Brett Mead

[Fathand]

http://www.lewybrewing.com/2013/02/100-brett-mead-oohh-yes.html
I was inspired by this mead so I came up with my own version.


1 gallon batch
4 oz Rolled Oats
40 oz Gunter Wildflower honey
1 vial WLP644 Brett Trois

Procedure
4 oz Rolled Oats
Steeped in 24 oz of water at 130 degrees for 15 mins
Raised temp to 170 degrees for 20 mins
Sparged with 90 oz of water at 212 degrees
Chilled
Added to 13 oz Gunter Wildflower honey with 1/4 tsp DAP and half a pack of boiled bakers yeast, aerated by shaking for 5 minutes
Brett Trois (WLP644)


11/7
OG 1.032

11/8
Added 1/4 tsp DAP

11/9
Added 20 oz honey and 1/4 tsp DAP (estimated OG of addition 1.044; new estimated total gravity 1.082)

Fermentation is vigorous at this point. Looks like champagne bubbles constantly streaming toward the top. It is interesting to see that the oat water is in a separate layer at the bottom of the glass jug. However it appears that the brett is consuming this as the layer has decreased by half in the past 2 days.

In order to retain headspace I was not able to add the remaining 7 oz of honey but will do so as fermentation continues.

 

[wildman128]

Keep us posted

 

[Fathand]

11/22

Gravity: 1.012.

Added remaining 7 oz of honey
(New estimated total gravity 1.092)

I had to remove several ounces of liquid for the hydrometer reading so I was able to add the remaining 7 oz of honey. I also added 1 medium toast french chip. My thinking is to give the Brett something else to chew on besides the honey. I don't want it to be too oaky so I though one single chip would achieve that.

 

[Fathand]

1/9

Finally bottled this up.

FG was 1.000 on the nose. Added 1 oz of additional clover honey and got 10 bottles out of it. I am hoping for a slightly carbonated beverage.

As for the taste, all I can say is that it tasted like a young mead. No brett funk, which I figured. But no tropical fruit that I've read about with this yeast when used in IPAs as the only yeast. I think hops is the key to achieving that mango tropically fruit flavor. Perhaps that will be my next batch.

As I was bottling I was sampling a 4 year old pineapple mead that at the time of bottling had little pineapple flavor. Now it has a great pineapple taste...so if there is anything that I've learned from mead it is that patience is the most important ingredient.

Time will tell if this develops any brett funk. I will post taste notes in a few months.