Reunited IPA - 100% Brettanomyces IPA

Kayla is finally in DC and we decided to make something for the occasion. We've been wanting to play around with Brett and we love hoppy IPAs.

This specific recipe is based on both The Mad Fermentationist's 100% Brett IPA (Found here) and advice from a fellow DC Homebrewers member. According to the Mad Fermentationist, the white labs Brett Brux. Trois is supposed to give off more fruity notes and less horse blanket notes than other strains available. When I spoke with my homebrewer friend, Sean, he stated that it would be a good idea to add oats and acid malt to a 100% brett IPA. His reasoning (from my memory) was that Brett produces less of some sort of enzyme (?) that contributes to body, so oats will help counteract this. Additionally, he stated that the addition of acid malt will help the Brett yeast give off more of the desired fruity characteristics. (I know this all sounds less than scientific, but rest assured it was described to me in a much more complicated way that I have since forgot).

Recipe specifics:

Size (Gal): 5.50
Total Grain (lbs): 12.25
Projected OG: 1.057
Projected FG: 1.009
Projected SRM: 5.4
Projected IBU: 63.49
Wort Boil Time (min): 60

Fermentables:

71.15% -- 9.00 lbs 2 Row
07.91% -- 1.00 lb White Wheat
07.91% -- 1.00 lb Vienna
01.98% -- 4.00 ounces Caramel 40L
03.95% -- 0.50 lb Quick Oats
03.95% -- 0.50 lb Acid Malt
03.16% -- 0.40 lb Briess Golden Light DME

Hops:
1.50 ounces Columbus at 60 min
2.00 ounces Simcoe at 00 min
2.00 ounces Galaxy at 00 min
1.00 ounce Cascade at 00 min
0.50 ounces Columbus at 00 min

3.00 ounces Galaxy for 5 days
1.00 ounce Simcoe for 5 days
0.45 ounces Mosaic for 5 days

Extras:

1 tsp Irish Moss at 15 min
9 grams Gypsum split between mash and sparge

Yeast:

White Labs 644 (Brettanomyces Bruxellensis Trois)

Mash:

Sacch rest: 90 min at 152F

Notes:

• Brewed 08/25/2013
• Pitched yeast at 75F
• Fermented in living room
• 9/16/2013: Dry hopped into keg -- using hop bag and marbles in keg
• possible keg over-fill
• 9/20/2013: Removed hop bag; difficulties opening keg, over-filled keg
• keg explosion

 

• 9/21/2013: Carbonated the keg
• 9/24/2013: tested, keg clog
• running CO2 through outpost did not fix the problem
• ordered wrench to take apart keg; going to transfer IPA to different keg and clean out the clog