Woxbic Update: Successful Barrel Fermentation

Posted on February 26, 2014 by funkmetal

Active Fermentation in oak barrel with ECY20 blend in Lambic-style beer

After about 24 hours since pitching, there was activity in the air lock. In 48 hours it had turned into a foam over. I replaced the liquid once in the airlock only for it to foam up again. Instead of fighting it, I just opened it up to the world. The aroma coming out of the barrel was amazing. It smelled funky and full of oak tannis. I spent a lot of time smelling the bung of this barrel. I immediately wished I had 10 barrels of this stuff.

I left the air lock off for roughly a week. We had a cold spell down here in Texas and my garage was an usually cool 40F. I decided that I should use a heat belt next to the barrel to keep the temperature close 60F. That way I wouldn’t stall the active fermentation.

After 2 weeks fermenting in the garage, pulled sample and it’s down to about 1.010 S.G. I’ve now moved the barrel into the house and it’ll stay at 70F for years to come.

Attempting a Lambic-style brew

Posted on January 31, 2014 by funkmetal

filling_barrel_with_boiling_water-1024x768

Filled the barrel with boiling water to prepare the barrel for aging

I’ve been working on sour beers for nearly a year and I’ve only now decided to attempt a Lambic-style beer. I always wanted to use a barrel for aging lambic-style beer but the size that’s available to a homebrewer isn’t practical for long term aging due to high oxygen to volume ratio; something that can spoil this multi-year process. Over this past year I’ve read a number of attempts and various processes employed by crafty homebrewers to minimize oxygen permeability. Plus, my largest barrel (11 gallons) has finally given up the whiskey ghost, so it’s time to make it the home of some sour bugs. A few more things forced my hand. In December, I was able to pick up the coveted ECY 20, Bug Country blend of yeast and bacteria. The list of microbes included is simply stunning.

Brettanomyces lambicus

Brettanomyces bruxellensis

Brettanomyces anomulus

Brettanomyces clausenii

Brettanomyces custersianus

Brettanomyces nanus

Brettanomyces naardenensis

Various Lactobacilli and Pediococci

ECY01 BugFarm

ECY02 Flemish Ale

ECY03 Farmhouse Brett

ECY04 Brett Blend #1

ECY05 Brett Blend #9

You can read more about the strains included at East Coast Yeast.
With such a great yeast blend, I needed to brew a beer that would handle such a blend. Empty barrel, great yeast. Lambic-style? Yeah!

Keeping a beer around a long time is challenging. Most of my aged sours are in PET or glass carboys; a few in a stainless corny keg. I agree that lambic-style beers need contact with wood to obtain a good flavor profile, but smaller barrels are going to introduce too much oxygen over a year or more. Over at the Funk Factory, a post about using paraffin wax to seal the barrel caught my eye. In addition to the waxing, a home-made steam wand was also something I needed to make so I could ensure that the bugs in ECY20 take over the barrel, not something else that might be in there.

Hot water cleaning a freshly dumped barrel

I’ll be following up this post with a few more on both barrel steaming and barrel waxing.

For the recipe, I’m following the traditional 60% barley (pils) and 40% wheat. I’m not performing a turbid mash so I’m attempting to come close to emulating the result which is to have a wort with lots of unconverted starch. The unconverted starches become food for the various microbes over the long haul. Sacchromyces yeast won’t eat those starches, but both Brett and the bacteria (Lacto, Pedio) will. I’m using torrified wheat so I don’t have to do a cereal mash to soften them up. And just to ensure we have some starch, I’m also throwing in some wheat flour. Various homebrewers have had success, but no rule of thumb on the amount, so this is just a guess. We’ll see how well it works.

Another important aspect to lambic-style beer is locality of ingredients. I had planned on getting some wheat and pilsner from our new local micro malster, Blackland Malting up in Ceder Park, but their release in December was picked up by the local scene and they’re completely sold out of what they had. Pils and Wheat won’t make it out again till this summer. Look for v2 of Woxbic to include these malts. Normally I use Reverse Osmosis water to pull all of the elements and nasties out of the water and build a new profile with salts. Instead, I’ll use my local water. This has it’s own challenges since the city water is heavily bicarbonate as well as having lots of chloromines. To combat this, I’m employing a whole-house carbon filter, campden tabs, and lots of phosphoric acid so I can have a low residual alkalinity for mashing with light grains. I’ll follow up with a post on the water process used as well.

Here’s the recipe for Woxbic, the first lambic-style beer I’m attempting.

