Tasting Notes - Brett Beers

Tasting notes of both brett beers side by side with the regular versions on May 19, 2010:

1. Rêve de Wallonia

• clear dark orange with good pop upon opening
• steady carbonation and thin egg white head lingering
• fizzy green apples with a sharp lemon peel and musky grains
• pale malt, stale lemons
• texture is thin and silky with a mild leathery or thin syrupy feel
• stale lemons and malt; mild earthy tones and slightly “dirty”
• anything but popping with freshness
• stale fruits, caramel and light orange
• very interesting side by side with the brett version
• quite dry with stale fruits in the finish
• husky and earthy with stale lemons
  

2. Rêve de Wallonia w/ Brett

• quick carbonation that would have gushed over if I didn’t pour into a glass
• same dark orange appearance with more spotty head that fades quickly once out of the bottle
• slight yellowish hue to it
• obvious pineapple brett, leather and zesty lemons
• more fruity notes here and zesty spice as opposed to the more husky and musky notes of the regular version
• lots more bitterness too which is kind of surprising
• orange peels with slight sour zing and silky, leathery texture
• really like the nose but quite bitter to me
• texture is thin with sticky dry finish
• much of the husky-ness is gone and certainly tastes a little cleaner and drier
  

3. Saison de Deux Médecine

• mild gusher as expected
• light gold with soapy white head fading slowly; steady bubbles
• lemons, pepper, dried yarrow, a little ginger
• fresh, floral nose
• mildly medicinal flavors from the yarrow
• light, lemony texture
• light and dry with very clean mouthfeel
• much crisper and cleaner than the Wallonia
• much more of what I expected going in too
• get the ginger with nice floral and dried flowers
• quite nice overall and very happy with this except for that fact that as I only bottled ~ 2 gallons of finished product, it’s almost all gone!!
• would like it to be a little more complex or yeasty though
• aside from the carbonation, I’m very happy with this batch
  

4. Saison de Deux Médecine w/ Brett

• slight hiss upon opening with slight white head fading quickly
• more vibrant gold in color with next to no bubbles
• pineapple brett, lemons and ginger on the nose
• very clean again with little to none of the bitterness found in the Wallonia w/ brett
• crisp, light fruits and most of the medicinal qualities gone away
• less of a leathery texture than expected
• beer is very clean to begin with, so I think that helps the brett shine more and pop with freshness and fruity flavors
• dried flowers, oranges and ginger – yummy!!!
  

Bottling of brett beers

Date - April 4, 2010

Bottled both brett beers today in part b/c I was thinking of entering them into the Puget Sound Pro-Am and needed some carbonation if I wanted to do so. Because the brett takes hold of anything plastic or porous, I used old equipment here and it will be set aside for future brett beers only. It was kind of time to replace some stuff anyways, so I purchased new hoses, siphons, bottling wand, etc. for all regular beers.

Nothing else really different here compared to other bottlings, but I was concerned about carbonation and possible bottle bombs w/ the brett. For a few weeks, I put the bottles in a big plastic bin and then left in my shower during the day to contain any possible mess.

1. Saison de Deux Médecine w/ Brett

• 1.006 at bottling ~ 6.55% ABV and 89.3% attenuation
• the brett took it from 1.014 to 1.006 FG and 75% to 89.3% attenuation
• last time I used ~ ½ cup of sugar for just over 2 gallons of end product and it turned out quite over-carbonated; so ¼ cup per gallon is a little high
• so this time I used closer ~ 1/5 cup of sugar per gallon (slightly under ½ cup total) and the end product (based on bottle filling) was 2.25 gallons
• carbonation still seems like kind of a crap shoot to me though and is something I need to try to understand better in terms of volume of CO2, etc. that you want for certain styles and how to achieve that based on sugar and OG/FG
  

2. Rêve de Wallonia w/ Brett

• 1.008 FG at bottling ~ 8.7% ABV and 89.2% attenuation
• the brett to it from 1.010 to 1.008 FG and 86.5% to 89.2% attenuation
• less impact of the brett (in terms of numbers) in this beer
• same approximate sugar amounts used here

First sample - Saison de Deux Médecine w/ Brett

February 17, 2010 - After 143 in the secondary, I pulled my first sample the Saison de Deux Médecine w/ Brett and did a side by side with the a bottle of the regular version. Honestly, I was just excited that it wasn't disgusting!! The surface of the beer in the carboy has a spotty light white, almost puss looking foam on top, but tasted great. Still a way off from bottling though.

