Beer Forum

I have three lambic style beers in fermentation at the moment. I am planning on giving them another year before bottling. I have read in a couple places, not sure where off the top of my head, that brett super attenuates.

I just had to do an experiment and here is where the question comes in. One of the extract beers is an experiment using Wyeast lambic blend on a high gravity braggot w/0.75lb malto dextrine powder for the brett and 6 lbs honey (1.1 SG).

How will I know when it is ready for bottling without creating bottle bombs? Being that Brett can eat everything, how do I determine what the terminal gravity should be (if the alc doesnt' kill off the brett and bacteria)?

Any ideas or info would be greatly appreciated. I have only been brewing and mead making for 2 1/2 years and am flying blind with this experiment. I just had to give it a try.

I bottled mine after almost a year (after performing three rackings) and none exploded. After reading your post, I went out and dug up a couple of bottles from that Feb. 2000 batch. I used the champagne bottles with the Oxycaps and there is hardly any carbonation left. There was a little bit of pellicle forming in the bottle.

Sour with no fruit flavor left at all.
Brewed 5.8.99
Kreik bottled 3.12.00
Framboise bottled 2.10.00
OG 1073
TG 1010

Thanks for the info.

Maybe I need to clarify a little better. I have heard that Brett will continue, very slowly, to break down and consume the sugars until they are all gone. Being I am starting with such a high OG, I am concerned with alc tolerance of the yeast and how it may affect my final gravity. I intend to bottle condition so I am concerned with how to determine when the yeast has consumed all available fermentables. This way I could bottle carbonate and not have the Brett continue to slowly ferment within the bottle over the two + years of aging and create dangerous bottle bombs.

I do understand that Brett is not one of the more scientifically tested yeasts, but I was hoping that there might be someone out there that could help me out.

One idea that crossed my mind. What if I were to carry out the lambic blend fermentation (including time for the bacteria) to its limit. Then pitch a highy alcohol tolerant beer or wine yeast to dry it out and bottle carbonate?

I've got a Flemish Red with Brett that I bottle 10/20/05 in regular beer bottles. OG 1.061 and FG of 1.008. I haven't had any problems and the carb levels seem fine.

Push has a bottle of it if he ever drinks it.

Travis