Bottle Conditioning 100% Brett IPA

[theoryno7]

I brewed a 100% Brett IPA with Brett Trois from White Labs. I created a huge 2-step starter similar to what I do for lagers. The grain bill was 55% wheat malt and 45% pale malt. O.G. was 1.053

The beer took off in just a few hours and I let it sit in primary for 2 weeks @ 80º F. I racked to secondary and the beer was only at 1.013. I checked a week later and it was still right at 1.013. I want to dry hop and get this bottled ASAP so the hop character doesn't fade. Any thoughts on how long I should wait to bottle?

 

[Bensiff]

What are you waiting for, it hit its FG and is stable? Dry hop and bottle as soon as you are done with the DH.

 

[feinbera]

The concern is that the brett will keep chewing on those last 13 points and make bottle bombs.

It's an interesting question... will the brett get "lazy" and not bother to eat the dextrines, the way that sacc gets "lazy" and might not finish the maltose if there's too much glucose/frucose in primary? I'm just getting into sour brewing, so, I have no idea what the answer is.

Me, I wouldn't trust the dang things. I'd either let em drag on down to single digit FG in however long it takes 'em and try to "re-hop" later with dry hops and/or hop tea, or, if I couldn't resist bottling, store 'em at fridge temp and drink 'em as fast as possible. In sturdy cardboard boxes, wrapped in plastic garbage bags, in case one does go boom in spite of your best efforts.

 

[chefchris]

The concern is that the brett will keep chewing on those last 13 points and make bottle bombs.

It's an interesting question... will the brett get "lazy" and not bother to eat the dextrines, the way that sacc gets "lazy" and might not finish the maltose if there's too much glucose/frucose in primary? I'm just getting into sour brewing, so, I have no idea what the answer is.

Me, I wouldn't trust the dang things. I'd either let em drag on down to single digit FG in however long it takes 'em and try to "re-hop" later with dry hops and/or hop tea, or, if I couldn't resist bottling, store 'em at fridge temp and drink 'em as fast as possible. In sturdy cardboard boxes, wrapped in plastic garbage bags, in case one does go boom in spite of your best efforts.

Trois isn't really a brett strain, but I have found that it takes a few weeks to reach terminal gravity. Others report the opposite. But since it isn't brett, (even if it was you used it as a primary strain) so it will not super attenuate either way.

 

[theoryno7]

Trois isn't really a brett strain, but I have found that it takes a few weeks to reach terminal gravity. Others report the opposite. But since it isn't brett, (even if it was you used it as a primary strain) so it will not super attenuate either way.

Curious what it is then. Is it a Sacc strain, or just another strain of wild yeast, or a blend?

 

[theoryno7]

Never mind. Did a Google search and found this.

http://suigenerisbrewing.blogspot.ca/2014/12/brett-trois-riddle-wrapped-in-mystery.html

Very interesting. Time to dry hop and bottle!

 

[chefchris]

Lowest I ever got with Trois was 1.008 and that was at 2.5 months. But like I mentioned earlier, for me it will seem stable then a few weeks later it will drop another 2 points then stop.

 

[berebrando]

Lowest I ever got with Trois was 1.008 and that was at 2.5 months. But like I mentioned earlier, for me it will seem stable then a few weeks later it will drop another 2 points then stop.

This was always my experience, too. I always did a four week minimum with Trois

 

[feinbera]

Never mind. Did a Google search and found this.

http://suigenerisbrewing.blogspot.ca/2014/12/brett-trois-riddle-wrapped-in-mystery.html

Very interesting. Time to dry hop and bottle!

Fascinating read!

 

[CorporateHippie]

I brewed a 100% brett apa three weeks ago. I racked at the second week and gravity was at 1.008. Brett is SLOW to floc so I'm just waiting for that until I bottle. I can literally see the floc progress though. We are 1 week into secondary and the top half is clear while the bottom half is cloudy. I should note: this may be the BEST beer I have ever made to date. The taste was awesome!!! Bitter hops with a pinch of funk and only after two weeks!!'n woot woot... Pure culture of Brett B. Added golden naked oats for mouthfeel and complexity. Mashed at 157ish I think and fermented at 70-72

 

[Bensiff]

The main thing for the OP is to know that 100% brett beers don't super attenuate. Treat them like a normal sacc ferment. So he is fine to dry hop and bottle without waiting months to finally bottom out on the gravity like he would if he had a sacc/brett beer going.