1. Saison de Deux Médecine w/ Brett

• Pulled sample, so no carbonation
• Clear light gold w/ fruity brett and zing on the nose
• Yarrow seems covered up a bit
• Dry with mild sweetness and sticky mouthfeel
• Zing with leathery brett and mild fruit
  

2. Saison de Deux Médecine

• Over-carbonated like the other bottles
• Slight haze and dull yellow
• Lemony yarrow with ginger and citrus flavors
• Chalky and smooth
• Lots of ginger in this bottle

Wallonia Update / Brettanomyces

Updates on the Wallonia saison and finally time for Brettanomyces......

September 17, 2009

Pulled a sample of Wallonia....

• gravity down to 1.012
• getting clearer w/ fruity lemons and orange on the nose
• sample has a sharpness to it with dry, husky, sweet malt and dried fruit
• very dry on the finish but overall still on the sweet side
• at this point it has been in the primary for over 50 days!!!
  

September 27, 2009

Finally transferred the Wallonia today. All in all in spent 64 days in the primary!! To me that is crazy and scary on many levels, but this sucker just would not ferment. The sample at transfer is just a hair over 1.010. I had hoped it would be more like 1.006, but I still got over 86% attenuation.

And now that it is finally transferred into the secondary, it is finally time to break out the big, bad brett!! I'm splitting the package of brettanomyces claussenii, so the 2.5 gallons of Two Medicine has been patiently waiting for this day.

I split open the package and split the yeast evenly ~ 100 ml each. Wow, brett smelled amazing with sour pineapples and thick fruity nose; color is muddy dark yellow.

Now the waiting game begins for the brett to do its thing and I’ll bottle in maybe 5 months?

Saison Experiment

A few notes on my saison experiement:

1. Saisons

• In the words of K. Florian Klemp, "The French word for season, saison, has become a stylistic designation to distinguish a group of beers from Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium. Today, these historically seasonal ales are brewed year-round. Saisons present a complex character that is both aggressive and subtle. Unmistakably Belgian and unequivocally rustic, they beckon exploration. "
• BCJP style description
• Ever since I first tried beer on my 21st birthday, porters have always been my favorite style. But over the last year or so, saisons have been giving it a run for the money.
• My idea was to do two different saisons: the first would be more traditional and get its spicy characteristics directly from a specific saison-style yeast; the second would use a more neutral belgian yeast and get flavor from the additions of spices and wildflowers
• Notable commercial examples: Boulevard Saison w/ Brett, Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux, Fantôme Saison, Moinette Biologique, Saison Dupont Vieille Provision, Southampton Cuvee des Fleurs and The Bruery Saison de Lente
  

2. Fermentation Temps

• While the general rule of thumb ale yeasts seems to be fermentation around 70 degrees on the high end, saison yeasts are recommended at 80 degrees or even higher
• That makes them perfect for summer and the higher temps should bring out the spice and fruity esters that saisons are known for
• I'm 4 days into Rêve de Wallonia and 3 days into Saison de Deux Médecine and have been keeping them in the kitchen for the most part to maximize the heat
• Ambient temps have been mostly in the 80's, reaching as high as 92 (!!)
  
• Fermentation has been strong and I will be taking samples in the next 3-4 days
  

3. Spices / Wildflowers

• Previously I've used a few spices (corriander, grains of paradise) in an Imperial Wit, but here I used several new to me.
  
• In the tradition of using local ingredients, I wanted to use wildflowers picked while on a backpacking trip. I picked a bunch, but many turned out to be inedible. Yarrow however worked. The dried yarrow I got was from Eastern Washington and the wildflower honey from Western Washington.
• I like the general idea of using wild ingredients and plan on doing a spruce tip IPA soon
  

4. Brettanomyces

• Another layer to this experiment was to use Brettanomyces wild yeast for the first time
• Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing: Brettanomyces (also known as Brett) is feared by most brewers and winemakers alike. In fact, there are some local winemakers who will not set foot in our brewpub in Downtown Santa Rosa due to our use of Brettanomyces. Brettanomyces is actually yeast, it ferments and acts the same as every other "conventional" yeast, it just has the propensity to continue fermenting through almost any type of sugar, including those natural sugars found in the wood in an oak barrel. Brett is very invasive and if not handled properly can become out of control in a winery or brewery, but, if used properly with care, it can add rich aromas and flavors of earthiness, leather, smoke, barnyard, & our favorite descriptor-wet dog in a phone booth.
• While used for many years in classic beers such as Orval, brett has become quite popular in recent years and has been showing up in saisons as a secondary yeast
• My choice: Wyeast 5151-PC Brettanomyces claussenii - Isolated from English stock ale, this wild yeast produces a mild Brett character with overtones of tropical fruit and pineapple. It ferments best in worts with a reduced pH after primary fermentation has begun. May form a pellicle in bottles or casks. Typically used in conjunction with other yeast and lactic acid bacteria.
• Brett will certainly change the flavor of my beers and should also help them attenuate and dry out - something you want in a saison
  
• Using brett will requiring purchasing some new equipment, hoses, etc. b/c you can't rid the critters from anything that is porous; glass carboys will be fine
  

5. Batch Splitting

• I'm doing several new things with these two beers with the big one definitely being the brettanomyces
  
• In order to fully understand its impacts on each recipe, I will be only using it in part of each beer
  
• I will take each beer, split in half and only put brett in half; thus ending up with essentially four different beers
• The results should go along way in understanding not only brett, but also the high fermenation temps, use of spices, etc.
  
