Today I bottled the Brett IPA I brewed up three weeks ago. I managed to squeeze 29 bottles (0.33L) out of the 10 liter batch, so am quite happy. Gravity had fallen to 1.012, meaning an apparent attenuation of 80%. This is in the range of the Brett B strain mixture I used (WLP644), though some have reported apparent attenuations up to 85-90%. Hopefully I won’t get any bottle bombs. 1.012 seems perfect for a IPA in this strength. I had a small taste sample, and the reports of tropical and pineappley fruitiness of this strain are true, as it felt like I was drinking juice. This will be very interesting to drink in a couple of weeks!

Another brewday behind, and today it was time to brew a small batch of an American IPA hopped with Nelson Sauvin and Galaxy, and fermented with Brettanomyces bruxellensis Trois (WLP 644). The brewday was very smooth, and am already very eager to taste the results, as the wort was tasting fantastic, and even the yeast starter was drinkable. Hoping to get a fruit bomb, as many have reported that using this strain as the primary fermenter results in pineapple and passion fruit aromas, while the hops should lend their share as well. Hit a gravity of 1.064 (16.2 brix), so guessing this will end up at 6-7% ABV depending on how dry this ferments. I tried using a quite high mash temperature (68° C) and some oats in the mash, as the yeast strain is quite attenuative and it produces no glycerol, which results in a thinner body and mouthfeel. It will be really interesting to taste the results! Recipe below:

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After reading some threads across the web on White Lab’s new WLP644 Brettanomyces bruxellensis Trois strain, I really want to try brewing a fruity IPA with it. White Labs describe the strain in the following way:

WLP644 Brettanomyces bruxellensis Trois
This Belgian strain, used traditionally for 100% Brettanomyces fermentations, produces a slightly tart beer with delicate characteristics of mango and pineapple. Can also be used to produce effervescence when bottle-conditioning.
Optimal Temp: 70-85F
Flocculation: Low
Attenuation: 85%+
Alcohol Tolerance: Medium-High

Reports on the web say that when used as the primary fermentation strain, the yeast gives off lots of tropical fruit aroma, drawing to tones of mango, guava, pineapple, and orange. This would probably compliment well with some fruity hops, such as Citra and Nelson Sauvin. There are commercially brewed Brett IPAs available (e.g. Ithaca Super Friends IPA and Anchorage Galaxy White IPA), but it would unfortunately be impossible for me to get my hands on one here in Finland. I have never brewed with Brettanomyces before, and have only tasted a couple of commercial Brett beers, so this will probably be an interesting and exciting experiment. I plan on brewing a 10 liter IPA batch and a 5 liter Brett Blonde batch (to get a better impression of what the yeast brings to beers) from the same mash, and splitting a 1.5 liter starter of the WLP644 between them. The grain bill will consist of 10% munich for some maltiness and 10% flaked oats for improved body, and I will be mashing quite high to prevent the beers from fermenting too dry. I haven’t planned the Blonde recipe yet, but the IPA recipe is presented below. I will be naming the beers after Bret McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords (because of the Brett yeast and the New Zealand hop), and the IPA will probably be called ‘Bret you’ve got it going on’.

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