Pellicle Photo Collection

[fivepoundpossum]

those last shots are amazing! this is my funky graff (brown ale+apple cider) made with the wyeast trappist blend (orval--so the pellicle is bret brux) after two months, just before bottling.

 

[axacrusis]

The is a pellicle from lactobacillus. I pitched a low gravity wort onto a yeast cake from a previous berliner weisse batch.

One of the few times you crack the lid and become happy to see your pellicle is forming nicely.

UPDATE: Just two days later the pellicle formed into this:




So awesome!

 

[BHMPIRE]

About a month ago I let some starter wort cool in my cellar over night. I've stepped it up twice and this pellicle formed over the past three days.

Any idea what this is...brett, lacto?

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/5328/pellicle.jpg

 

[Ogri]

Great thread!!!!!!!!!!!

Wish I'd found this back around last summer when I had a little something happening to an ESB.

Probably absolute sacrilege but I dumped the batch as the thought of having to chuck my autosyphon and tubing, bottling bucket, bottling wand, plus anything else that came in touch with the brew, was a bit discouraging. Have to say, though, that the sample I drank, a few days after these photos were taken, tasted bloody good actually so I didn't enjoy dumping it.

 

[bottlebomber]

Great thread!!!!!!!!!!!
Probably absolute sacrilege but I dumped the batch as the thought of having to chuck my autosyphon and tubing, bottling bucket, bottling wand, plus anything else that came in touch with the brew, was a bit discouraging. Have to say, though, that the sample I drank, a few days after these photos were taken, tasted bloody good actually so I didn't enjoy dumping it.

Especially since you wouldn't had had to dispose of all that equipment. I use the same equipment for both sour beers and regular, and all I do is give it a hot soak in strong bleach water, then a soak in Starsan. Haven't had one problem yet.

 

[Ogri]

Especially since you wouldn't had had to dispose of all that equipment. I use the same equipment for both sour beers and regular, and all I do is give it a hot soak in strong bleach water, then a soak in Starsan. Haven't had one problem yet.

Regrettably, I only realised that soon after dumping. Was, mistakenly, under the impression that it was chuck the stuff or use only for doing infected/cultured batches.

 

[passedpawn]

Vanilla Porter with Brett L. Tastes delish right now.

 

[bottlebomber]

Vanilla Porter with Brett L. Tastes delish right now.

On purpose?

 

[passedpawn]

On purpose?

Yes. I added Brett L to one fermentor, Brett B to the other.

 

[atgoldst]

So proud. First baby pellicles on my no boil Berliner Weisse

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Yes. I added Brett L to one fermentor, Brett B to the other.

After much experimentation, I found that I'm a big fan of Brett L.

 

[passedpawn]

After much experimentation, I found that I'm a big fan of Brett L.

Yes, this one is the one. Something special is happening with it and my porter.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Yes, this one is the one. Something special is happening with it and my porter.

I believe it. Brett L. has significant character that has a way of shining in just about any wort, fermented at just about any temperature. Although, if you let it get warmer, it will give you a fruity and funky complexity that is unrivaled.

 

[beerbeerbeer123]

nice mountainside, thanks for participating!! did you add lacto to that or is that from the grain? from the pic i don't think i've ever seen lacto like that but like i state in the OP, i don't know if there's any "standard" in regards to growth(s). that's what i'd like to know...

here one from a ways back that i wanted to throw in here. it's contributed by a user named landhoney. thread is from 2007 so this should be tasty if not all gone: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f85/he-aint-heavy-hes-my-pellicle-44148/ Flanders Red w/ Roselare

Whats the wooden dowel in the middle of the carboy? food for the yeast or does it serve another purpose?

 

[bottlebomber]

Whats the wooden dowel in the middle of the carboy? food for the yeast or does it serve another purpose?

It was probably inoculated with the bugs that are responsible for that nice looking pellicle. I haven't done this, but it's not uncommon.

 

[urbanmyth]

It also allows the exchange of "micro-oxygen." Basically a cheap way of simulating the effects of a barrel.

