Notes: Boil water first to deoxygenate, add maltodextrin and 1 oz nutrient blend (to sanitize), cool to 170, add flaked (quick) oats, hold for 30 minutes (this supposedly locks in starches for mouthfeel, but they may be fermentable by the Brett later on... so if nothing else, it will just give them more food for the funk. I used a bag, and squeezed when done... lots of gooey goodness came out!), then cool to 100 F. Add honey and mix until dissolved well. Measure pH if able, and add 88% lactic acid to adjust pH down to ~4.5 (not required, but helps against unwanted organism contamination), and then pitch one shot of Goodbelly (lacto plantarum). Make sacc yeast starter, oxygenating and adding 1/2 oz yeast nutrient.
Let sit for 24-48 hrs (to taste, or pH reading, if you're looking for a specific level). Can boil now to kill lacto and lock in sour level (but boiling will also volalitlize some honey aromatics, so I don't plan on doing it), or just pitch sacc if you don't mind it getting more sour over time (I'd only go 24 hrs if so). Add 1/4 oz yeast nutrient when pitching sacc. Ferment temp controlled at 64-5 for first 3-4 days, degassing each day, then can warm up to room temp to finish attenuation, adding last 1/4 nutrient then. After a week or so (doesn't need to be completely dry yet), add Brett(s), and let it do its thing for a couple months...
Dry hop, or add fruit to, all or a portion, if desired, before bottling. Get creative with complementary flavors! |
