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A beer tasting last night...


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#1 Big Nake

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Posted 17 October 2014 - 06:45 AM

A bud of mine asked me if I wanted to go to a wine place that was having a beer tasting. It's basically a high-end wine shop with a bar on one side. The lady running the place said that she needed to have X amount of people show up or she wouldn't be able to pour the flights for the tasting. Well there wasn't enough people so she said we could just open some bombers of our choice instead. Okay, fine. We looked at the offerings (we like the same styles pretty much) and decided on a Victory product called Wild Devil. My bud read the label and saw that it was an IPA and we agreed. She opens the bottle, pours the beer... cloudy, very bubbly. We sip it... eh, okay. It warms up a bit and we're wincing at each other. I say, "I'm giving this beer a lukewarm MEH" and he agrees. The lady says, "What, no good?". I'm sniffing it and trying to figure out what the story is. I tell her, "You know what? It's flowery. It smells like a funeral". My buddy laughs and says,"THAT'S IT!". She takes a sniff and winces and agrees it smells like a funeral. She reads the label and says BRETT and I know why I don't like it. Then she brings out Stone's ENJOY BY which was clear, clean and citrusy. I tasted Amarillo and I think Simcoe. That was a very nice beer and my bud agreed. At least my taste buds are consistent on this one. That Victory beer with the Brett... I don't get it. Totally not my thing.

#2 BlKtRe

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Posted 17 October 2014 - 06:50 AM

What is the deal with Brett IpA? My favorite styles of all time but together I just dont know 



#3 Big Nake

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Posted 17 October 2014 - 07:20 AM

What is the deal with Brett IpA? My favorite styles of all time but together I just dont know

I was surprised too. I get the IPA thing and can enjoy them like anyone else. I steer clear of things with Brett because I know I don't care for it. But an IPA with Brett was new to me. Also, this beer did not have that nice, snappy hop character. Or if it did, it didn't come through like I would expect. Do you call that a Belgian IPA? The Victory Wild Devil (I should have known it was Brett when I saw 'wild' in the name) was something like 6.9% and the Stone Enjoy By was 9.4%. Big beer. This lady was pretty good about beer considering she was a wine person. She talked about the ENJOY BY like a champ... They use 'wet hops' in this beer and you need to drink it when it's fresh or the hop character will fizzle out... and I was looking at her like, Are you married? :D

#4 HVB

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Posted 17 October 2014 - 07:28 AM

I think a brett IPA can be good but I think hop choices are important along with the strain of brett.  And All citra or citra and Amarillo IPA fermented with Brett C would be very good in my mind.  Now this is fermented with Brett from the start.  I am not sure how good it would be if Brett was added at the end.



#5 BlKtRe

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Posted 17 October 2014 - 07:31 AM

I was surprised too. I get the IPA thing and can enjoy them like anyone else. I steer clear of things with Brett because I know I don't care for it. But an IPA with Brett was new to me. Also, this beer did not have that nice, snappy hop character. Or if it did, it didn't come through like I would expect. Do you call that a Belgian IPA? The Victory Wild Devil (I should have known it was Brett when I saw 'wild' in the name) was something like 6.9% and the Stone Enjoy By was 9.4%. Big beer. This lady was pretty good about beer considering she was a wine person. She talked about the ENJOY BY like a champ... They use 'wet hops' in this beer and you need to drink it when it's fresh or the hop character will fizzle out... and I was looking at her like, Are you married? :D

 

Belgian IpA is different. Those are a standard IpA but using a Belgian Sac strain. Brett IpA is a totally different creature. 



#6 SchwanzBrewer

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Posted 17 October 2014 - 07:33 AM

I don't think bitter goes well with brett. Late additions and dry hopping can really compliment it though. 



#7 Genesee Ted

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Posted 17 October 2014 - 07:34 AM

Victory Wild Devil is an atrocious version of a brett IPA.  I have had some that are absolutely phenomenal though.  They are really popular here with some of our better brewers.  My one friend has a real knack for it.  He has taken it a step further and does 100% brett fermentations.  He has really teased out the nuances of a few different strains of brett paired with very specific hops, and man.... I tell you what, you would not think it is brett if you never had 100% brett.  It acts like an aggressive, slightly fruity ale yeast.  Attenuates nicely, but not as fully as if you used it in conjunction with sach.  In a mixed culture, brett will chew through whatever is left, often taking you down to 1.0000 or less.  On its own, it will get you down to 1.010-1.1015 or a tad higher.  Really amazing.  I would highly recommend brett c with amarillo, simcoe, and citra.  Hop burst, massive dry hop.  You're welcome :cheers:

 

Also, pretty sure, unless it was a large departure from how they usually make Enjoy By, those are not wet hops in there.  Could be wrong, maybe the current batch they did, but not usually. 

I think a brett IPA can be good but I think hop choices are important along with the strain of brett.  And All citra or citra and Amarillo IPA fermented with Brett C would be very good in my mind.  Now this is fermented with Brett from the start.  I am not sure how good it would be if Brett was added at the end.

Posted while I was typing.  This!



#8 BlKtRe

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Posted 17 October 2014 - 07:37 AM

Victory Wild Devil is an atrocious version of a brett IPA.  I have had some that are absolutely phenomenal though.  They are really popular here with some of our better brewers.  My one friend has a real knack for it.  He has taken it a step further and does 100% brett fermentations.  He has really teased out the nuances of a few different strains of brett paired with very specific hops, and man.... I tell you what, you would not think it is brett if you never had 100% brett.  It acts like an aggressive, slightly fruity ale yeast.  Attenuates nicely, but not as fully as if you used it in conjunction with sach.  In a mixed culture, brett will chew through whatever is left, often taking you down to 1.0000 or less.  On its own, it will get you down to 1.010-1.1015 or a tad higher.  Really amazing.  I would highly recommend brett c with amarillo, simcoe, and citra.  Hop burst, massive dry hop.  You're welcome :cheers:

 

Also, pretty sure, unless it was a large departure from how they usually make Enjoy By, those are not wet hops in there.  Could be wrong, maybe the current batch they did, but not usually. 

Posted while I was typing.  This!

 

You just inspired me. I'm going for it. Been wanting to do a 100% Brett fermentation so this is it. 



#9 HVB

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Posted 17 October 2014 - 08:01 AM

You just inspired me. I'm going for it. Been wanting to do a 100% Brett fermentation so this is it. 

Look up Ithaca Super Friends IPA.

You just inspired me. I'm going for it. Been wanting to do a 100% Brett fermentation so this is it. 

Oh and .. Group brew - start a new thread on it.  I would be interested in this.



#10 Howie

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Posted 17 October 2014 - 10:34 AM

I prefer my beer sans-funk.

 

No funky Belgians for me. No Brett. No Thank You



#11 Genesee Ted

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Posted 17 October 2014 - 11:14 AM

100% brett is not funky really.  I think when pitched in a mixed culture, brett gets the leftovers after sach poops out.  It is a pretty stressful environment for any yeast, so the brett throws funk.  With the proper pitch rate in a pure culture, it comes across as a delicately fruity ale yeast.  




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