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Shared Wort, Ester-Forward, Funk-Forward Protocols

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Experimental home procedure. Read the disclaimer first.

Working protocols for the G30 (25 L → ~6 × 4.2 L).

1. Wort design rationale (applies to both protocols)

  • Turbid pulls lock in oligosaccharides (long Brett active phase → more cumulative VPR output), high-MW/proline-rich protein (Brett-specific nitrogen depot FAN can't replicate), and wort lipids (MCFA ester precursors — boil/trub removal strips up to 85% of wort fatty acids).
  • 60 min boil, no finings, minimal whirlpool, generous trub carry-through — all preserve the precursor fraction. Counter-intuitive but mechanistically correct for this style.
  • Nutrients: organic nitrogen only (nutritional yeast, yeast hulls); DAP suppresses ester formation and drives fast bland attenuation. Delay first addition to day 2–3 so Sacch starts slightly stressed and leaves more for Brett. Zinc 0.1–0.2 mg/L elemental, single dose per fermentation (catalytic, not consumed; more is inhibitory).
  • Water: bicarbonate <50 ppm (hard ceiling 80); Campden mandatory (1 tablet/75 L); Ca 30–50, Mg 5–15, Na <30, SO₄ 20–50, Cl 30–60 ppm; chloride-leaning. Mash pH 5.2–5.4.

2. Shared brew day (25 L, OG 1.050, ~65% efficiency)

Grist: Bohemian Pilsner 52% (~2.85 kg) · raw wheat 28% (~1.55 kg) · wheat malt 10% (~550 g) · raw barley 5% (~275 g) · wheat flakes 2.5% mash + 2.5% kettle (~140 g each) · rice hulls 200 g. (No oats in this shared wort — deliberate: it serves the ester carboys too.)

Mash (G30 ramps ~1 °C/min):

Step Temp Hold Action
Mash-in + ferulic rest 45 °C 20 min Dough in with hulls
Protein rest 55 °C 20 min Pull 1: 4–5 L turbid wort at end → heat to 88–90 °C, hold covered
Saccharification 65 °C 35 min Pull 2: further 4–5 L mid-rest → 88–90 °C
Dextrin rest 72 °C 30 min
Mash-out 90 °C 5 min Sparge with 90 °C water

Boil (60 min): return both pulls to kettle at start; kettle flakes in at start; aged hops 30–35 g; 8 g nutritional yeast; no finings; whirlpool ≤5 min; chill and carry trub generously to fermenter.

Two 500 mL conical flasks of amber starter, foil-capped and marked WLP 645 and WLP 648, standing on a cling-filmed wooden box used as a stir plate, with an older flask carrying a pellicle beside them My hand-crafted double stir plate, making starters · 2026-06-27

Three foil-capped conical flasks of amber starter at different fill levels beside two capped slant tubes in a jar Prep for a single batch. I can mix and match as many as eight strains across Saccharomyces, Brettanomyces and mixed cultures if I am splitting the batch · 2023-04-02

3. Protocol A — Ester-forward (tropical Brett primary)

Goal: maximum MCFA esters; ~3–4 months brew to glass.

  1. Pre-acidify wort to pH 4.0–4.2 with 88% lactic (~1 mL/5 L equivalent; verify by meter) — sharpens perceived esters and suppresses esterase.
  2. Pitch 100% Brett — most tropical-expressing strains (WLP645/648, Holy Goat isolates; else Cantillon + Brut du Ferment). Big pitch: ~2 mL slurry/L/°P ≈ 600 mL for 25 L at 1.050. Aerate hard pre-pitch (or O₂ stone when procured).
  3. Hold 23–24 °C steady. Aerobic days 0–5 (loose lid); sealed + airlock from day 5–7.
  4. Day 0: 25 mg p-coumaric to the batch. Day 3: 5 g nutritional yeast + 3 mL zinc stock (3 mg Zn). Optional: yeast hulls ~2.5 g at pitch (UFA source at pitch only + MCFA adsorption).
  5. Transfer to carboys at 2–3 weeks, fill to neck. LAB: optional and front-loaded, never co-fermented through the ester window — see §3.1 for why the previous "no Lacto, acidity competes with ester perception" rule was wrong and what replaces it. Week 2 of secondary: 2 g nutritional yeast + 5 mg p-coumaric per carboy.
  6. Weekly sensory pulls weeks 4–10; score pineapple/tropical, secondary fruit, off-notes. Bottle at peak, not plateau (peak window weeks 2–6 of active phase; bottling gate weeks 6–14 — see 03 §4).
  7. Cold crash 4 °C / 48 h → bottle within 1–2 weeks → EC-1118 → refrigerate once carbonated (2–4 weeks). Esters decay warm, even in bottle. Competition entries: young and cold (01).

