the low pH environment kills off the enterobacter and clostridium, which give off flavors in your...

Berliner Weisse.

I'm not sure which Brett they use. I would be tempted to culture it, or I would use Brett Clausseni, because it doesn't seem to super attenuate like the other Bretts, so your risk of bottle bombs is lower.

I would hope it would be pretty good after 5 months. What kind of off smell/taste is there? Vinegar? Floor cleaner?

I would be inclined to use Brett Claussenni for bottling to reduce the risk of bottle bombs. It doesn't seem to super attenuate like Lambicus and the others.