Bottle Conditioned Beers

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by H0rnedFr0gs, Jul 25, 2012.

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  1. H0rnedFr0gs

    H0rnedFr0gs Initiate (0) Mar 12, 2012 Texas

    I had a question(s) about bottle conditioned beers, specifically those with Brett.

    Since the bugs continue to interact with the liquid over age, is there any value in gently turning the bottles upside down every once in awhile? Has anyone taste tested this theory at home (leave one still and turn one once daily for 6 months or a year)? Do breweries stir (assuming they have a way to accomplish this feat without introducing air) their aging beers or are they left still (at a few hundred pounds per keg I assume they are left still as much as possible)?

    I guess the other side of this coin is considering what, if any, negative affects this might have on the beer?

    Anyway I'm happy to hear any thoughts you guys and gals might have on the subject. Hope everyone's day is going well....looking forward to everyone Late Night Beer Advocate posts!
     
  2. iwantsomerocks

    iwantsomerocks Initiate (0) Oct 11, 2010 Massachusetts

    I know that champagne producers riddle..but this is mostly for getting the yeast to get around the cork to be removed. Not sure if reinvigorating the liquid inside would make the yeast happy or angry or if they even care. In my opinion I think it's kinda a trivial concern.
     
  3. powpig2002

    powpig2002 Initiate (0) Jan 26, 2012 Florida

    some of us have to much time and inquiring minds.
     
  4. leedorham

    leedorham Initiate (0) Apr 27, 2006 Washington

    I don't think anyone has done the experiment so I say you should go for it. Get back to us in 5 years when you have a substantial amount of data.
     
    JackHorzempa likes this.
  5. knightlypint

    knightlypint Initiate (0) Apr 18, 2012 New Jersey

    I'm no expert on bottle-conditioning, but I recently learned (here on BA) the process of bottle-conditioning runs it course not too long after the bottle is sealed...a matter of weeks, maybe a month. I don't know what Brett is or how it affects the bottle-conditioning time, but if you are going to sit on a bottle-conditioned beer for 6 months or longer you are for the most part aging the beer as opposed to bottle-conditioning it.
     
  6. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    “I don't know what Brett is or how it affects the bottle-conditioning time….”

    Brett is considered a wild yeast and depending on the particular strain used will create ‘different’ flavors. One of the flavors that gets discussed (but is strain dependent) is a funky barnyard flavor. Some folks use the terminology of “horse blanket” to describe this particular flavor/aroma.

    How Brett will affect a beer is dependent on how it is utilized for a particular beer. For example, Orval adds some Brett during bottling. Over a period of time (e.g., 6 months onwards) the Brett will produce some of the funky flavors previously discussed. So, a fresh Orval will have little Brett induced character but a one year old Orval will have some Brett character.

    I homebrewed a Belgian Ale using a combination of a ‘regular’ Belgian Ale yeast strain and Brett. That beer was very funky when fresh (once the beer was carbonated in the bottle). I have a couple of six-packs of that batch which are over one year old. That beer is just as funky today as it was in 2011. Aging that beer didn’t change the Brett character (which was large to begin with).

    Cheers!

    P.S. A related thread: http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/go-to-brett-beer.29905/
     
  7. knightlypint

    knightlypint Initiate (0) Apr 18, 2012 New Jersey

    Thanks Jack.
     
  8. youradhere

    youradhere Initiate (0) Feb 29, 2008 Washington

    I agree with Jack and would like to add:

    Brett is a wild and unpredictable yeast, so it does not operate by conventional timelines as far as "it has been 6/9/12 months so we should see 6/9/12 months of change. Brett can either radically change a flavor of a beer in a relatively short time, or it will do so when it feels like it- slowly over years, or not at all until it suddenly blooms after some time.

    To answer the OP's question: I don't see any benefit to rousing the yeast; you wouldnt do this in a fermentor unless fermentation was stuck, and a bottle is essentially a mini, enclosed fermentor. Yeast and other entrained particles naturally fall out over time, and resuspending them once they have fallen out in the bottle only makes the beer cloudy. Whatever active yeast there is will be doing what they do on the microscopic scale.

    In short: set it and forget it.

    I know some will argue that people turn wine as it sits in a cellar, this is only to ensure the cork stays moist in bottles that are sitting at an upright angle over the long term, and have lost some liquid due to evaporation over the long term. Capped beer does not need this, and really anything other than 30 year old corked guezes don't need it in the beer world. Don't try to make this hobby any more complicated than it needs to be :slight_smile:
     
    H0rnedFr0gs likes this.
  9. H0rnedFr0gs

    H0rnedFr0gs Initiate (0) Mar 12, 2012 Texas

    Awesome info guys. It was just something I had on my mind as my collection of sour/wild's has increased. I've noticed a pretty big change in a few of the brett-centric beers I've tried (Rayvon being the prime example) after a few months. Unlike the big stouts where you are just waiting for some of the flavors to calm down a bit, I didn't know if an active environment was helpful or harmful. I'm going to continue with my purchase, date, and forget about it routine.

    Cheers all!
     
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