This beer surprised me somewhat - despite 3 months on Brett and oak, there was little funky character in the beer and it remained quite sweet (even though the final gravity was ~1.005). I've held onto a few bottles to see if this would change, but the beer has not picked up much more Brett character, despite an extra 1.5 months in the bottle. Even so, its a good beer, although if I rebrewed it I'd either brew it as a sour, or as a straight Bière de Garde without Brett.
Recipe, Brewing Notes and Tasting Notes below the fold.
Recipe & Brew Notes:
-------------------------- Boil Size: 32.52 l Post Boil Volume: 26.52 l Batch Size (fermenter): 23.00 l Bottling Volume: 22.50 l Estimated OG: 1.073 SG Estimated Color: 23.1 SRM Estimated IBU: 22.3 IBUs Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 % Est Mash Efficiency: 79.8 % Boil Time: 90 Minutes Ingredients: ------------ Amt Name IBU 5.68 ml Lactic Acid (Mash 60.0 mins) 6.70 kg Pilsner malt 0.27 kg Carafa Special II 0.27 kg Carawheat 0.15 kg Special B Malt 28.40 g Amarillo [7.10 %] - First Wort 90.0 min 22.3 IBUs
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins) 2 items Orange Peel, Navel Boil 0.0 mins)
1 items Rosemary (Boil 0.0 mins)
0.27 kg Raisins, blackened in red wine Boil 0.0 mins)
1.0 pkg Biere de Garde (Wyeast Labs #3725) 1.0 pkg Brettanomyces mix (Secondary) 30.00 oz Medium-toast French oak cubes, port soaked (Secondary) Mash Schedule:Infusion - Protein + Saccharification Total Grain Weight: 7.66 kg ---------------------------- Name Description Temp Time Protein Rest Add 11.34 l, 63.6 C 54.0 C 20 min Saccharification Add 6.40 l, 95.8 C 66.7 C 90 min Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 22.43l) of 75.6 C water
Notes: ------ -Recipe from American Sour Beers (Dark Winter Saison 1, pg 336); substituting house brett mix for dregs. -added 5.6ml lactic acid to mash water to achieve desired mash pH, based on calcs from brewers friend Special Ingredients: Raisins: Blacken, deglaze with Malbec red wine, blended, added at flame-out Roasemary: Add 1 small/medium sprig @ flame-out Orange: 2 Navel oranges; zest only Oak Cubes: Soak 30g (~1 oz) medium French oak cubes in port Hops: Adjust for 25 IBU; use Amarillo Brewday:
------ Mash: -Hit protein rest near dead-on; 53 instead of 54; adding sacch water at boiling. -Sacch rest was a little high; stirred until cooled to 67, ran for 90 min Sparge: Went as per normal, collected 35.5L @ 1.054 Boil: -Boiled for an extra 3 minutes to bring gravity upto estimated post-boil gravity of 1066 (1.066 + raisins = 1.073) - ended up at 1.073 prior to raisin addition -Added irish moss and yeast nutrient at 15 min -Raisin puree, orange zest (navel, 2 oranges) and rosemary added at end of boil. Next time blend the raisins into a small amount of hot wort prior to addition, as not all raisins dissolved properly. Fermentation: -Pitched & fermented at 26C, 2 weeks. -gravity was down to 1.011 after just 2 days! -Transferred to secondary after 10 days, added 1oz port-soaked medium-roast american oak. -Aged in warm part of cellar (~20C), ~3 months
-Keg-carbed and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Appearance: Beer pours dark brown, almost black, with a beige long-lasting head. Strangely, a small amount of what appears to be yeast rafts has formed in the bottle (picture to left).
Aroma: Rosemary and raisin predominant, along with some malt character. Orange character is present, but subtle. No apparent Brett aromatics.
Flavour: The beer ended up being very complex, and much to my delight, undergoes a nice evolution of flavours as the beer warms. When served the beer is somewhat sweet (surprising, given its 1.005 bottling gravity) with a notable rosemary note, alongside s subtle orange and stone-fruit character. Malt character is present, with some roastiness. As the beer warms additional flavours come out - a slight brett phenolic note (leathery), along with a bit more of a herbal (almost mint) flavour. Beer is whetting on the aftertaste, despite its thinner body, with a slight lingering herbal flavour and malt sweetness.
Mouthfeel: Thin, as expected, but not dry (which is what was planned). Somewhat of an odd mix - thin body, and yet whetting and slightly sweet on the finish.
Overall: Overall I really like this beer, as did many in the advent event. Its a complex beer, perfect for sipping on a cold evening, with enough unique flavours to keep things interesting. In the future I think I'd brew this with an eye towards a little more body, and I think I'd drop the Brett entirely.
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