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Pretty much, I boil the sugar, add it to the keg, purge with CO2, fill, close, purge, pressurize. You don't have to be ultra-precise as you can adjust the CO2 once it is on tap. Usually I am a little low as it is easier to increase pressure. Yep, just chill and serve (after dumping any yeast...

I think Brett does some of its best work under pressure so I prime the kegs and naturally condition at room temperature for at least a month in most cases. Then I let it sit in the kegerator for a week or two on gas before I really start drinking.

I usually have beers fermented with it in the keg by 3-4 weeks, and then 4-6 weeks of keg conditioning before I tap it. Honestly the blend never seems to get that funky. I'm writing up the tasting notes for my most recent batch of dark saison (just over a year old) to coincide with the...

I did, but it seems that the Lacto is getting stronger! My most recent batch had loads of high AA% hops in the whirlpool and still got to a nicely tart final pH of 3.75. I've heard from a few people that they got good acidity at 20 IBUs. Jeff is considering doing a single strain release of the...

Sounds good to me. it isn't a blend that requires really high temperature to finish out. As a "house" blend I usually just ferment it at whatever temperature my house is. Around 80 in the summer, 70 in the winter.

I think you'd be fine with either the Brett or sour gear. The lacto won't cause issues in most 100% Brett beers because it is hop-sensitive. With the high attenuation I'd also suspect the Pedio wouldn't get going in this beer. Glad the sample is headed in the right direction! My most recent...

Let me know how it turns out! I just got 8 oz of Ekuanot and haven't brewed with it before. My mother culture just went into a Galaxy/Vic Secret heavy wort from a NEIPA along with rosemary honey.

It started as two saison strains, Sacch Trois, and a Brett from Cantillon. Later I added Lacto. Not sure exactly what strains have won out, picked up, muted, interbred etc. over the last few years, but Bootleg Biology isolated a similar mix to what I started with and is propagating it now...

There is no set definition. For some breweries it is a blend they get from a lab of existing isolates. For others it is a wild culture that they continually propagate. Still others might have a combination of strains they bank and propagate to hit the exact cell ratio. Wicked Weed uses a...

Heh. I get a similar cut to the book... not quitting my day job anytime soon!

Correct, isolation is the only way to provide a reliable/repeatable product. Seemed like he pulled out a similar blend to what I had pitched along the way, although one of the two saison strains was out-competed. What I can't say though is whether the Brett/bacteria strains selected are...

I avoid primary fermentation in a barrel if I can, makes a mess if you aren't careful. I generally ferment out the beer first, so I can fill the barrel up and not worry about blow-off and topping-off. Commonwealth Brewing in Virginia Beach has my original culture in a couple barrels from...

I'd say live and learn. Brett will certainly eat maltodextrin, but you've got a 50-50 shot with lactose. Only some strains can ferment it (the bond is the same as glycosides or cellobiose). If you are kegging you could chill and blend/sweeten as desired, but not safe for bottling. Never heard...

A few months ago I sent Jeff Mello a sample of the House Saison culture I’ve been repitching since 2014. Surprisingly he pulled out a pretty similar set of microbes (in terms of species anyway) to what I started with. Served the test batch I brewed with the second pitch he sent over next to my...

Today is the last day for the early sign-up discount! Here are some photos of us taking apart a barrel at the first one in Burlington.

I think that may be a common path, the wood class was outselling the sour class last I heard. I actually wish they were doing two 3 hour sessions each day for a bit more variety. I don't blame you for not wanting to spend 12 hours with me!

Cheers! The Sour Beer session just sold out for Burlington, but room still available for Santa Rosa. For the wood session I have a malty brown divided between a Balcones Malt whisky barrel, infused with the spirit itself, and aging with honeycomb oak for a comparison tasting!

Sour Beer is now sold out for Burlington, but there are still spots open for Wood and Barrels. For that session I have a 15 gallon batch split: aging in Balcones Malt whisky barrel, infused with the same, and aging with an oak honeycomb for a comparison tasting!

Brew Your Own magazine is running a series of homebrew Boot Camps around the country, and lucky for California, they're second! February 24th and 25th I’ll be leading sessions in Santa Rosa (excited to finally make it to Russian River...). Friday will be wood and barrels, with hands-on...

Brew Your Own magazine is running a series of homebrew Boot Camps around the country, and lucky for Burlington they’re first! November 4th and 5th I’ll be leading sessions in Burlington Vermont. Friday will be sours beers (surprise), including a lecture, blending session (with my...