troglodytes
Well-Known Member
I brewed a patersbier that never came together the way I wanted, so I ended up turning it into a brett experiment. I pitched the stepped up dregs of a really good brett saison (Night Shift Vesuvius) and pitched that into a secondary and let it ride to eat the final 10 points (1.016 to 1.006) over the course of 4 months.
After that I bottled with a little 3711 from an active saison starter I was making and it was fully carbed in about 4-5 weeks. Its been cellared since then (about 2 months), and I finally cracked one open to see how it was progressing.
The aroma was over powering. The strongest smelling beer I have ever smelled. You could smell the wet grass and horse and damp earth from across the room! I was afraid to drink it, but once I did I realized the aroma was the only overpowering thing about the brew. There was a mild tartness (no doubt from the oxygen in transferring) that lends a pleasant and mild "fresh squeezed lemon into ice tea" drinkability to it. The brett flavors were there but certainly in the background, letting the grainy - strawiness of the beer share the limelight. Its it a really great beer that is somewhat off-putting by just how much it smells.
Will this dissipate over time in the cellar? Is there something I did that would make the brett aroma so overwhelming, or is this normal for a 7 month old brett ale?
After that I bottled with a little 3711 from an active saison starter I was making and it was fully carbed in about 4-5 weeks. Its been cellared since then (about 2 months), and I finally cracked one open to see how it was progressing.
The aroma was over powering. The strongest smelling beer I have ever smelled. You could smell the wet grass and horse and damp earth from across the room! I was afraid to drink it, but once I did I realized the aroma was the only overpowering thing about the brew. There was a mild tartness (no doubt from the oxygen in transferring) that lends a pleasant and mild "fresh squeezed lemon into ice tea" drinkability to it. The brett flavors were there but certainly in the background, letting the grainy - strawiness of the beer share the limelight. Its it a really great beer that is somewhat off-putting by just how much it smells.
Will this dissipate over time in the cellar? Is there something I did that would make the brett aroma so overwhelming, or is this normal for a 7 month old brett ale?