 

[bracehelton]

Fascinating read!

I'm curious if this is a widely accepted fact? In Chad Yakobson's Masters dissertation, he had a section explicitly identifying the "Drie" strain as B. bruxellensis. He propagated his from a bottle of Avery 15 that was fermented 100% with BSI's Drie strain. I wonder if what White Labs uses could be from a different source?

 

[bracehelton]

Never mind. Did a Google search and found this.



http://suigenerisbrewing.blogspot.ca/2014/12/brett-trois-riddle-wrapped-in-mystery.html



Very interesting. Time to dry hop and bottle!

I'm curious if this is a widely accepted fact? In Chad Yakobson's Masters dissertation, he had a section explicitly identifying the "Drie" strain as B. bruxellensis. He propagated his from a bottle of Avery 15 that was fermented 100% with BSI's Drie strain. I thought 'Drie' (3) and 'Trois' (3) were supposed to be the same thing. I wonder if what White Labs uses could be from a different source?

 

[bracehelton]

I'm curious if the Trois comment is a widely accepted fact? In Chad Yakobson's Masters dissertation, he had a section explicitly identifying the "Drie" strain as B. bruxellensis. He propagated his from a bottle of Avery 15 that was fermented 100% with BSI's Drie strain. I wonder if what White Labs uses could be from a different source?

 

[poeq]

it's for sure a sacc strain.

this changed nothing for me with brewing with it. at first i thought it was a really strange acting brett strain that you treated like a sacc and now we know its a sacc that you treat like a sacc. still made amazing fruity ipas that had a flavor profile of basically what everyone was describing even with the title change.

 

[chefchris]

I'm curious if the Trois comment is a widely accepted fact? In Chad Yakobson's Masters dissertation, he had a section explicitly identifying the "Drie" strain as B. bruxellensis. He propagated his from a bottle of Avery 15 that was fermented 100% with BSI's Drie strain. I wonder if what White Labs uses could be from a different source?

The BSI strain is actually brett. It's different from Trois.

it's for sure a sacc strain.

this changed nothing for me with brewing with it. at first i thought it was a really strange acting brett strain that you treated like a sacc and now we know its a sacc that you treat like a sacc. still made amazing fruity ipas that had a flavor profile of basically what everyone was describing even with the title change.

Same. It's one of my favorite yeasts. Sometimes I get a lot of brett character and a pellicle from it, sometimes not. About to finish up a Berliner/Gose split with it.

 

[CorporateHippie]

I brewed a 100% brett apa three weeks ago. I racked at the second week and gravity was at 1.008. Brett is SLOW to floc so I'm just waiting for that until I bottle. I can literally see the floc progress though. We are 1 week into secondary and the top half is clear while the bottom half is cloudy. I should note: this may be the BEST beer I have ever made to date. The taste was awesome!!! Bitter hops with a pinch of funk and only after two weeks!!'n woot woot... Pure culture of Brett B. Added golden naked oats for mouthfeel and complexity. Mashed at 157ish I think and fermented at 70-72

I bottled last week. Gravity was still at 1.008 which I am happy with. Lots of funk aroma. The short fill glass I had was SUPER good! Funk and sweet up front but then goes to hop bitterness, then back to mild funk.....but a clean funk. Hard to describe. Absolutely can be pin pointed as Brett character but not overwhelming with the barnyard notes that a "brett drinker" may be used to. Regardless, I am still confident that this is the best beer I have ever made to date and Look forward to a cold carbed version next week.

 

[fermentology]

I treat all my 100% Brett beers like I do sacc beers, only I generally build up a larger starter, give it more time, and don't aerate the wort much. Beyond that they attenuate in a normal amount of time and I bottle condition with priming sugar like I always do.