Barrel Bretted RIS advice

[slarkin712]

I have a used 10 gallon american oak bourbon barrel. I aged one beer in it for 4 months. I then refilled it with a Great Divide Yeti inspired RIS back in August. I decided to add some chocolate powder to it 3 weeks ago. So I dissolved the chocolate powder in some water and boiled it for 15-20 minutes, cooled it and add it to the already filled barrel. Fermentation seemed to start back up a little, but I figured it was just off gassing. But fermentation has continued and at a decent rate. I think I picked up a Brett infection (see attached pic). Now the beer still tastes good, but fermentation is ongoing and I'm not sure if I should wait it out or take action. I figure that I have 3 options.
1. Wait it out and see how it comes out.
2. Try to kill/stop the wild yeast with campden or something else
3. Add a few strains of Brett that I have on hand and embrace the funk

I planned on filling the barrel with an intentionally soured beer after this batch was removed, so adding more Brett doesn't have any side effect on future beers that I put in the barrel. I've never had a Bretted RIS, but my guess is that i would be good. Does anyone have any thoughts on my options?

 

[youreanimpulse]

I would think it's better to pitch some bugs you know to hopefully compete with the ones you don't. Brett can be good with roast but usually better when it was intended that way (like using de-husked dark malts to be less tannic and mashing high to keep the FG up). So either way it's kind of riding it out to see what you get out of it. I'd totally up the diversity, though.

 

[slarkin712]

I was leaning towards adding my own Brett, so thanks for the confirmation. I was just thinking about adding the campden, and wondering if that was a good idea. I'll go with more Brett and wait a few months.

 

[slarkin712]

Added some freshly propagated Brett B. and Brett L. Ferment has already picked up quite a bit, so it seems that will out-compete the unintentional barrel Brett. Now to wait it out.

 

[Remmy]

I've always wanted to add brett into one of my stouts. But I saying to myself - how low will the brett take my stout? I've had brett beers finish at 1.002. Not sure if I'd like a stout that finishes anywhere close to 1.006 even.

 

[slarkin712]

I thought about the brett taking the gravity too low. I'm going take samples and taste and measure the gravity every month. If it starts to get too dry I can rack it to kegs. In the kegs I can deal with the brett - either killing it with something or slowing it down considerably with cold.

 

[krumb]

Bretty Yeti!

Keep us updated.

I recently had a Milk Stout pick up some brett, so I tossed in some 3rd gen Bug Country. Sour Milk Stout? I gotta work on that description...

 

[smokinghole]

I doubt he will even get below 1.010 with the brett in there. The black malt and very caramelized malts makes for sugars that cannot be fermented by brett. Brett cannot ferment all sugars just what it is genetically equipped to produce enzymes to deal with.

I have an imperial black beer (low IBU RIS basically) with a very complex mix of brett and bacteria. Last I checked at near the one year mark it was only at 1.025 and started at like 1.093 I think.

 

[Remmy]

I doubt he will even get below 1.010 with the brett in there. The black malt and very caramelized malts makes for sugars that cannot be fermented by brett. Brett cannot ferment all sugars just what it is genetically equipped to produce enzymes to deal with.

You are correct. I literally just talked to the head brewery of my town's brewery (all they brew are sours) and he told me exactly what you just said. They have a copper bottom on their boil kettle to allow the sugars to caramelize. He also mentioned that for their sour stout, they use unmilled grain. Their beer finished at 1.006 but does not taste that dry at all and retained much of the flavor stouts are known for. They also do a double decoction mash.

 

[smokinghole]

. He also mentioned that for their sour stout, they use unmilled grain.

Do you mean unmalted grain? I don't understand what unmilled grain would do in a mash other than mostly be a waste of grain.

 

[Remmy]

Do you mean unmalted grain? I don't understand what unmilled grain would do in a mash other than mostly be a waste of grain.

Yep - unmalted not unmilled.