I’ve never made a Brett IPA before, and with Bootleg Biology’s Spring culture release, I figured what better time to try?
I’ll get right to it because I didn’t document the brew day or any of the process, just the final results.
And those final results did not disappoint! Barbe Rouge is a new hop, and I can confirm as told by others, it’s straight up strawberries and currants in aroma and flavor.
The goal of the beer was a Strawberry/Pineapple flavored beer with a bit of funk, and I think we nailed it.
Fair warning though, if a bit of brettanomyces funk isn’t your thing, then you may not care for this beer. But if you like a little bit, this should be your next batch!
| Basics | ||
| Batch Size (fermentor): | 7 gallons | |
| Boil Length: | 60 minutes | |
| Mash Temp: | 149F | Single Infusion |
| OG: | 1.076 (estimated) | 1.072 (actual) |
| FG: | 1.010 (estimated) | 1.008 (actual) |
| ABU: | 8.66% (estimated) | 8.4% (actual) |
| IBU: | 38 | |
| SRM: | 6.6 | |
| Fermentables | ||
| 2-Row | 74% | |
| Vienna | 12% | |
| White Wheat | 6% | |
| Golden Naked Oats | 8% | |
| Total | 100% | |
| Hops | ||
| Yakima Hop Shot (60AA) | 4 ml | 60 min |
| Barbe Rouge | 1 oz | 5 Min |
| BRU-1 | 1 oz | 5 Min |
| Barbe Rouge | 3 oz | Whirlpool @ 175 |
| BRU-1 | 3 oz | Whirlpool @ 175 |
| Barbe Rouge | 4 oz | Dryhop @ Day 7 |
| BRU-1 | 2 oz | Dryhop @ Day 7 |
| Total | 14 oz + 4 ml extract | |
| Yeast | ||
| Bootleg Biology Funk Weapon #2 | 1 Pack, with a starter | Pitch at 70F, after a few days raise to 76F. I let it go for 3 weeks before packaging. |
| Water | My typical NEIPA profile | |
| Mash pH | 5.25 | |
| Calcium | 125 | |
| Mg | n/a | |
| Sodium | 35 | |
| Sulfate | 75 | |
| Chloride | 205 | |
| Notes | ||
The Results
As I said before, I didn’t document this batch. Just took pics at the end of the day. It’s a killer beer, but remember like I mentioned, if you don’t like a little brett, you may not like this beer. That said, it’s not intense at all. It’s balanced wonderfully between the flavors and aromas of the yeast with the choice of hops.
The color is my favorite. I love nothing more than an orange and hazy IPA.
Aroma smacks you in the face as you open the tap. HEAVY berry smells. Overwhelmingly so, you can tell it’s a mix of the yeast and the hops because to my inexperienced nose, you whiff a little something unfamiliar. It smells like a treat.
Flavor is off the charts strawberries and currants, with a hint of pineapple, backed up by a fruity mix of funk. I’m not super well versed in brett flavors, but there’s no leather/horse blanket type of flavor.
It’s a very unique and interesting beer. Surprisingly I hit every mark we were hoping for when the hops and yeast were chosen to make this beer. Our goal was berry, pineapple, and brett. And that’s what we got.
Conclusion
This beer is very interesting. If you were poured a glass without knowing what it was, your brain would be confused at first as it processed the overall flavor. Looks like a hazy IPA, and smells like one but with a twist. Something unfamiliar is present on the nose.
The flavor and mouthfeel tick all the boxes of a hazy ipa, but the brett adds its own element. Making it almost nothing like what you thought it was.
If you’re looking for something new and interesting to brew, this would be a great beer to brew. Overall, I’m very pleased with the results.
Some of the items used in this batch
Affiliate link disclaimer! (not for Norcal Brewing, just Morebeer)
SS Brewtech 7 gallon BrewBucket with the Domed Lid for a little extra space on top.
I wanted to be sure to use my stainless fermenter and not my plastic Fermzilla. I put boiling water in to it when I was done cleaning and let it just chill for a bit.
I use this 3″ TC cap on the fermenter for easy pressure transfers at the end.
While expensive, this TC cap with the PRV allows me to pressurize the brewbucket and not really worry too much about anything dangerous. While I’d never had more pressure than a few PSI, never pressurize anything without a prv.
Simple Homebrew 