WLP670 farmhouse peach: some experienced suggestions maybe?

[Jnco_hippie]

So I have a tube of WLP670 that expired a few weeks ago. I want to use it to brew a peach farmhouse ale. I figure the tube being expired should not be an issue, and may even add some nice profile to the beer, since I assume the brett numbers are unaffected and the sacc yeast would be lower count.

So many questions...

1. With this blend, what should my expected primary and secondary fermentation times look like? It will be bottle carbed. Are we talking 2 months or 2 years?

2. Mash for body? I plan on using a fair amount of wheat malt and maybe a pound or more ofuunmalted wheat. I also have some caracrystal wheat that I am inclined to use. Do I need to mash for high dextrin wort? Should I mash high temp or just use caramel grains and other adjuncts to get body?

3. Do I need high pressure bottles?

4. Would adding 8 oz of acidulated malt help accent my fruit and sour tones?

My origional plan was to ferment 5 days then add 3 lb puree peach to primary, let set another 5 days or so. Transfer to secondary and let set 2-3 weeks possibly adding 3-4 sliced peachesduring secondary aging. Finally, bottle using appropriate glass and let age minimum 5 weeks before popping first top for tasting.

Not looking for a sour beer here, just something slightly fruited and definately different.

Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[TNGabe]

You always want to pitch an appropriate number of healthy cells. If anything, the brett will have died off more than the sacc. Brett's mortality at fridge temps after 6 months is close to 100%.

Most people don't enjoy lots of crystal malts in a saison. I like to use about 4% in a small saison, but in bigger ones I find it cloying. Flaked or raw grain is a good way to build body. I usually use some combo of wheat, oats, and barley.

Don't get to involved planning the particulars of when you're going to do things. Let the beer tell you when it's ready. I've never used puree, but peaches are subtle and as they ferment, leave behind more peach aroma than peach flavor. 2lbs per gallon is the minimum amount of peaches I use in a beer. Maybe you'll get what you're looking for with the puree, but it will be pretty subtle.

For acid malt, the rule of thumb I'm familiar with is .1 drop in pH for every 1% of the grist you replace with acid malt. I just use lactic acid because it's cheaper.

As long as the beer is fermented out, you don't need special bottles. I've bottled wild beers still (without priming sugar) in normal bottles and allowed them to carb from continued fermentation of the residual sugars also. Not that I'm suggesting that, but it's certainly possible and safe if done properly.

Good luck.

 

[Jnco_hippie]

Transferred and tasted the farmhouse peach today. I added brett brux to this one at 4 weeks in primary when adding peach puree. Just happend to have pure brett starters on hand for another project.

2.5 month ferment in primary when transferred. Taste is wild for sure. Went from 1.044 to 1.006 and that is with the addition of 48 oz of peach puree (1.044 grav.) At one month. It is pretty good. Could be a competiton entry in a few months.

Has a dominate fruit nose and flavor. The peach is mild and far in the background. The brett and belgian yeast are running the show for now. Im new to these wild brews, so my tounge is a bit overwhelmed. Hopefully once it is carbed it will present itself a bit more refined.

I stole a 22 oz bomber at transfer to take to the next brew club meet in 30 days. I do hope to raise some eyebrows...

 

[Tiroux]

I just posted a topicm and saw yours just after...

I was planning a saison with wlp670, and I had apricot and peach purees, so I'm going to brew an apricot farmhouse.

What I'm looking for with the wlp670 is to let it ferment down to where it's going. If it's 3 months then 3 months, if it's 6, then it's 6. Then, I bottle it with normal sugar amount and fresh yeast to carb it nice and quick. No special bottle. If I feeling that brett might continue to work.. I may add just a bit less priming sugar, so there's still have ''room'' to overcarbonation. Or I simply put the beers in the fridge when the carbonation is fine, and then it will stops the brett.

 

[Coff]

About a month ago I racked my house Saison with ECY03 onto 6lbs of cubed and frozen NJ fresh Peaches. The beer was at 1.002 when I added the Peaches the thing had a 2 inch Krausen on it by the next morning, the room smelled like Peach wine.

I wonder how different mine will be with Peaches compared to the puree. I did this same beer with Mango puree and it was a nightmare to bottle there was just so much mango sludge in the bottles.

 

[TNGabe]

About a month ago I racked my house Saison with ECY03 onto 6lbs of cubed and frozen NJ fresh Peaches. The beer was at 1.002 when I added the Peaches the thing had a 2 inch Krausen on it by the next morning, the room smelled like Peach wine.

I wonder how different mine will be with Peaches compared to the puree. I did this same beer with Mango puree and it was a nightmare to bottle there was just so much mango sludge in the bottles.

Peaches won't fall apart too much. A paint strainer bag over your racking cane or autosiphon should give you pretty minimal junk in the bottling bucket and nothing that won't settle out in the bottle. Even at 2 lbs/gallon, I find peaches to give more of a distinct aroma contribution and a less descript flavor contribution.

 

[Jnco_hippie]

I would think the peaches would add some lacto or pedio? Everytime I have used real fresh fruit, we get a touch of sour, and and a different , snotty looking pellicule.

With these farmhouse and brett only brews, I am trying to avoid bacteria, to better explore the brettanomyces flavor contributions.

 

[Coff]

Peaches won't fall apart too much. A paint strainer bag over your racking cane or autosiphon should give you pretty minimal junk in the bottling bucket and nothing that won't settle out in the bottle. Even at 2 lbs/gallon, I find peaches to give more of a distinct aroma contribution and a less descript flavor contribution.

Thats fine with me, the Mangos over powered my last batch.

I would think the peaches would add some lacto or pedio? Everytime I have used real fresh fruit, we get a touch of sour, and and a different , snotty looking pellicule.

With these farmhouse and brett only brews, I am trying to avoid bacteria, to better explore the brettanomyces flavor contributions.

Ive done a ton without fruit using various Brett strains, now I want to explore a few different fruits. I'm ok with getting some other bugs in these beers, whatever is living on the fruit is welcome.