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100% Brettanomyces Fermentation

134 bytes added, 15:43, 29 October 2019
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updated Brett to Brettanomyces before richard could notice
'''100% Brett ''Brettanomyces'' fermentations''' are beers that are fermented with only ''Brettanomyces'' and no other microbes such as ''S. cerevisiae'', ''Lactobacillus'', or ''Pediococcus''.
==General Information==
The method of fermenting wort with only ''Brettanomyces'' was pioneered by Tomme Arthur from Pizza Port/Lost Abbey, and Peter Bouckaert from New Belgium in 2004 with their 100% ''Brettanomyces'' fermentented ''Mo' Bretta'', and Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River with Sanctification later that same year <ref>[http://www.amazon.com/American-Sour-Beer-Innovative-Fermentations-ebook/dp/B00LV8IRRI/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1 American Sour Beers. Michael Tonsmeire. July 2014. Pg 189.]</ref>. Avery Brewing Co. and Jeff O'Neal from Ithica Beer Co. also produced early 100% ''Brettanomyces'' beers <ref>[https://youtu.be/IGzoh4brILA?t=20m59s Yakobson, Chad. Interview on Craft Commander. 12/20/2016. Retrieved 12/20/2016.] (~21 mins in)</ref>. This method was further popularized by Chad Yakobson's ''Brettanomyces'' Dissertation on the [http://www.brettanomycesproject.com/dissertation/ Brettanomyces Project blog], and by his brewery, [[Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project]]. While primary fermentation with ''Brettanomyces'' is a complex subject due to the wide range of characteristics of different species and strains of ''Brettanomyces'', it is believed that beer that is fermented with Brett ''Brettanomyces'' in primary usually produces a surprisingly clean, lightly fruity beer (see Chapter 8 in ''American Sour Beers'' by Michael Tonsmeire for a full description of 100% ''Brettanomyces'' fermented beers). However, much of this belief was partly based on the misclassification of what is now referred to as "''Saccharomyces'' Trois". The issue of characterizing 100% ''Brettanomyces'' fermentations is further complicated by the fact that some sources of ''Brettanomyces'' also contain ''Saccharomyces'' or other unadvertised microbes. Furthermore, most ''Brettanomyces'' strains cannot fully ferment wort due to not being able to utilize maltose (see the [[Brettanomyces#Carbohydrate_Metabolism_and_Fermentation_Temperature|''Brettanomyces'']] wiki page and [http://brettanomycesproject.com/dissertation/pure-culture-fermentation/impact-of-pitching-rate/ Chad Yakobson's Dissertation]).
Typical characteristics of ''Brettanomyces'' primary fermentations (these are generalizations, and may not be true for every strain):
* A longer lasting hop aroma and flavor due to Brett's ability to constantly metabolize micro-oxygenation.
* A lack of glycerol, which is a compound that ''Saccharomyces'' produces which gives beer it's slick mouthfeel. Malts such as oats or flaked wheat are often used to make up for the lack of glycerol. However, the role of glycerol in creating mouthfeel is debatable in the wine world <ref>[https://www.winesandvines.com/features/article/68760 Tim Patterson. "Many Roads to Mouthfeel". Wines & Vines Magazine. Nov 2009. Retrieved 03/23/2018.]</ref>.
* Slightly longer primary fermentation in general (3-6 weeks), although some people have reported faster fermentations between 1-3 weeks for some strains and conditions (lower starting gravity beers, for example) <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1158650034163209/ Conversation on MTF regarding how long 100% Brett ''Brettanomyces'' ferments can take. 10/04/2015.]</ref>.
* Perceived bitterness may be quite a bit lower than the same wort fermented with a clean ale yeast.
===Starter Information===
When relying on a ''[[Brettanomyces]]'' culture for primary fermentation, a starter will often be necessary due to the fact that most yeast labs provide a small cell count for their ''[[Brettanomyces]]'' cultures. See the [[Brettanomyces#Starter_Information|Brettanomyces Starter Information]] section for more information on Brett ''Brettanomyces'' starters. About 500ml starter per 25 liters of wort seems to be the current best practice. Data from Thomas Hübbe supports that the initial pitching rate doesn't have a great effect on the final cell count in pure ''Brettanomyces'' starters or beer, indicating that ''Brettanomyces'' is fairly forgiving in regards to small initial cell counts <ref name="Hubbe">[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/files/ Effect of mixed cultures on microbiological development in Berliner Weisse (master thesis). Thomas Hübbe. 2016.]</ref>.
