Allagash: Pilsner with Brettanomyces

Interesting.. looks like they coferment with lager yeast and Brett. Amazed the Brett does anything at those temps.

Wilderness made a Pilsner last year or the year before that was bottle conditioned with Brett that I thought was really cool.

I’ve defintley comboed a small amount of a Brett beer with a Pilsner I had on tap. Tastes awesome.

 

Hope they bottle that at some point. I'd love to try!

 

Boulevard did an imperial pils with brett earlier this year. Had it on tap, so didn't get a chance to review it. Thought it was pretty solid, not much funk on the palate, nose was interesting and was a tad bit dryer. I don't think it ever saw a bottle.

 

I'll be all over this if they ever bottle it...

 

Maybe it's good, but sounds an awful combination

 

*Cedric the Entertainer voice*

Oh hell nah......

 

Agreed.

Phenolic pilsner? No thanks.

 

Much as I like Allagash beers, this one sounds like a trainwreck. I can't imagine the Pilsner character will survive alongside the Brett. JMO.

 

I made a kõlsch last summer that, due to my sloppy technique, introduced me to the wild brett that evidently lives in my area. Surprised the heck out of me after primary fermentation: i almost pitched the whole batch. But the bullet, added a little honey, and bottle fermented for two weeks. Boy am I glad I did. Terrific, bright, flavorful, and refreshing. Best summer beer I ever made. I'll try to reproduce it next year with a culture Brett.

 

Usually I'm an Allagash fanboy, but this is an exception. Reason? Although it might be a delicious beer, this is not a pilsner. It's a brett beer. You can't have both in one beer.

 

Skip the kolsch bit and just do a 100% brett beer. Much easier that way.

 

I don't think it'll be a train wreck; and it's very probably a tasty beer. But I'm also sceptical that it'll be enough of a Pilsner to warrant the description.

Fwiw, if it's the same culture that's in Little Brett, it's going to be more floral/fruity than funky, and pretty delicate to boot.

 

So, they would have been better off calling it a Kölsch?

 

Their house brett culture, a B. bruxellensis strain affectionately called Brett Michaels, is a big ester former, but if you give it enough time, those esters will fade and reveal some significant phenols.

 

Hah! Good one!

 

It certainly sounds a bit odd, but since it's Allagash, I'm sure it'll come out great.

 

From the linked article:

“We dual ferment Pilsner with Brettanomyces with our house Brettanomyces yeast strain, as well as a Bohemian lager strain.”

And:

“Normally, we ferment our beers at around 65-70 degrees. For this beer, we ferment between 50-55, and then “lager” it after that.”

I have brewed with Brett a few times – always a co-pitch with a Belgian ale yeast strain and fermented warm (> 70 degrees F). I have no experience with how a Brett yeast strain will express flavors when fermented cool (i.e., 50-55 degrees F in this case).

Has anybody out there fermented a beer that was co-pitched with Brett and a beer yeast strain and more importantly fermented cool (50ish degrees F). Did the Brett provide much in terms of Brett associated flavors (e.g., phenolics) when fermented in those cool conditions?

Cheers!

 

Why not?

Also about the earlier comment in regards to phenolics.. their Brett strain is a total fruit bomb. Have you had Little Brett? It tastes and smells like sweet tarts. I doubt there’s any perceivable phenolics in this beer. I’ve used their Brett strain and it’s awesome, incredibly fruity. Beers I made with it are on my just now starting to show any signs of funk and they’ve been on bottles for 4 months, and in fermenters for three months before that. The fact that they “found” that strain in their brewery is amazing. Also the fact that it’s just available on tap and lost likely kept cold it would never develop any phenols over time.

 

How did you use that Brett strain? Did you use it as a co-pitch with a beer yeast strain? If so, what was your primary fermentation temperature?

Cheers!