Dry hopping a brett saison

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by FenderOffset238, Mar 28, 2017.

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  1. FenderOffset238

    FenderOffset238 Zealot (627) May 27, 2012 Pennsylvania
    Trader

    Hey all,

    It's been a while since I posted, but after a relocation I'm back at it. I just started drinking a killer bottle conditioned, dry hopped, all-brett saison that I brewed in September '16. I wanna take a second stab at the beer while making some minor adjustments. First, I need to up the carbonation. I made the mistake of using a standard calculator and not accounting for the extended aging period, ending up with an under carbed beer. But also I wanted to increase the hop presence, at least in aroma. I am currently using a melange of brett strains that are giving the beer a nice acidity and fruity aroma that really complement the Nelson Sauvin hop profile (tons of grape skin, mango, and pineapple taste). However, I really ant the aroma to "pop" too. I was thinking of upping the dry hop rate, but I wanted to solicit some advice on dry hopping a brett beer (or any for that matter). My last batch was a 3 gallon test batch, but this time I'll be brewing a 6 gallon batch. I have scaled up the rest of my ingredients, but I was wondering to what proportion do I scale my dry hop addition? Last time I added 1.5 oz of hops for 5 days, do I simply add 3 oz for 5 days? I feel like that may be overkill... but I'm uncertain. Will increased carbonation help the hop aroma "pop" more, or are more hops needed?

    Thanks!
     
    #1 FenderOffset238, Mar 28, 2017
  2. PortLargo

    PortLargo Pooh-Bah (1,831) Oct 19, 2012 Florida
    Pooh-Bah

    I have not found extending the age of beer reduces the carbonation. Just drank some five year old commercial beer that was carb'ed just fine. I've kept some of my homebrews 2 years and they have stayed carb'ed without making any adjustment.

    For scaling a recipe; at the levels you are talking about you can use a linear adjustment. Three ounces of dh in 6 gals of a Saison is on the high side but not outrageous. More dry hops will give more aroma but it becomes a diminishing return when you go overboard. Yes, carbonation will enhance aroma (dh, or yeast esters, or whatever). Higher carbonation tends to enhance more . . . typically a Brett-aged Saison would be carb'ed on the high side. One of the joys of aging with Brett is estimating how many bubbles they will add.

    That said, I would not be optimistic about dh'ing anything that you planned to age. For the Brett to do it's thing you are talking 6 - 12 months. DH aroma isn't going to hang around that long. You didn't mention oxidation, but take extraordinary care that it isn't introduced . . . it's death to aged brews.
     
    #2 PortLargo, Mar 28, 2017
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  3. wspscott

    wspscott Pooh-Bah (1,958) May 25, 2006 Kentucky
    Pooh-Bah

    Only thing I have to add to @PortLargo's comment is that oxidation might be less of a problem with brett, but you probably don't want it.

    Trying to increase hop aroma is really hard since that is basically the first thing to fade, especially compared to bitterness. So, add lots of hops, but don't expect them to be there in 6-12 months.
     
    #3 wspscott, Mar 28, 2017
  4. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Brett saison was my favorite style until I gave brett up for health reasons. I had great success bulk aging on brett until it had the yeast presence I wanted, and then I would dry hop at that point. I typically would use 3 oz of whatever hop I was dry hopping with and would bottle 7 days later.
    FWIW I just did a grisette that got 3 oz of nelson, and I wish I had done more. Brett keeps oxygen at bay and lets those dry hop additions hang around longer. After a year my last brett saison still had dry hop presence. My grisette is six weeks old and has already dropped most of its hop aroma.
     
    #4 SFACRKnight, Mar 28, 2017
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