Inoculating oak chips

[Ryanh1801]

Anyone know how to do this, or have a good link to a step by step? Wanting to Inoculating some oak with a few different bugs.


Thanks
Ryan

 

[landhoney]

I think the process is exactly what it sounds like(soak some cubes in brett/bug dreggs), Vinny for Russian River dried them in the sun and they still worked how many months later put straight(no starter,etc.) into Brewpastor's fermented 888 which is a high ABV beer. I received 'fresh' bugs from Al B on the babblebelt, he took cell counts at the beggining and after a couple months or so storing them 'wet' in the fridge and they were still doing very well. For a sure thing, I'd ask over there, I know he has first hand experience making these bug chips and he is also a microbiologist. One thing I do remember is that he drilled holes into the cubes to increase the surface area and maybe to make more access points for the bugs into the wood. Hope this helps.

 

[Ryanh1801]

Ok cool, I was hoping you post up. I read on Mike's site how he made a starter with it. Just was not sure if it was as easy as, soaking the chips and drying them out. Im just wanting to get a culture of a few different Brett Strains and Pediococcus to mess around with. The drilling makes sense, Ill have to give that a try.

 

[landhoney]

Ok cool, I was hoping you post up. I read on Mike's site how he made a starter with it. Just was not sure if it was as easy as, soaking the chips and drying them out. Im just wanting to get a culture of a few different Brett Strains and Pediococcus to mess around with. The drilling makes sense, Ill have to give that a try.

I'd dry some, and keep some wet. I'm sure Al had a reason to give them to us 'wet' - the viability must be higher at least in the short term.

 

[Ryanh1801]

Alright Ill give that a shot. Any opinion how how Brett B, and L, with Pediococcus, would be in a saison? Im kind of going sour stuff crazy, now.

 

[landhoney]

Alright Ill give that a shot. Any opinion how how Brett B, and L, with Pediococcus, would be in a saison? Im kind of going sour stuff crazy, now.

I think that would be great, I've done two very similar to that. The resulting beer is not stylistically very Saison-like maybe, but very good none the less. You lose some of the 'classic' saison flavors but they are replaced with interesting/funky/sour ones. Like in a Flanders, all the interesting flavors are from the wild yeast, you just use a clean strain for primary. Conversely, I think if you use a yeast with a lot of 'character' for primary, you lose some of those flavors by doing secondary with bugs. My experience and reading is this way anyway.