Changes

Jump to: navigation, search

FAQ

1,864 bytes added, 16:19, 22 September 2015
added FAQ about separate equipment
A: This wiki is a good place to search for answers, but you should also try to look up the answer to your question in the book [http://www.amazon.com/American-Sour-Beers-Michael-Tonsmeire/dp/1938469119/ "American Sour Beers" by Michael Tonsmeire]. Many answers can be found in these two resources. If it is not, post your question in [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk Milk The Funk]!
 
==Do I need separate equipment==
Q: Do I need separate equipment for Brett/Pedio/Lacto beers?
 
A: There are many different opinions on this, but we will state here the best balance between practical and cautious advise. Brettanomyces can be cleaned and sanitized just like regular yeast. Bacteria such as Pediococcus can be a little more hardy, but they also still die from intense cleaning and sanitizing. Maintain a very good cleaning and sanitizing regiment, and you shouldn't need different fermenting vessels if they are glass or stainless steel. Plastic is prone to microscopic scratches, which can help bacteria survive cleaning/sanitizing regiments, so separate plastic fermenters for beers that have bacteria (Lactobacillus or Pediococcus) in them should be considered. Since cold side plastic equipment such as auto siphons and hosing are cheap, it is recommended to go ahead and get separate plastic.
==I have a question about pellicles==
A: It depends on the off-flavor. Typical yeast character such as moderate amounts of diacetyl, banana, clove, and other esters will often be changed by Brett. However, many other flavors from things like fusel alcohols will not. As the old saying goes, garbage in, garbage out. It's better to brew a clean beer and then add Brett, rather than try to recover a badly brewed beer by adding Brett.
 
==Can I add Brett at bottling time==
Q: Can I add Brett at bottling time to my beer fermented with only brewer's yeast?
 
A: Some people have [http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2012/08/bottle-conditioning-with-brett-belgian.html gotten away with this], but unless you have experience with this, we don't recommend it. Brett will continue to ferment the residual sugars that Saccharomyces left behind in the bottle, and this could result in gushing or bottle bombs. One thing you could do is to take a sample of the beer, and add it to a jug with an airlock and pitch the Brett you are going to use into this sample. After two months, measure the gravity change. Each gravity point gives you about 0.5 volumes of CO2. Adjust the priming sugar accordingly. Alternatively, you can rack to the beer into a fermentation vessel that you are comfortable exposing Brett to, add the Brett, and wait a few months for the gravity to stabilize.
==Where did the mouse taint/cherrios/captain crunch taste come from==

Navigation menu