I've got a citra pale ale that was fermented with an ale yeast/brett C blend that I'm going to enter in a comp. It's got some funk, but could easily pass for a standard pale ale with some extra fruity esters. What do you think I should enter it as, a Brett Beer or a standard American Pale Ale? Or something else? Just want to make sure I'm not confusing the judges here. Thanks!
Uugggh... it could pass as a "standard pale ale"? Really? Even with Brett? Then I'd guess that the Brett isn't strong enough that it shows. If the Brett isn't there it'll get knocked out as a Brett beer so I guess your only option is simply as an APA. On the other hand if there is enough Brett and it does have some funk don't think that the judges will miss that and allow it as an APA. So it's really your call. How strong is that Brett? If there's any I'd avoid APA.
I'm not sure a pale ale with extra fruity esters will do well as an APA. I don't think that extra fruity esters belong in that style. Guidelines read "Fruity yeast esters can be moderate to none, although many hop varieties are quite fruity." I guess it comes down to whether judges can differentiate between yeast- and hop-derived fruitiness. If you aren't sure, add some fruit and enter as a fruit beer
Thanks for the feedback. That was my reason for asking cuz it's kind of a tweener - is it a brett beer or a pale ale? Brett c is a mild enough brett strain that doesn't put out a lot of funk. More of the rustic, juicy characteristics associated with brett, so I'm sure the judges would pick up on it. I'll opt towards the Brett Beer category.
Brett C, a strain of B. anomalus, is, indeed, a producer of low levels of phenols, but is a big ester producer (low hydroxycinnamic acid decarboxylase activity and high esterase activity). It is also incapable of using maltose as a carbon source, so it is not that great of a fermenter of beer by itself. The problem is that if you copitch it with a sacch. strain, the brett, which grows much slower than the sacch., will be out-competed for sugars, like glucose, that it could use. If you want to get good expression of B. anomalus var. claussenii, you should build a big starter (lager-size) and pitch it first, followed by your sacch. strain once gravity has stabilized, your grainbill should include grains high in ferulic acid, and you should probably perform a ferulic acid rest during your mash. Sounds like you couldn't tell that it was a brett beer unless you already knew that brett was included in the fermentation. If so, I'd go for APA.
It's there, just in small amounts. I think enough that the judges would be able to pick up on it if I entered it as an APA. Thanks for the tips!
It's got that rustic, juicy characteristic that's classic brett c, in my opinion. Some pineapple, a bit of overripe fruit. It goes well with all the late addition Citra. Still pretty 'clean' though, no barnyard. Very fruit-forward. Gonna save a case for another half year or so to see how it develops
This sounds just like Citra. Do NOT enter it as a Brett or wild beer until it really tastes like that.
I'm with ya, but I also fermented a clean version of the same beer (10 gal split batch) and you can definitely taste the brett when compared side by side. It's just not the horse blanket brett. More like the fruity brett character when used as the primary strain, but it's there
