American Barleywine w/ Brett

[Bert1097]

Guys,

Brewed a few all brett beers in the past (actually won best in show for a bretted american stout) and have just brewed my 100th batch last week which is an American Barleywine w/ Brett Trois.

Numbers:

3 vials of Brett Trois in a 4L starter on stirplate

5Gallons
OG: 1.108
IBU: 100

Fermenting at 72F in a ferm chamber.

My question is: How long should I let it sit on primary and how long should I bulk age? Plan is to dry hop for a few weeks prior to bottling.

Any advice, esp guys who have done this before, will be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[sweetcell]

sounds like a great beer.

does anyone have experience pushing Trois to 11-12% abv? i've only seen it used in sub-10% beers. i'm wondering if that is because of a limit of this yeast in primary, or just lack of imagination.

Plan is to dry hop for a few weeks prior to bottling.

any particular reason why you want to dry hop for weeks? aroma and flavor will be pulled out in a few days, one week should be plenty. i'd be afraid that such a high alcohol enviro will start to break down the cellulose of the hops and contribute some off-flavors.

 

[40watt]

You should bulk age until it has the character you like.
I'm not aware of any other answer.

 

[BertusBrew]

I brewed a brett trois barleywine and I aged it for 9 months and added oak cubes around the 3 month mark. I never racked it to a secondary vessel, I just let the brett eat everything and anything in there. It is CRAZY good.

 

[bovineblitz]

I recently did a ~1.100 blonde barleywine that I added WLP090 and Brett B Trois to, along with honey and riesling juice in additions during fermentation. From the flavor profile, the Trois did alright, even with the beer at ~14% ABV. Personally I would let it bulk age for a good while even in a pure fermentation, at least two months and probably more unless you're going for lots of kettle hops. I like to let brett have some fun for a while in bulk.

 

[Bert1097]

Thanks for the input guys. Sweet, that's a good point. I hadn't thought about the higher ABV breaking down the hops. Looks like I'll let it sit for 6+ months, dry hop and bottle.

Bertus,

what temp did you keep it during that 9months?

 

[BertusBrew]

Thanks for the input guys. Sweet, that's a good point. I hadn't thought about the higher ABV breaking down the hops. Looks like I'll let it sit for 6+ months, dry hop and bottle.

Bertus,

what temp did you keep it during that 9months?

This was made before I had a temp controlled fermentation chamber so it was room temp. Probably fluctuated between 65-75.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

You have combined three of my favorite things in beer to create a big, hoppy, funky carboy of goodness! Subscribed and eagerly awaiting updates. In the meantime I might have to start my own experiment. Can't imagine this being anything other than a most epic brew! Prost!

 

[JBIII]

subscribed...

I brewed an all brett b dark wheat beer about 3 months ago and plan on aging it for a total 6 months or mid May 2014. OG was 1.062, but I haven't taken any subsequent gravity readings since. I'll keep updating and if anyone is interested in swapping a few bottles at some point, count me in...

I also just brewed a Flanders Brown with tart cherries and the Wyeast Roeselare blend that will age for 1.5 years. Unfortunately, it won't be ready until July 2015. I did sample a bit the other day and it shares a lot of characteristics as a Duchess...

This weekend I'm going to brew a Gose w/ sea salt and coriander (Westbrook Brewing), using acid malt, lactobacillus and the Wyeast Kolsch. Once I'm at pitching temps I'll add the lactobacillus for 3 days and then finish off with the Kolsch yeast. I won't be aging this one, however. So, it should be ready in a few weeks. I'll update once it's done...

 

[40watt]

I feel like everyone needs to remember that these wild fermentation progress on their schedule more than yours.
The best you can do is push it in the direction you want it to go and monitor it's progress.
You can't make Brett or bugs punch a time clock.

 

[JBIII]

I feel like everyone needs to remember that these wild fermentation progress on their schedule more than yours.
The best you can do is push it in the direction you want it to go and monitor it's progress.
You can't make Brett or bugs punch a time clock.

Wow...talk about not understanding the nuances of brewing. Not to mention the lack of helpful information...

 

[40watt]

I think it's very helpful.

 

[40watt]

The point being, you can't say I will age something X amount of time. Or I will blend this and this in X amount of time in a particular ratio, until you have tasted it.

 

[Bert1097]

40, I understand what you are saying but I suppose when people are discussing aging, etc it's implied that it is a timeframe that must obey the factors at work. For instance, with a moderate strength pale ale I USUALLY ferment 2-3 weeks in primary at 66degrees etc. for these larger, wilder brews it's nice to think in terms of how many months before I should start opening the carboy and sampling to figure out when i need to think about bottling.

I'm pretty sure the guys making these beers are experienced enough to know the difference. Thanks for the input fellas. I'll be sure to update sometime early fall '14.