The Mixed Fermentation Thread

[strange-steve]

Not sure if it's the sort of thing you're after but I'm bottling a bretted Belgian pale in a couple of days, plus I can offer a Flanders red in return when it's ready in a few months??

 

[Ajhutch]

That sounds great! I’ll dig out a decent second beer as well

 

[BeerCat]

Would anyone be interested in a bottle swap for my Flanders red? I’m drinking one now and pretty happy with it. Be interested to try any other funky creations out there.....

Yes mate, i just bottled another one tonight.

 

[BeerCat]

This is my latest Flanders Red. Its about 6 months old. It really started to develop a pellicle once i added various dregs, face off from @dad_of_jon and Brewdog funk punk and fresh roeselare.

 

[strange-steve]

That sounds great! I’ll dig out a decent second beer as well

I just bottled my brett Belgian pale today, the trial jar sample was quite promising. I'll send you a couple out, one to drink straight away and one to age for a few months.

 

[Ajhutch]

Awesome, thanks! I’ll wait until next week if that’s ok and then I’ll have bottled my lemon and lime witbier to include with the red. I’ve ploughed through all my homebrew during lockdown, need another brewday urgently!

 

[samale]

I am thinking about dipping my toes in and trying some Brett. I was thinking maybe to start of with something that doesn't take years. Maybe a saison or a IPA before trying a Flanders red ale.
I was on geterbrew looking at the yeast.
Can you reuse Brett or do you make a starter and over build. What's the general practice, is it just use the once

 

[strange-steve]

Yes you can reuse it, I plan on reusing the brett from the batch I just bottled. Before I pitched the brett I racked off the yeast cake into a secondary, then after I bottled I saved the trub from the secondary which will be mostly brett. There will be some of the primary sacch in there too but it wont matter. Another method for reusing would be to use the dregs from a couple of your bottles, you really don't need much.

 

[samale]

What Brett strain did you use and how long did you leave your Belgian ale for

 

[strange-steve]

What Brett strain did you use and how long did you leave your Belgian ale for

I used WLP650 which is brett B, the famous Orval strain. I fermented it with WLP530 first for 2 weeks, transferred to secondary, pitched the brett (straight from the vial, no starter) and left it to ferment out.

I had it in a sealed screw top FV and every morning I unscrewed the cap a little to check for pressure release and it was 10 weeks before it stopped, with 90% attenuation. As soon as fermentation was done I bottled it.

 

[samale]

Sounds good, I looked at the Orval clone recipe online... Thank you

 

[strange-steve]

Sounds good, I looked at the Orval clone recipe online... Thank you

I owe you a couple of beers so I'll send you one over thumb

 

[dad_of_jon]

This is my latest Flanders Red. Its about 6 months old. It really started to develop a pellicle once i added various dregs, face off from @dad_of_jon and Brewdog funk punk and fresh roeselare.
View attachment 24576

I didn't get anything like that when the face off was fermenting so it would be good to know which of the other additions are growing that for you

 

[cushyno]

I'm intrigued with the sours and mixed ferm. Maybe not ready for a face-off level of sourness yet, but seeing how things go with the recent Saison brew.


Fancy a dabble

 

[strange-steve]

DIYeast: Capturing Yeast

Should be fine to taste after it has fermented out, providing it looks and smells OK. That first sip is a bit nerve-racking though.

Just giving this a go now, fingers crossed for something good

 

[Ajhutch]

Any luck Steve?

 

[Ajhutch]

I’ve had a busy day of mixed fermentation admin, bottled 3 one gallon sub batches.

2 were off the ‘lambic’ from last year which I did as a turbid mash. 11 litres of that is in a better bottle ageing, the rest went onto fruit after about six months as the results were bottled today. One was dried apricots and one was frozen blackcurrants. Both have some interesting flavours and are very sour but not super funky and I’m hoping to get some complexity during bottle ageing.

I also bottled a batch of the Brett Trois Vrai pale ale which I made last May. I put half of that on lychees and it’s long gone. It was nice fresh, with a lot of fruity esters from the yeast. The batch bottled today sat on dried hibiscus flowers for three months. I think the time and exposure to tannins has given it a bit more funk and complexity. I’m hopeful for a tasty beer there.

 

[strange-steve]

Any luck Steve?

There's definitely something growing but I don't know what yet

 

[strange-steve]

An update on my attempt to capture some wild yeast. As you can see from the foam and the colour change, the two on the left are fermenting nicely, the two on the right have a few mould spots on the surface and not much else. I had a quick sniff of the one on the left and it actually smells nice, very fruity with hints of peach, so might be something good in there.

 

[Ajhutch]

Funk update!

I had a taste of SponTooting today and as @Sadfield suggested I was pretty nervous! There’s a slightly earthy funk in the aroma, but the taste is pleasantly sweet and lemony, a little tart and no dirty flavours. So it’s a goer! I’ll top the DJ up to the neck tonight and leave it to fully ferment out, I didn’t check the gravity today.

Today I’m brewing my third annual ‘Belgian style sour beer’. Last year I did a turbid mash, couldn’t be bothered this year so I added the grains when the water was at 50C then continued heating, did a long mash at 68C followed by a hot sparge. Currently in the two hour boil with aged hops. I’m going to pitch a pale ale yeast for a few days and I have a built up culture of Cantillon dregs to pitch later. That beer was extremely sour and not a lot of Brett character but given the sourness is restrained in the last two years’ vintages, it should blend well next year.

Finally, I decided to make a funky cider, with cloudy apple juice from Lidl, tea for tannin and WLP650 Brett Bruxellenis. Will see how it turns out!