Your experience bottling w/ Brett

I bottled my first and fifth Saisons w/ Brett and primed to normal Saison levels. One of them has been in the garage for 2 years now in reused standard bottles, never once had a bottle bomb, 1.005 FG. Took 2nd place in category @ 7 months too.

 

I made clean beers, transferred to bottling bucket, added priming solution to the 2.6 vols CO2, hit the entire thing with Brett, then bottled and capped. I've never done just straight Brett w/o priming sugars to carb. Both beers had no Brett until bottling, both begin to exhibit Brett character fairly quickly.

 

Just use thick bottles problem solved

 

So you just poured your brett into the bottling bucket? Roughly how much?
Thanks!

 

First batch I had a 2L starter of Orval dregs going and I poured maybe a half cup into the bucket. For the second one I had a starter of Brett Drie from BSI going that I poured about the same amount (1/2c) in. I will do the same with my Yogurt Berlinerweisse with a starter of Brett B from Elysian this weekend. Starters seem to be a trend here as well.

 

Yep. Both were 1.005 FG. When I open the one from 2 years ago from the fridge I have the glass ready to go next to it and pour quick, just like an Orval. Nice head that lasts. Use an oversized snifter or tulip for that head. Never had gushing, but definitely "overcarbed" compared to a standard beer, as a good Saison should be.

 

I'll be doing something similar coming up, has anyone experience bottle bombs when using orval dregs, adding the normal (appropriate) amount of priming sugar, and bottling in 12 oz bottles?

 

See above. I've got a 2 year old Saison primed to 2.6 cols CO2 with Orval added @ bootling in standard, reused, 12 oz bottles stored in my garage, no bottle bombs at all.

 

I've bottled with brett on two batches, and neither has ever led to a bottle bomb. None has ever even gushed. I did over-prime a few bottles, but they got the weird, slow, steady rising foam, not a true eruption. I always have a glass ready. Usually, one serving's worth is enough to hold back any further foaming. And it's beautiful foam that hangs around, almost like meringue.

 

Awesome, this is what I wanted to read. How about priming with other sour dregs from like a Russian River or a Jolly Pumpkin?

Edit: Oops, looks like you mentioned that as well in your post. Maybe I should read for comprehension next time.

 

I would be careful bottling them with sour dregs. Brett has the potential for super attenuation, but it usually needs to work in tandem with a bacteria like Pedio. When you add both of these together you could have the potential for some bombs if your FG is not low enough. I say that, but I did a Saison and a Wit last Summer that I took 1/2-3/4 gallons of and fermented mixed with the 3726 Farmhouse and sour dregs alongside straight 3726 in 5 gallons for 4 weeks. I blended them at bottling (1.005 FG) and bottled. Left them in the garage for the year. I have been drinking the Wit and it is phenominal in the heat (that left last week). Definite foam blast upon opening and you have to be quick with the pour, but no bombs. YMMV.

 

The beer I'm adding this to is Belgian Pale Ale currently sitting at a FG of 1.006. I'm thinking that's a safe range to add some sour since there won't be a lot of residual sugars leftover to munch on.

 

I'm planning on doing this same method with a saison I just did. When you did your 2L starter, did you use a stir plate and decant, then just use 1/2 cup of the slurry? I'm trying to figure out how much starter to use in a 2.5 gallon split batch. Also, how far ahead of bottling did you get your starter going? Is it the same 18-24 hours growth period as brewers yeast?

 

I was still back in the shake that starter stage at the time. I had built up the dregs from 2 bottles I think in 1L then stepped up to 2L. I didn't decant, just shook up the starter and poured 1/2C of the liquid/slurry mix in, covered it back up and put it away for later use. I stirred it into the bottling bucket, then bottled. I maybe did the starter a week or 2 before hand. When working with bottle dregs you want to give it some time to do its thing, and Brett takes about twice as long if not more to grow than Sacc (from what I read on Chad f/ Crooked Stave's info, and forums on here awhile back). I would probably put the dregs from a single Orval into a 1/2 of 1.020 starter wort in a pint mason jar and shake it every few hours for a week or so (make sure to let out the CO2 pressure if you use a lid), then pitch the whole thing at bottling).

 

I may wing it then. I am using WLP644. So I'll do a starter from the vile and have it on a stir plate. I'll check "Yeast" again and see if they had any recommended pitching rates for secondary fermentation. Thanks for the help.

 

I would just make your starter and pitch about 1/4 cup straight from stir plate when ready.