7 replies to this topic

[Thirsty]

My goal for the new year is to make only 4 beers over and over, to the point of consistancy that the recipe will not vary. My categories I chose are:1. Pale ale (IPAs. DIPAs, APAs, ESBs) all can be included, but primarily just a great house IPA- very close here2. Belgian Blond- no variance- my recipe is a doppleganger to Leffe, and I am proud of it and love the beer.3. American brown- great recipe, tweaks will be subtle, but needs to always be in my rotation4. Belgian various- this is where I get the chance to brew a dubbel, tripel, saison, BGSASo #4 in my rotation is where I will be adding the brett, and because I love it so much it will probably be to half of the batch for all of these, except maybe the dubbel. The order of rotation is coming up in 2 weeks to brew cat#4, so I am thinking of a saison, be good and ready for the spring summer, and pulling off some for a seperate brett finish.Questions? I guess just 2.1. What type of beers do you most enjoy on brett?2. What gravity do you prefer to add brett to, and at what time during the ferment? 3. I guess 3 questions- how long do you let it sit for? I have one down now for 14 months, but I want to start funking lower gravity beers for 3-6 months, can I get the characters out in this time?

[HVB]

Dave,I like a brown ale with brett. I will usualy let it go with 001, 1056 ot 05 dow to about 1.010 ot 1.012 then throw in the bugs. I have to let it sit a long time because my basement is so cold it take a long time for the bugs to get going.I like the idea of just having 4 beers and perfecting them.

[Slainte]

I like to make beers where Brett is the only yeast added.

[EWW]

I like to brew a 1.50-ish beer with pils, vienna/munich, wheat, carapils, hopped to 15-20 IBU and pitch either a belgian strain + brett at the 1.020 mark OR the same basic beer with just the dregs of my favorite commercial sours. I'm drinking a beer as I type that is just the dregs of commercial sours as I type that has aged about 8 months and it is spectacular. I highly recommend building your own bug mix with commercial dregs. I started the process by just pitching a few bottles of dregs and added to it over time. The wild yeasts ferment slower so it gives you time to build up multiple strains over a week or so.

[Thirsty]

I highly recommend building your own bug mix with commercial dregs. I started the process by just pitching a few bottles of dregs and added to it over time.

I have built up a dreg colony off of ommegang's rare vos before, but never done the bugs. What commercials did you harvest from? I used to love Flemish Primitive imported by the Shelton Bros, but my local packy dosnt carry it anymore. I would be curious to do this though given the right strain.

[EWW]

I have built up a dreg colony off of ommegang's rare vos before, but never done the bugs. What commercials did you harvest from? I used to love Flemish Primitive imported by the Shelton Bros, but my local packy dosnt carry it anymore. I would be curious to do this though given the right strain.

to this particular beer I added dregs from Cantillon, orval, la folie, ommegeddon, boulevard saison brett, avery 15, some beer de mars with brett, a cup or so of a beer I made with the roselare blend, and a few other sours. No starter. Just added the dregs of misc. beers to 5 gallons of wort and let them do their magic. The finished beer is spectacular.If you want to do a swap I'll send you an uncarbed sample to inoculate your wort in trade for some samples of your beer.

Edited by EWW, 05 February 2010 - 10:50 PM.

[siouxbrewer]

I like to brew a pale british ale then pitch the dregs of a couple bottles of orval. Sometimes I'll add a sugar addition but nowadays I mash a little higher, add some extra dark crystal and pitch the dregs after the krausen has fallen. Dry hop with strisselspalt/hersbrucker and try not to kill the keg too soon

[Thirsty]

to this particular beer I added dregs from Cantillon, orval, la folie, ommegeddon, boulevard saison brett, avery 15, some beer de mars with brett, a cup or so of a beer I made with the roselare blend, and a few other sours. No starter. Just added the dregs of misc. beers to 5 gallons of wort and let them do their magic. The finished beer is spectacular.If you want to do a swap I'll send you an uncarbed sample to inoculate your wort in trade for some samples of your beer.

Yeah, that sounds cool, I'll PM you.