Mixed Brettanomyces Fermentations

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by OddNotion, Jul 24, 2013.

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  1. OddNotion

    OddNotion Pooh-Bah (1,915) Nov 1, 2009 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah

    I am planning to do a 100% Brettanomyces IPA. I have 2 different cultures which I have yet to use in the past (so I have no personal experience as to their flavor contributions) but with the hot summer temps and my small apartment I have not been able to do too much brewing. I was considering combining the two strains and was wondering what other people's experiences have been with combining strains of Brett.

    I know ECY sells some Brett blends, and I know some breweries ferment with blends (Russian River and Crooked Stave come to mind), but I guess my main question is is this a worthwhile endeavor? I know/have read that when combining Sacch strains, the characteristics of one will be more prevalent over the other. Is this the case with Brett too (assuming ~equal pitch rates)? I just dont want to "waste" one of these in a fermentation where one will way overtake the other.

    Split batch is not an option this time around as all of my fermentors are taken except for one.
     
    #1 OddNotion, Jul 24, 2013
  2. jamescain

    jamescain Initiate (0) Jul 14, 2009 Texas

    What are the strains?
     
    #2 jamescain, Jul 25, 2013
  3. OddNotion

    OddNotion Pooh-Bah (1,915) Nov 1, 2009 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah

    ECY19 Brett Custersianus and WLP644 Brett B Trois... probably should have mentioned that before.
     
    #3 OddNotion, Jul 25, 2013
  4. joshrosborne

    joshrosborne Initiate (0) Jun 14, 2010 Michigan

    As long as you want the contributions from both strains and you don't think they would clash (I personally don't think C and Trois would), I don't think it would be an issue. As you note, many breweries use more than one strain; in addition to those noted above, Deschutes uses Brux and Lambicus as a combo and I think it works great.
     
    #4 joshrosborne, Jul 25, 2013
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  5. doobgoob

    doobgoob Initiate (0) Apr 24, 2010 Texas

    I'd go for it! Chad Yacobson talks about how the flavors from each Brett strain peak at different times, so using multiple strains of Brett could make your beer more complex for longer. I also haven't found that when using sacc strains that one overpowers the other in all cases, and generally find much more complexity when done right. And let's be real, homebrewing is for experimenting! It should be delicious regardless.
     
    #5 doobgoob, Jul 25, 2013
  6. olympuszymurgus

    olympuszymurgus Initiate (0) Nov 24, 2009 California

    Trois is an awesome IPA yeast. Paired with Galaxy and Centennial, yummy as fuck.
     
    #6 olympuszymurgus, Jul 25, 2013
  7. OddNotion

    OddNotion Pooh-Bah (1,915) Nov 1, 2009 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah

    I was planning on using Centennial and Amarillo, though I do still have some Galaxy in the freezer I believe.
     
    #7 OddNotion, Jul 25, 2013
  8. OddNotion

    OddNotion Pooh-Bah (1,915) Nov 1, 2009 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah

    I went to SAVOR this past year and had a chance to talk to Chad breifly. IIRC he states that he uses/has used this combo of yeast in his Hop Savant beers. I am leaning more and more towards putting these together in an IPA. Neither strain is supposed to get too funky and both produce some tropical/fruity flavors.
     
    #8 OddNotion, Jul 25, 2013
  9. OddNotion

    OddNotion Pooh-Bah (1,915) Nov 1, 2009 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah

    For those of you who have brewed Brett IPAs before, did you notice a lack of mouthfeel? From what I have read, Brett does not produce Glycerol which plays a big role in the mouthfeel/body of a beer. Have you successfully been able to combat this? I was planning using some Golden Naked Oats and some Light Carastan (I prefer English crystal malts) in an attempt to make the beer not too thin - just not sure if this will be enough.
     
    #9 OddNotion, Jul 25, 2013
  10. jamescain

    jamescain Initiate (0) Jul 14, 2009 Texas

    I did a trois with centennial as bettering the a citra/chinook/falconer's flight combo for aroma and dry hopping. It turned out awesome
     
    #10 jamescain, Jul 25, 2013
  11. jamescain

    jamescain Initiate (0) Jul 14, 2009 Texas

    I did when I brewed with Brett-C but not with Trois. Here is what I did for my trois
    I mashed at 153F but fermented low with it, in the 60s.
     
    #11 jamescain, Jul 25, 2013
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  12. OddNotion

    OddNotion Pooh-Bah (1,915) Nov 1, 2009 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah

    Were you able to bitter the same way you would with any other Sacch strain? Did you find the bitterness to be more or less pronounced? Or were you able to treat it basically the same as any other IPA?
     
    #12 OddNotion, Jul 25, 2013
  13. doobgoob

    doobgoob Initiate (0) Apr 24, 2010 Texas

    I've only done a few 100% Brett beers and haven't had too much issue with mouthfeel (def not as bad as when adding Brett to secondary). It's probably because it tends not to eat everything before going to sleep like it does in secondary. But I think it'd still be a good idea to add some oats or rye (or spelt if you can get it). Sounds like it'll be an awesome beer regardless though!
     
    #13 doobgoob, Jul 25, 2013
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  14. doobgoob

    doobgoob Initiate (0) Apr 24, 2010 Texas

    Oh, you also might want to add a little bit of acid malt to your mash (or after conversion). Brett really likes a lower ph.

    I've also bittered like any other IPA.
     
    #14 doobgoob, Jul 25, 2013
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  15. OddNotion

    OddNotion Pooh-Bah (1,915) Nov 1, 2009 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah

    Very good read on your blog btw, thanks for the link.
     
    #15 OddNotion, Jul 25, 2013
  16. OddNotion

    OddNotion Pooh-Bah (1,915) Nov 1, 2009 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah

    Do you think somewhere in the 2-5% range for acidulated should work?
     
    #16 OddNotion, Jul 25, 2013
  17. jamescain

    jamescain Initiate (0) Jul 14, 2009 Texas

    I treated it exactly like any other IPA brew day. I added the Centennial at 60 minutes just like I would any other beer. I was actually really happy with the bitterness. It was assertive but not over-baring, similar to a west coast IPA. I rebrewed this beer again but used Brett from a Cantillon Iris. The only difference was Amarillo hops and I tried firs wort hopping to hopefully smooth out the bitterness.
     
    #17 jamescain, Jul 25, 2013
  18. jamescain

    jamescain Initiate (0) Jul 14, 2009 Texas

    I think 5% is a good range. If you read Chad's presentation on Brett. It ferments better=higher attenuation when the pH is lower.
     
    #18 jamescain, Jul 25, 2013
  19. doobgoob

    doobgoob Initiate (0) Apr 24, 2010 Texas

    Yeah that seems about right. I tend to use about 5% for mine
     
    #19 doobgoob, Jul 25, 2013
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