Decant Brett Starter for Sour or Whole Pitch?

[igvandeventer]

I have a 1.4L brett brux starter going for my consecration clone. Question is should I worry about decanting or just pitch the whole thing, since I'm pitching Roeselare 8 weeks after the brett?

 

[chefchris]

Your choice, if you have the time it doesn't hurt to decant, but be aware that brett can take several days to drop out. Don't put it in the fridge. On the other hand 1.4L isn't that much, in a beer like this I don't know if you'd be able to tell if you had the same beer done different ways side by side.

 

[mnick12]

I would taste the starter and decide from there. Sometimes brett starters, especially when aerated, are acetic and gross. If it tastes like acetic acid I would definatly decant, escpecially if you are doing a 5 gal batch. 1.4L would be ~7% of the total by volume, so if its gross decant.

But if it doesnt taste bad, like chefchris said, then decanting isnt really needed.

 

[TNGabe]

As mnick said, it's likely that the starter liquid will have undesirable flavors. I'd decant, but not cold crash. Let it settle out on it's own. Crashing it will slow the brett down when you do pitch.

 

[pineconebrew]

Especially if the starter was aerated or on a stir plate, there will be much more sourness to the starter wort, via increased acetic acid production from the extra oxygen. That will compound with what you get from the brett and bacteria when added, and may overdo it. With a starter for a secondary fermentation of a beer, I think I would definitely decant. You should have more than plenty of yeast, it really doesn't take a lot of Brett to get going for secondary.
In a consecration clone I had used Brett lambicus, maybe 30-40 ml of yeast from a decanted starter and found worked well, probably more than I needed even.

Give the starter some time to settle before decanting, and I second not cold crashing; I've read a few places that Brett specifically doesn't do so well with lots of cold storage temp swings.

If you don't decant I would worry that the fruity flavors of brux in the lighter starter beer as well as any acetic acid produced would pull the beer further away from a clone of consecration, and you may not get what you want in the end. All that beer dumped in at secondary is a bit like blending when all you need is inoculation.

Enjoy, you're on your way to a tasty beer.

 

[igvandeventer]

I really only swirled a couple times to add a little more oxygen to the starter. Other than that, it's just siting in a grower. No stir plate used.

How long will this need to sit? I feel like I should have just pitched the vial, because I was going to rack to the secondary and add the Brett at around 1.018. It was just over 1.040 a couple days ago, so I feel like I made the starter way late.It was unavailable at my LHBS so I had to order a vial.
I do see some sediment on the bottom of the growler, but I'm not getting a lot of funk on the nose yet. Didn't try a taste. I wonder if it would hurt at all if I do get closer to my FG and pitch if the Brett is not ready.

 

[mnick12]

If you are worried about your beer attenuating to far before your brett has a chance to do any work you could cold crash your primary strain.

I wouldnt be too worried though, most evidence suggests many/most of the flavor contributions made by brettanomyces in secondary come from the metabolism of sach by products, like vinylphenols etc. But if you are looking for tartness, you will probably want some residual sugars.

 

[igvandeventer]

That was my first thought, but unfortunately have no way to cold crash. (Other than setting the bucket outside, which seems pretty sketchy.) Due to the lower ferm temp maybe it can hold out until the Brett is ready.

I've read on other topics that some let their Brett starters go for 2 weeks. Is that really necessary?

 

[pineconebrew]

How long ago did you pitch the tube? If you see yeast settling on the bottom, and you are past having a high krausen, I bet you would be okay to let it settle for another day or so, and then decant off most of the starter beer, swirl up the yeast and pitch. Pitching for secondary doesn't really require a large amount of yeast, the Brett can get going on just a vial, but of course higher numbers will help it produce faster. I don't think you'll hurt the beer if you don't pitch immediately, its not imperative to inoculate as soon as possible, the Brett is working on sugars and dextrins the Abbey yeast was leaving behind. If I recall for my clone, I was away and couldn't transfer and pitch for maybe two weeks after brew day, and things worked just fine. For the kit Vinnie recommends transferring and pitching when the gravity has settled at 1.016, which was right where mine was when I pitched along with adding the currants.

Don't stress, you're on the right track, having boosted the Brett population with the starter you will be pitching strong, healthy, ready yeast in a greater count than came in the vial. I'd still recommend decanting.

 

[pineconebrew]

2 weeks for a Brett. starter for just a secondary inoculation is far more than is necessary here. For a already attenuated beer, Brett can be established with just dregs or just whats in the yeast producers tube.

2 weeks sounds more like starters for a 100% Brett fermentation, which takes longer because much higher pitching rate is need; getting there can involves multiple step ups. Less time if its kept warm and more aeration is given, as that boosts the production significantly, just also the acetic acid production.

 

[igvandeventer]

I made the starter on Saturday so it has has only been sitting for a couple days, which is not long from what I read about yeast starters. I'm not sure what my gravity came out to for the starter. I used some pre measured DME (6 oz) with their recommended 1.5 quarts of water.

I'm not overly paranoid about overshooting my target gravity before I rack, but I want to stay as close as possible. I hope I would have a good enough cell count of Brett before i pitch, because I have a feeling it will hit around 1.016 fairly soon.