Brett. stout

[Inkguy]

I have been reading a book called Amber Gold and Black - basically a brief history of brewing in England. It seems that the older styles of brewing entailed Brettanomyces yeast, and in one of the chapters about wood-aged beer it came up again that several styles were (purposely) infected with Brett. from the wood. Guinness Foreign Extra Stout still is.
So, I was thinking I'd do a Foreign Extra Stout, and finish it off with Brett.
My idea was: primary fermentation with a 'normal' yeast - say WLP007 or WLP028, then transfer to secondary and pitch the Brett. But, I have no idea how long to leave it, and whether or not I should do tertiary, to clear it; to say nothing of which Brett to use. clausenii seems the mellowest, but with a stout I don't know if the flavors would be obscured.
Thoughts/comments?

 

[smokinghole]

Ive done a couple imperial stout with Brett. I left them ferment for at least six months in secondary. I would typically get about 65% apparent attenuation from primary and then an additional 13%-15% in secondary. I mashed high and used a lot of black malts in the beers too. Last years went from 1.117-1.024 in 6-7 months. I haven't brewed a lower gravity attempt yet but I would brew similar. I've been using a mix of English primary strains and brett L. from wyeast. I cannot detect a funk flavor really through all the malt and roast but there is a hint of the cherry everyone describes with this brett.

 

[Inkguy]

6 months makes sense. I think the old English stock ales sat for nearly a year in some cases. A lot weren't hopped, so the brett. gave the flavor - kind of like lambics I guess.
Would the 6 months be better warm or cold? I live in WI, where summers can get hot and winters are cold, so I wonder if it's best to brew in early spring, for warm secondary with Brett?

 

[smokinghole]

Warm or cold doesn't really matter. Warm will make it happen faster, cold will give a better development of flavor. I prefer my beer to just ride the wave of ambient temps on my house through the year. Afterall, how much temp control do you think they had on beers like this?