Brett C

[RustyHorn]

Do all Brett strains munch remaining sugars till the beer becomes bone dry? Beersmith isn't adjusting the fg when I include Brett so I'm questioning what I thought I knew!

 

[RPh_Guy]

Nope! Attenuation varies.

 

[RustyHorn]

Nope!

Ok. So if I brewed a beer and got a fg of 1.012 then added Brett C, how much further will it go, roughly? And how long does it take?
I want to be able to bottle relatively quickly and let them age without a risk of bottle bombs!

 

[RPh_Guy]

Attenuation is unpredictable, so I couldn't say. Most cultures do not ferment down to 1.000.

You can add some glucoamylase enzyme, which will bottom out the gravity so you can bottle sooner. You should still give it a couple months at least, to be safe, depending on the FG.

I make mixed-fermentation funky sours ready for bottling in only a couple weeks by making highly fermentable wort, pitching lots of Brett and Sacc together, and post-souring. I also use glucoamylase so I can safety add a variety of mixed cultures at bottling... My last batch I split 12 ways.

FYI "Brett C" refers to an entire species of yeast, much like Saccharomyces cerevisiae, except the Brettanomyces claussenii is probably even more diverse! It helps to say what particular strain you're asking about

Happy to answer any questions. Cheers!

P.S. You also have the option to cork & cage champagne bottles. They can hold much greater pressure, slowly release carbonation over time, and also provide beneficial micro-oxygenation for Brett.

 

[RustyHorn]

Attenuation is unpredictable, so I couldn't say. Most cultures do not ferment down to 1.000.

You can add some glucoamylase enzyme, which will bottom out the gravity so you can bottle sooner. You should still give it a couple months at least, to be safe, depending on the FG.

I make mixed-fermentation funky sours ready for bottling in only a couple weeks by making highly fermentable wort, pitching lots of Brett and Sacc together, and post-souring. I also use glucoamylase so I can safety add a variety of mixed cultures at bottling... My last batch I split 12 ways.

FYI "Brett C" refers to an entire species of yeast, much like Saccharomyces cerevisiae, except the Brettanomyces claussenii is probably even more diverse! It helps to say what particular strain you're asking about

Happy to answer any questions. Cheers

Ah. I assumed Brett C was Brett Claussenii! [emoji851]
I'll look into the glucoamylase enzyme. I'm not hell bent on it being dry, but I'd like to get it into bottles to free up the fermenter.

Thanks for the help

 

[RPh_Guy]

I assumed Brett C was Brett Claussenii!

It is... That's an entire species.
All the strains of brewer's yeast we use are Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but there's a large variety among different strains within that species. Similarly all humans are the same species but we're all very different.

You might consider getting additional fermenters for long-term beers (with Brett), or adopting a more modern process like I described above. Or the champagne bottles. So many choices.

 

[RustyHorn]

It is... That's an entire species.
All the strains of brewer's yeast we use are Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but there's a large variety among different strains within that species. Similarly all humans are the same species but we're all very different.

You might consider getting additional fermenters for long-term beers (with Brett), or adopting a more modern process like I described above. Or the champagne bottles. So many choices.

Ah, I see. Very interesting. The one I'll be buying is the White Labs strain. Apparently maximum attenuation is 85%.

I will be having a dedicated fermenter for them.

 

[RustyHorn]

Champagne bottles is a good shout.

Thanks again