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
12 gal	90 min	8.9 IBUs	3.8 SRM	1.051	1.012	5.0 %
			Actuals	1.046	1.01	4.7 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
Straight (Unblended) Lambic	17 D	1.04 - 1.054	1.001 - 1.01	0 - 10	3 - 7	1.8 - 2.6	5 - 6.5 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Pilsner (2 Row) Bel	16 lbs	61.54
Wheat, Torrified	9 lbs	34.62
Acidulated (Weyermann)	1 lbs	3.85

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Crystal	1.5 oz	60 min	Boil	Pellet	3

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Wheat Flour	3.00 oz	5 min	Boil	Other

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
Bug Country (20)	East Coast Yeast	70%	63°F - 75°F

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Acid Rest	93°F	15 min
Protein Rest	113°F	15 min
Saccharification 1	131°F	15 min
Saccharification 2	149°F	15 min
Mash Out	168°F	10 min

Notes

After mash-out, drain all liquid into boil kettle, raise temp to 190, pump back to mash for second rinse through grain bed.

Pitching ECY20 Bugcountry in 11G barrel.

Download

Download this recipe's BeerXML file

Sour Wit, take 2

Posted on January 17, 2014 by funkmetal

Farmhouse Saison fermenting with lactobacillus

I attempted a sour-worted wit a while back. The process had a few hiccups and created a tasty beer, but it wasn’t nearly sour enough. There isn’t any magical formula since we’re at the mercy of the bacteria. However, I have learned that since I can’t rush it I shouldn’t try to make it fit my schedule.

In the past, I started the souring during the week and then on brewnight, usually Friday night, I would do the boil and then ferment. This put the bacteria under a timeline: get sour by friday or that’s it! This time, however, I’ll just be preparing the wort for innoculation and then letting it ride until it smells and tastes right.

Recipe-wise, I’ve been scouring the web for details and discussions of Crooked Stave’s St. Bretta farmhouse wit. This was my first Crooked Stave beer that I got to try out in San Francisco at the excellent Monk’s Kettle. It is a really nice beer. Sour enough in the finish, but not overly aggressive that non-sour beer drinkers would run away. There are a couple of new items for me, namely using Golden Naked Oats. Supposedly they have a nice rich and fruity flavor but can contribute enough proteins to enhance mouth feel.

For the yeast, I wasn’t sure what Brett to use. Various boards have some details of what is used in St. Bretta. I was tempted to try two Bretts, but I think this time I’ll pitch Brett C. A number of threads on Homebrewtalk forums mentioned getting a tart, almost sour flavor in beers fermented with Brett C. This is unique since it is generally accepted that Brett by itself does not produce souring acids, besides Acetic (think vinegar) in the presence of oxygen. Several homebrewers asserted that their Brett C. beers did have a significant tart, sour note without being acetic. That’s good enough for me to try.

Here is St. Woxford, version 1.

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
5.3 gal	60 min	9.0 IBUs	4.7 SRM	1.052	1.010	5.5 %
			Actuals	1.046	1.01	4.7 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
Witbier	16 A	1.044 - 1.052	1.008 - 1.012	10 - 20	2 - 4	2.4 - 2.9	4.5 - 5.5 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Brewer's Malt, 2-Row, Premium (Great Western)	6.5 lbs	59.63
Wheat Malt, Ger	1.5 lbs	13.76
Acidulated (Weyermann)	1 lbs	9.17
Munich Malt	1 lbs	9.17
Oats, Golden Naked (Simpsons)	8 oz	4.59
Barley, Flaked	6.4 oz	3.67

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Mt. Hood (20120604)	0.28 oz	60 min	First Wort	Pellet	6.1
Styrian Goldings	0.35 oz	10 min	Boil	Pellet	3
Ahtanum	0.35 oz	7 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	5.2

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Calcium Chloride	3.70 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)	3.70 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Epsom Salt (MgSO4)	0.90 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Coriander Seed	0.17 oz	5 min	Boil	Spice
Orange Peel, Bitter	0.17 oz	5 min	Boil	Spice

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
Brettanomyces Bruxellensis (WLP650)	White Labs	70%	65°F - 72°F
Brettanomyces Claussenii (WLP645)	White Labs	70%	65°F - 72°F
Lactobacillus Bacteria (WLP677)	White Labs	70%	65°F - 72°F

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Saccharification	147.9°F	90 min
Mash Out	168°F	10 min

Notes

Pitch lacto for up to 5 days to get level of sour needed.

