Brett Pale Ale Priming Question

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by pokesbeerdude, Sep 29, 2012.

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  1. pokesbeerdude

    pokesbeerdude Maven (1,357) Oct 2, 2007 Colorado

    I've got an all Brett L. pale ale that I'm getting ready to bottle, but have a question on bottle conditioning and priming.

    I know brett can be a little unpredictable when bottling, so my gut feeling is to knock back the amount of priming sugar for this batch to avoid bottle bombs/overcarbonated beer.

    Here are the stats:

    Brettanomyces lambicus 4L starter into a 4 gallon batch:
    All pilsner malt
    All galaxy hops
    OG: 1.050
    FG: 1.001

    So my question is, will the brett react just like any other sach strain to priming sugar or will it be more reactive/less reactive?

    Cheers!
     
    #1 pokesbeerdude, Sep 29, 2012
  2. JimmyTango

    JimmyTango Initiate (0) Aug 1, 2011 California

    The FG is so low, I don't think you'll have much to worry about in the way of bottle bombs.

    That being said, I would still prime lower than usual (say 1.8-2.0 vol CO2) for two reasons:

    1) The Brett COULD take it even lower with extended aging. This isn't really a big concern, but better safe that sorry.

    2) The all Brett beers that I have had and brewed have worked really well with lower carbonation. The earthy notes and extra acidity from the Brett take center stage and really sing.
     
    #2 JimmyTango, Sep 29, 2012
  3. pokesbeerdude

    pokesbeerdude Maven (1,357) Oct 2, 2007 Colorado

    Thank you, that is what I was thinking as well. This is the first all brett beer that I've ever done and wasn't sure what to expect.

    Cheers!
     
    #3 pokesbeerdude, Sep 29, 2012
  4. pweis909

    pweis909 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,250) Aug 13, 2005 Wisconsin
    Pooh-Bah

    If it were steady at 1.001 for several weeks or more, I'd bottle. Which reminds me that I have a brett beer that I should probably do a gravity check on tonight.
     
    #4 pweis909, Sep 29, 2012
  5. LeeryLeprechaun

    LeeryLeprechaun Savant (1,094) Jan 30, 2011 Colorado
    Trader

    I would treat it like a normal beer. I have bottled several brett beers, even ones that finished at 1.010 and treated them like a normal beer with good results.
     
    #5 LeeryLeprechaun, Sep 30, 2012
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