Charlottesville Area Masters of Real Ale

I recently added oak and a vial of Brett. C. to the secondary of a black braggot I've got going. It is my first time using brett in a beer. SG was at 1.016 when I pitched the brett vial. Should I expect to see signs of activity from the yeast from this secondary fermentation or should I just be relying upon my hydrometer for the next two to three months to tell what is going on?

Thanks

I wish I could offer you useful advice, Java.  But, I have not brewed a real sour beer in my life, so I don't much experience in the area.  Good luck.

You aren't going to see typical yeast fermentation-type activity. It might get a pellicle, it might not. If you do get a pellicle, once it drops out, you are definitely done.

Brett beers are a little zen art. I'd worry less about hydrometer readings and more about the taste of the beer. It is hard to say how much your gravity *should* drop. Depends on the sugars left to eat and the alcohol levels. Take small samples every once and a while. Patience is the key.

Thanks Jamey. I didn't want to give the Brett too much sugar to eat because I'm not trying to make this really sour; just trying to add a little bit of funk. I also want to be sure to avoid bottle bombs once I do get around to bottling it.

Brett C is the right one fo the job. A very light wild character. Probably the same as the mild "infections" that British pubs gave their beers before they better understood yeast and sanitization.

Thanks again for the advice Jamey. I was checking gravities on my barley wine and meads today so I went ahead and took a sample of the braggot with the brett. The gravity hadn't changed, but you can already detect a slight brett character in the aroma and especially in the taste. Interestingly, I'm not detecting any oak at all.

I think this is going to turn into a very interesting brew.

What kind of oak (French, American, etc.) and what shape (cubes, chips, etc)?

That makes a big difference in how long it takes for the oak character, and what kind of character, to come through.

You will love the clausinnii (sp) I use it in all my lambics and sours. It is great for primary fermentation but will lend some very nice distinctively brett c flavors over the period of 6-10 months! Oak chips are great for brett as well, they float at the surface and allow it to more easily form an oxygen adsorbing cap that will protect your beer, but speed the yeast.

Brett will consume almost all available dextrines over the period of 10-24 months, it takes time, but you will see it drop eventually

PATIENCE!!