Download

Download this recipe's BeerXML file

Needs more Brett

Posted on January 3, 2014 by funkmetal

Huge 3L starter for 12 gallon Saison batch

I could brew Saison every brew session and not get tired of the results. Especially if I’m fermenting with yeasts like Wyeast 3711, 3724 or bottle dregs. For this experiment, I’m looking to dial in a recipe for a slightly tart, but not fully sour saison. Something that has a slight lactic, tart bite, but not so sour that I need to age the beer for months or close to a year before it can be drunk.

I also want to use this showcase to test out different effects of Brett yeast in the secondary. I chose 3711 because this strain produces a high amount of glycerol, which lends to increased mouthfeel. This is one of the main reasons why beers fermented with 3711 can hit terminal gravity in the single digits, 1.004 for example, but not feel thin at all.

Brett is a huge consumer of glycerol, and uses it to transform flavors produced by sacchromyces.

I’ll be brewing 12 gallons of wort, chill to around 90F and then pitch lactobacillus for 48 hours to get an initial level of sour, and then rack the beer into 3 carboys, pitching a different brett (Lambicus, Bruxellensus, Clausenii) into each. After 6 weeks in the carboy, they’ll be bottled and sampled. I’ll also pull .33 gallons from each and combine into a single 1G jug to see what a combined brett secondary will produce.

Can’t want to find out how each of these come out.

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
12 gal	90 min	23.9 IBUs	4.3 SRM	1.052 SG	1.009 SG	5.6 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
Saison	16 C	1.048 - 1.065	1.002 - 1.012	20 - 35	5 - 14	2.3 - 2.9	5 - 7 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Pilsner (2 Row) Bel	14.5 lbs	61.7
Wheat Malt, Ger	5.5 lbs	23.4
Munich Malt	2.5 lbs	10.64
Acidulated (Weyermann)	1 lbs	4.26

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Styrian Goldings	1.76 oz	60 min	Boil	Pellet	3
Styrian Goldings	1 oz	60 min	Boil	Pellet	3.2
Saaz	2.4 oz	10 min	Boil	Pellet	7.6

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Calcium Chloride	3.00 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)	3.00 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Epsom Salt (MgSO4)	0.80 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
French Saison (3711)	Wyeast Labs	80%	65°F - 77°F
Brettanomyces Bruxellensis (WLP650)	White Labs	70%	65°F - 72°F
Brettanomyces Claussenii (WLP645)	White Labs	70%	65°F - 72°F
Brettanomyces Lambicus (WLP653)	White Labs	70%	65°F - 72°F
Lactobacillus Bacteria (WLP677)	White Labs	70%	65°F - 72°F

Notes

Chill to 100F, pitch lacto, hold for 48-36 hours. Chill to 65F.
Pitch 3711 into 12 gallons. Ferment to 1.010 S.G then transfer into three 4-gallon batches and pitch the different Brett strains into the carboys. Age for 6 weeks and then bottle.

Download

Download this recipe's BeerXML file

Farmhouse Brett IPA

Posted on December 23, 2013 by funkmetal

Farmhouse IPA split into 4 gallon batches

I’ve been fan of Rye IPAs for some time. My first love was Jester King’s Wytchmaker. Initially this beer was a straight-forward American IPA with a nice dose of Rye, solid American Hops and Dry-English-Ale yeast. Over time, Jester King evolved their beer by slowly modifying the fermentation to include local wild yeast and blending in some amount of older sour beer.

I’ve enjoyed tasting this beer as Jester King has made these changes. Last summer I was pleasantly surprised to encounter a rather prominent change. With the introduction of Brett, there is a huge impact in the nose of the beer; clearly for the better.

In November, I attended an AHA Rally at Jester King Craft Brewery and I spent some time chatting with Jeff Stuffings. One of the complements I shared was how well the Brett complimented Wytchmaker. Jeff chuckled a bit and said that they’ve been adding Brett since June this year, but I was the first person to have noticed the change. I didn’t seem possible NOT to recognize this massive change in aroma.

With that situation in mind, I decided to brew the two versions of this beer and experiment with a third. The recipe is a 12 gallon batch which I’ll split into three 4 gallon batches. One carboy will be fermented with White Labs Dry English Ale (WLP007) like the original. The second with Wyeast French Saison (3711) and then aged with Brett B. in secondary to come close to the current release of Wytchmaker. The third will be fermented with Brett B. Trois as an experiment with 100% Brett fermented beers.

Enjoy Wytch Brettmaker.

