Just recently brewed my first batch with Brett as the primary strain. Used WLP644. Anyway, I made a starter and the fermentation started of great. After about 4 days the fermentation slowed and then seemed to stop around 7-8 days. This is just by watching the airlock, not by taking any gravity readings. However, at about 10 days the airlock started to bubble again and now at 12 days in I am getting 1 bubble about every 6 seconds through the airlock. Anybody seen this before with Brett? Also, I am keeping the temperature between 75 and 77 degrees with a temp controller.
Counting bubbles in the airlock isn't a great way to judge what is happening. That said, it is pretty common for 100% brett beers to drop quickly, then slowly chug away on the more complex dextrins for a few weeks.
As OldStock said. Take a gravity reading. I've left my 100% Brett beers sit for usually 3 weeks. Two weeks in primary, followed buy usually a week of dry hopping. If your beer gets into the 1.010 to 1.008 range you are usually pretty good. I've had some sitting in bottles warm for almost a year and I haven't had any problems yet. *fingers crossed*
I did a 100% brett beer with 644 recently as well. OG was 1.056, it got down to 1.020 within 3 days, then slowed to a crawl. Now it seems to be eating veeeeerrrryyyy slowly, with no airlock activity at all. Last reading I took was 1 month in, and it was at 1.015.
Thanks guys. I have just never seen airlock activity stop for multiple days and then kick back up before, and since I've never brewed with Brett before as a primary, I didn't know if this was common. Plan on 2 weeks in
Again really, sorry. 2 weeks in primary and 2-3 weeks in secondary while drying with whole leaf hops for the last 10 days.
With brett, I wouldn't plan on anything without taking gravity readings first. It could take days or months before you reach a gravity low enough to bottle.
I wouldn't say that is necessarily the case when using Brett as a primary strain. In secondary yes it will crawl along for months but when used as a primary strain it can fully attenuate in a few weeks if not days.
My last 100% brett beer pretty much "stalled" (ok, not stalled, but slowed to a crawl) at 1.020. Fermentation "looked" completed, in that I had very vigorous fermentation for a few days much like what you would expect with a saccharomyces yeast. I would have been sitting on a lot of bottle bombs if I had bottled without taking a gravity reading. My experience with brett has been to expect the unexpected, even when used as primary yeast.
What are people using as pitching rates (i.e., closer to ale or lager rates)? I've had a lot of variation in my 100% brett beers and think part of it might have to do with pitching rates. Also, what other factors influence attenuation in 100% brett beers? I know Chad Yakobson talks about how a lower pH helps. Any others yall know about?
I tend to use acid malt in all of my Brett beers, but then again I have really alkaline water. I also try to use a higher cell count then regular Sacc.
Very possibly. Next time I might try a protein rest for 20 minutes to lower pH. Having said that, the brett is still happily (albeit slowly) eating away, and I've learned to be patient, so it's all good.
