brett starter questions

[CloverBrew]

is there a proper procedure for making a brett starter. i know they like acid, but I dont know how much,which acid, or how long to run it on a stirplate. Do different strains of brett need different environments. I'm looking at Brett b. from a vial or from orval dregs. what is the best way to get this done. Last question i swear..... if i want to do a saison with wyeast 3711, what would I need to do for a secondary ferment with brett....add malto dextrin?

 

[sweetcell]

make a brett starter just like a sacc starter. the main difference is that they take longer. sacc is done in 24 or 36 hours, brett will take a week to a week and a half. don't worry about acid, just use DME (you can use some malto as well, but not necessary).

stepping up from an orval bottle can be a pain... you'll be stepping up both the sacc and the brett. definitely better to get a vial of pure brett. also, the cell count in a bottle of orval is really low. you'll need to step up very slowly, with each step taking a week or more.

what do you need to do to make a brett saison? add brett to your saison, and sit back for 4+ months. malto isn't needed. there is still plenty in there for the brett to eat. and you'll get more brett flavor if you stress it by not giving it a comfy environment.

 

[CloverBrew]

ok. so no acid during starter. just wait. what size of starter, 1L?

for ease of funk just do a pure Brett vial/smackpack. (check)

for a brett saison, let the 3711 go to work. then dump the brett in at what stage? secondary, or with the 3711 in primary?

p.s. thanks for the reply.

 

[sweetcell]

you don't need to make a starter if you're adding brett to secondary. just pitch the vial.

if you're going to move to secondary, pitch the brett there. be sure that you have very little (as in, no) headspace in secondary. fill that carboy all the way to the top.

 

[dannyhawkins]

if you're going to move to secondary, pitch the brett there. be sure that you have very little (as in, no) headspace in secondary. fill that carboy all the way to the top.

Why no headspace? I believe you, just curious to know more.

 

[sweetcell]

Why no headspace? I believe you, just curious to know more.

to limit how much oxygen the beer is exposed to. if you fill it up to the top, the only exposed area is a small surface and there is little air above it. air can lead to oxidization, and can result in infection. i had some acetobacter that got in to my first attempt at secondary'ing... not pleasant. admittedly i wasn't as diligent about sanitation as i should have been but the large amount of headspace didn't help.