• This is something I plan on continuing in the future in regards to using oak again, adding fruit, etc.
  

Batch No. 18 - Saison de Deux Médecine

Saison de Deux Médecine

Brewed - July 26, 2009

Style - Saison
Source - Saison du Mont variation / Northern Brewer

Ingredients:

• 6.0 lbs. Pilsner LME
• 2.0 lbs. Vienna Malt (partial mash)
• 1.0 lbs. Flaked Oats (partial mash)
• 1.0 oz. Hallertauer (60)
• 1.0 oz. Hallertauer (15)
• 1.0 oz. Hallertauer (0)
• 1.0 lbs. Rainier Fireweed Honey (0)
• 4.0 oz. Dried Yarrow (0)
• 1.0 oz. Fresh Yarrow (0)
  
• 1.0 oz. Valencia Zest (0)
  
• 1.0 tbsp. Powdered Ginger (0)
• Wyeast #3522 Belgian Ardennes
• 750 ml starter w/ 1/2 cup DME

OG - 1.056
Primary - 7 days
Secondary - 28 days

Bottled - August 30, 2009

FG - 1.014
Attenuation - 75.0%
ABV - 5.5%

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2.5 gallons spiked with Brettanomyces Claussenii

Date - September 27, 2009
Secondary - 245 days

Bottled - May 19, 2010

FG - 1.006
Attenuation - 89.3%
ABV - 6.55%

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Notes:

• first time doing a partial-mash, which was a little tricky b/c I don't have a good strainer, second large pot or effective ways to maintain specific temperatures; it was good to finally try and with a few small improvements , should be an effective change in my brewing process and helping bring more flavor and body to my brews
  
• Yarrow is a white flowering plant that is found in Eastern Washington and many other areas; it is edible and is used in several herbal remedies
  
• some of the yarrow used was picked while backpacking in the Two Medicine area of Glacier National Park
  
• first time using a bunch of spices as well and i was nervous about quantities, esp. adding too much ginger and yarrow
• a small scale would be a good item to pick up so I can better measure the weights of the spices
  
• a hectic brewing day, including smashing my hydrometer and rushing to my buddy's place in the middle of the boil to borrow one...fun, fun
  
• fermentation not quite as vigorous as the first saison, but still going well - wort ended up being quite muddy brown and the krausen was dark green from the yarrow
  

My one shot during the mini-sparge



After yarrow was added

Batch No. 17 - Rêve de Wallonia

Rêve de Wallonia (Dreams of Wallonia)

Brewed - July 25, 2009

Style - Saison
Source - Tasty Brew / Northern Brewer

Ingredients:

• 6.0 lbs. Light DME
• 1.0 lbs. Wheat DME
• 1.0 lbs. Dextrose
• 2.0 lbs. American Crystal 10L
• 1.0 lbs. Belgian Carapils
• 1.0 oz. Styrian Goldings (60)
• 1.0 oz. Styrian Goldings (15)
• 1.0 oz. Styrian Goldings (0)
• Wyeast #3724 Belgian Saison
• 750 ml starter w/ 1/2 cup DME

OG - 1.074
Primary -64 days!!
Secondary - 28 days

Bottled - October 25, 2009

FG - 1.010
Attenuation - 86.5%
ABV - 8.4%

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2.5 gallons spiked with Brettanomyces Claussenii

Date - September 27, 2009
Secondary - 189 days

Bottled - May 19, 2010

FG - 1.008
Attenuation - 89.2%
ABV - 8.65%

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Notes:

• my first saison!!!
• Wallonia is the region in southern Belgium where the saison style originated
• starter was very active prior to pitching
• slight extension of boil time b/c I missed the 15 min. hop addition
• used 5 gal carboy and blow off tube
• airlock activity w/in 6 hours; I will always use a yeast starter!!
• forgot to add the dextrose at the end of the boil, so the next day I dissolved it in water, boiled to sanitized, cooled and dumped into the carboy (this was about 18 hours after the yeast was pitched; it was already going strong, but went wild when the sugar was added
• keeping track of fermentation temps, but have mostly been in the low 80's so far
  

Fermenting away in the kitchen to keep warm