100% Brett cider update

It's generally considered bad form to link to a blog without including at least a reasonable amount of detail in the linking post.

Sorry, this is an update to the brett cider panel that I'm doing. There are people here that contributed to the formation of the experiment and so I'm posting the results here.

Weezy said:

It's generally considered bad form to link to a blog without including at least a reasonable amount of detail in the linking post.

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Don't bug me none Levi is going some awesome things

Hey Levi,

You can see now how a malolactic culture can help achieve this goal:

levifunk said:

Bacteria will be used for the malolactic fermentation (MLF). Apples have a lot of malic acid in them, and so the bacteria will convert some of that to lactic acid, which (as I understand it) is suppose to reduce the perceived sharpness of the apple acidity.

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Though it would not typically be used on a batch that is bland to begin with. Might be useful for blending in future batches though. Nice experiment, thanks for sharing!

BrasseurGeorges said:

Hey Levi,

You can see now how a malolactic culture can help achieve this goal:



Though it would not typically be used on a batch that is bland to begin with. Might be useful for blending in future batches though. Nice experiment, thanks for sharing!

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Essentially the Oenococcus (LAB) "stole" from the Brett. It ate a percentage of the fermentable sugars and just created alcohol, while the Brett would have used those sugars to create alcohol AND flavor compounds. The net effect was a less flavorful, hotter, version of the same cider. I would not recommend using it in this type of fermentation.

Maybe the maloactic fermentation should be considered a secondary after the brett has fully attenuated? That way its carbon source is essentially whats left over which would include the malic acid.

smokinghole said:

Maybe the maloactic fermentation should be considered a secondary after the brett has fully attenuated? That way its carbon source is essentially whats left over which would include the malic acid.

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Yea, that is very possible. Not sure I'll try it, but could be an interesting experiment for anyone looking build off this.

smokinghole said:

Maybe the maloactic fermentation should be considered a secondary after the brett has fully attenuated? That way its carbon source is essentially whats left over which would include the malic acid.

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Correct. Post fermentation, if you taste too much malic acid, you may choose to add a malolactic culture, usually to a portion of the batch only. Then blend to taste.

Do you think the tingling sensation is from acetic acid?

BrasseurGeorges said:

Do you think the tingling sensation is from acetic acid?

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No. I am very familiar with acetic acid and this wasn't that.