See also [[Brettanomyces#Pitching_Rate_Calculators|''Brettanomyces'' pitching rates]].
===Wort Production===
American IPA or American Pale Ale recipes are a tried and true general approach to making wort that is favorable to 100% Brett ''Brettanomyces'' fermentations. Fruitier hops such as citra, amarillo, galaxy, etc. tend to compliment the light fruity characteristics of a Brett ''Brettanomyces'' primary fermentation. The addition of body-increasing malts such as oats, unmalted barley, rye, wheat, or carapils may assist with the lack of glycerol that is typical for Brett ''Brettanomyces'' <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1177290552299157/?comment_id=1177304778964401&reply_comment_id=1177435872284625&total_comments=4&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R0%22%7D Conversation with Tom Belgrano on MTF. 11/12/2015.]</ref>, but isn't always necessary. Otherwise, wort production can remain the same as it is for an American IPA/Pale Ale recipe. Aeration of the wort before fermentation starts should be done. This will greatly increase cell growth (see the [[Brettanomyces Propagation Experiment]]). As far as we know, acetic acid is a byproduct of ethanol production by ''Brettanomyces'' and not the prior lag phase, so as long as ethanol is not already being produced then acetic acid production is not a concern <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1204641279564084/?comment_id=1204674032894142&reply_comment_id=1204765566218322&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D Conversation with Richard Preiss on MTF about oxygenating wort that will receive 100% Brett. 12/30/2015].</ref>. Examples of commercial 100% ''Brettanomyces'' beers that receive the same amount of initial aeration that would be typical of ales of their respective gravities are "Sanctification" from Russian River and "Mo’ Betta Bretta" from Lost Abbey <ref>[https://byo.com/hops/item/262-brettanomyces BYO Magazine. Brettanomyces. Steve Piatz. October 2005.]</ref>.
===Fermentation Characteristics of Individual Species and Strains===
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1285391951489016/ Richard Preiss summarizes his study and provides the original poster with charts and graphs of the data on Milk The Funk.]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/2710564272305103/ More Q&A with Richard Preiss on Milk The Funk regarding the full published paper.]
* [[100%25_Brettanomyces_Fermentation#Are_100.25_Brett_Beers_Really_Cleaner.3F|Are 100% Brett ''Brettanomyces'' Beers Really Cleaner?]]
===Aging===
When using WLP644, it is recommended to make a 1 liter starter for 36-48 hours due to the extremely small cell count of the vials <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1204614559566756/?comment_id=1204678676227011&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D Conversation with Lance Shaner on MTF. 12/30/2015.]</ref>.
===Are 100% Brett ''Brettanomyces'' Beers Really Cleaner?===
A lot of the conventional wisdom listed above regarding 100% ''Brettanomyces'' fermentations is anecdotal information derived from Trois fermentations. As explained above, Trois is not actually ''Brettanomyces'', and so conventional wisdom regarding 100% ''Brettanomyces'' beers has been brought into question. One particular area of question is the conventional wisdom that ''Brettanomyces'' requires phenols from POF+ ''Saccharomyces'' strains in order to convert 4-vinyl phenols into 4-ethyl phenols, and that 100% ''Brettanomyces'' fermentations are therefore "less funky".
===External Resources===
* [http://www.homebrewtalk.com/funk-in-the-house-part-ii.html ''Funk In the House'', by Andrew J. Kazanovicz on Homebrewtalk]. Sensory analysis of 100% Brett ''Brettanomyces'' fermentations of many of the commercially available strains.* [http://www.bear-flavored.com/2015/06/what-is-brett-ipa-supposed-to-taste-like.html " What is Brett IPA Supposed to Taste Like. " Bear Flavored Blog. Derek Dellinger.] - A great general description of what 100% Brett ''Brettanomyces'' IPA tastes like.
==References==

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