 

[beerbeerbeer123]

It also allows the exchange of "micro-oxygen." Basically a cheap way of simulating the effects of a barrel.

Oh i see..lambic brewers in belgium want O2 to penetrate the barrels in small amounts over time.. correct? lambics are great but very strange..only beer that benifits from old hops and o2 ..does anyone have a link on how to set up that "dowel" like thing in a carboy? thanks

 

[passedpawn]

It also allows the exchange of "micro-oxygen." Basically a cheap way of simulating the effects of a barrel.

Winner.

Micro-oxidation. If you brew sours you might never get a pellicle and some of the tartness without the introduction of a little O2. But overdo it and you'll have vinegar.

Sour beers on a commercial level are often soured in barrels (at least I know Russian River does this). The wood of the barrel lets minute amounts of O2 in there.

Jamil describes using the rod in his Brewing Classic Styles. He got the idea from someone who did some back-of-the-envelope calculations of the ratio of the volume of a barrel to the surface area of the barrel, and concluded that the 1" diameter of a wood rod is almost perfect for the volume of a 5g carboy.

Me, I just open it once a month to taste it. Much more rewarding

(it's very possible he discusses it in his Flanders Red podcast here... click the MP3 button): http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/The-Jamil-Show/Flanders-Red-Ale-The-Jamil-Show-01-29-07

 

[jeepinjeepin]

Raj Apté was the guy.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Winner.

Micro-oxidation. If you brew sours you might never get a pellicle and some of the tartness without the introduction of a little O2. But overdo it and you'll have vinegar.

Sour beers on a commercial level are often soured in barrels (at least I know Russian River does this). The wood of the barrel lets minute amounts of O2 in there.

Jamil describes using the rod in his Brewing Classic Styles. He got the idea from someone who did some back-of-the-envelope calculations of the ratio of the volume of a barrel to the surface area of the barrel, and concluded that the 1" diameter of a wood rod is almost perfect for the volume of a 5g carboy.

Me, I just open it once a month to taste it. Much more rewarding

(it's very possible he discusses it in his Flanders Red podcast here... click the MP3 button): http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/The-Jamil-Show/Flanders-Red-Ale-The-Jamil-Show-01-29-07

My bold. That's what I do. I'm considering using the oak rod, now that I'm fermenting quite a few sour beers and don't always taste them along the way anymore.

 

[barrooze]

Looks like Mr. Apte's sour ale page is down. I found an archive of it here: http://web.archive.org/web/20120521014946/http://www2.parc.com/emdl/members/apte/flemishredale.shtml

The info is great, though the pictures are missing.

 

[pacayaforhops]

Looks like Mr. Apte's sour ale page is down. I found an archive of it here: http://web.archive.org/web/20120521014946/http://www2.parc.com/emdl/members/apte/flemishredale.shtml

The info is great, though the pictures are missing.

I saved the page with images to my hdd almost exactly a year ago ago... here you go:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/dpmkhw

 

[FightingBob]

The bugs have been chewing away for about six months.

 

[bovineblitz]

Lovely pellicle inside a 1gal jug

It was pitched 1 month ago with dregs from Hannsens strawberry lambic, Allagash Interlude, and Timmerman's Gueze.

 

[BenWillcox]

6 gallons of Lambic 65 hours after racking it over 18 pounds of blueberries split into 2 5 gallon carboys (one glass, one better bottle). The Lambic was 10 months old in primary at the time of racking.

 

[bovineblitz]

That looks delicious.

 

[mcnewcp]

It almost looks like a krausen.

 

[BenWillcox]

Yeah, the pictures don't really do it justice. It is a nice, white bretty film. A couple of smallish brett-bubbles toward the center of each.

 

[bottlebomber]

It seems like a lot of headspace. How long do you plan on leaving it in those?

 

[dcHokie]

It seems like a lot of headspace. How long do you plan on leaving it in those?

Was wondering the same thing, seems like 3 gallon carboys/BB territory. BenWillcox, did you flush with CO2?