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
12 gal	90 min	95.8 IBUs	9.5 SRM	1.062	1.013	6.5 %
			Actuals	1.046	1.01	4.7 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
American IPA	14 B	1.056 - 1.075	1.01 - 1.018	40 - 70	6 - 15	2.2 - 2.7	5.5 - 7.5 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Brewer's Malt, 2-Row, Premium (Great Western)	23.192 lbs	79.28
Rye Malt	4.38 lbs	14.97
Carapils (Briess)	1.46 lbs	4.99
Carafa III	3.56 oz	0.76

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Warrior	1.82 oz	90 min	Boil	Pellet	13.7
Cascade	2.15 oz	20 min	Boil	Pellet	5.9
Centennial	1.89 oz	20 min	Boil	Pellet	11.4
Cascade	4.3 oz	2 min	Boil	Pellet	5.9
Centennial	4.3 oz	2 min	Boil	Pellet	11.4
Amarillo Gold (20120604)	2 oz	7 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	8.2
Cascade	2 oz	7 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	5.9
Centennial	2 oz	7 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	11.4
Simcoe	2 oz	7 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	11.7

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Phosphoric Acid	24.00 ml	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Calcium Chloride	16.20 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)	13.80 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Whirlfloc Tablet	2.00 Items	15 min	Boil	Fining

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
Brettanomyces B. Troi (644)	White Labs	90%	65°F - 80°F

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Saccharification	148°F	90 min
Mash Out	168°F	10 min

Download

Download this recipe's BeerXML file

Update 2014-01-02

Dry-English-Ale (007) on the left, 100% Brett B. Trois on the right.

I’ve now kegged two of the three batches. The Dry English Ale yeast finished first, but for some reason this time it threw off a ton of diacetyl. So much then I knew I needed to do something. I was stepping up some Wyeast 1056 yeast for ardeo, so I decided I would pitch some active 1056 (kruasening) to clean it up. This restarted fermentation in the beer and when I dry-hopped, I didn’t pick up any more diacetyl, though I didn’t perform a complete test. Terminal gravity was 1.013.

Next finished was the 100% Brett Trois fermentation. F.G was 1.010. The amount of tropical fruits coming out was intense, so much that I almost didn’t dry-hop, but part of reason for brewing this recipe was to finish off some hops.

The 3711 version fermented down to 1.006 and at this point I pitched Brett Brux and dry-hopped the beer. It’s still aging another 4 weeks to bring out the Brett B. character, and then it’ll be bottled and aged for 6 weeks before tasting.

Dry-English-Ale (007) on the left, 100% Brett B. Trois on the right.

On to the results.

Wytchmaker Rye IPA (OG-style with Sacc.)

Aroma — Huge hop nose, some citrus, a little pine. Some malt in the nose. A faint hint of caramel… most likely remnants of diacetyl; present but not offensive.

Appearance — Amber color. Slight cloudiness that comes from a heavy dry-hop. Slightly off-white head, creamy texture. Quite a bit darker than the current Jester King Wytchmaker color; most likely due to different kettle malliard reactions during the 90 minute boil.

Taste — Sharp rye spicy bite, followed by malt sweetness, fading into a lingering hop bitterness. Hop flavors and presence help balance the higher gravity finish.

Mouthfeel — Medium body. Not chewy, but but not thin. Hard to tell if there is a dry finish because of the hops covering much of the lingering flavors.

Notes — Solid Rye IPA, though slightly marred by the diacetyl presence. Hard to beat this recipe when done flawlessly.

Wytch Brettmaker Rye IPA (100% Brett B. Trois)

Aroma — Tropical fruits, sweet malt, mango, bananna, touch of bubblegum.

Appearance — Amber color, just a bit lighter than the 007 version. Same slight cloudiness from the dry-hop; possibly will clear up in keg, other Brett beers have become brilliantly crystal. Same off-white head, a bit more fluffy and foamy. Lingers and leaves lovely lacing on the glass.

Taste — Similar sharp rye bite and then a bit of a belgian yeast spiciness, followed by sweet malt, melding together and then absolutely crushed with a huge hop bitter finish, lingering for quite some time.

Mouthfeel — Medium to light body; definitely lighter than the 007 version. Specific Gravity backs that up, though only by 3 points or so. Over time, it’s possible the brett might drop down a notch or two.

Notes — It appears the brett “ate” lots of the hop aromas. WIth the amount of dry-hop added, I should be able to pick out the Simcoe, Cascade, and Centennial, but it seems to sit behind the yeast aromas. I also bottled a case of this beer to see how it evolves in the bottle.