3.1 Why "no Lacto" was the right call for the wrong reason

The stated rationale — acidity competes with ester perception — does not survive review:

  • Low pH protects esters. Brett esterase is bidirectional with a pH optimum of ~7.6 (03 §4); the lower the pH, the slower the hydrolysis that ends the tropical peak. Step 1 of this very protocol acidifies in order to suppress esterase. Acidity is ester-preserving.
  • The beer is already acidic either way. Pre-acidification to 4.0–4.2 means the objection, taken at face value, argues against step 1.
  • Sour and tropical coexist commercially across mixed-fermentation and fruited-sour styles; there is no general antagonism to appeal to.

The real reasons to keep LAB out of weeks 2–14 are about timing and competition, and they are strong:

Reason Mechanism Consequence
Clock conflict A secondary LAB culture needs 8–12 weeks to reach its floor — precisely the weeks 2–6 ester peak and the 6–14 bottling gate You judge the ester peak against a moving pH; the bottling decision is made on a target that is still travelling
Competition LAB take residual sugars and amino acids during the only phase that synthesises esters Lower ester output, not just different perception
Acetic route Heterofermentative strains make acetic acid; acetic + ethanol → ethyl acetate The one ester in the set that turns solventy first (03 §1)
Perception, stated correctly Sourness suppresses sweetness, and residual sweetness supports the perception of tropical fruit At fixed ester concentration a drier, sourer beer reads sharper and less juicy. Real, but an argument for controlling the degree of acidity, not for avoiding acid

Revised practice. If acidity is wanted in an ester-forward beer, front-load it: kettle-sour or pre-acidify to the final target before the Brett pitch, so souring is complete before ester accumulation begins. Target pH 3.6–3.8 for ester-forward (versus 3.4–3.6 for funk-forward). Fast homofermentative L. plantarum in the kettle is the clean route (§5 table); a secondary LAB co-ferment is not. Keep at least one carboy at the plain 4.0–4.2 pre-acidification as the control — this is a two-carboy question and it has never actually been tested here.

4. Protocol B — Funk-forward (sequential pitch)

Goal: 4-EP/4-EG/4-EC accumulation; 12–24 months; blending-ready output.

  1. Primary: POF+ Sacch alone, 22–23 °C, ~2 weeks. Day 0: 50 mg p-coumaric + 1 green coffee capsule (vodka slurry) to the batch — see 04 §12 for the revised split (Day 0 now carries ≤30% of the p-coumaric budget, remainder staged onto the sampling cadence). Day 3: 5 g nutritional yeast.
  2. Secondary: Brett blend pitched per carboy at transfer (e.g. Boon + Brut du Ferment/Wy5112 core; decide based on availability and expected profile).
  3. Temperature: 23–24 °C months 2–9, then 22 °C (activation → maturation, 04 §7).
  4. Optional LAB per carboy for the lactic backbone (§5). Leave 1–2 carboys unsoured for blending range.
  5. Week 2 per carboy: 2 g nutritional yeast + 1 mL zinc stock (1 mg Zn). Week 6: 8 mg p-coumaric + 0.5 capsule. Week 12 sensory checkpoint: strong → skip rest; subtle → 5 mg + 0.5 capsule; off-character → stop and troubleshoot. Month 4–5: 1 g nutritional yeast.
  6. Month 6+: sample every 6–8 weeks (micro-oxygenation dose); no sugar additions needed while fermentation is ongoing.
  7. Bottle on taste at 12–24 months; cold crash 48 h; EC-1118; 4–6 weeks to carbonate; cellar conditioning continues development. Blend first where warranted (06).

5. Acidity backbone (controlled LAB)

Low pH brightens 4-EP, sharpens 4-EG, and stops well-made funk reading flat. Target: pH 3.4–3.6, TA 4–6 g/L lactic equivalent, lactic:acetic 5:1–10:1.

Correction — Wyeast 5335 is Lactobacillus buchneri, not L. delbrueckii. Wyeast catalogue it as L. buchneri and recommend use below 10 IBU. This matters, because buchneri is heterofermentative: it produces acetic acid and CO₂ alongside lactic, and under sugar limitation it is the species best known for converting lactate itself into acetate and 1,2-propanediol. That is the opposite of a clean 5:1–10:1 lactic:acetic backbone. Every earlier note in this project recommending "L. delbrueckii (Wyeast 5335)" was conflating a desired species with an actual product. (High confidence on the species; medium on how much acetate it contributes at our sugar levels.)

The behaviour previously wanted — a soft acidity that self-limits around pH 3.5 and needs no intervention to stop — is real, but it belongs to low-acid-tolerance delbrueckii-type homofermenters, which in practice means WLP677, not 5335.

Second correction — the pH target is now a funk decision, not just a flavour decision. VPR has a pH optimum of 5–6 (04 §11); every 0.1 pH down costs conversion rate. Driving a funk carboy to 3.2 for acidity's sake slows the very thing the carboy exists for. Sequence acidity before the funk window (kettle sour, pre-acidify) or after it (late LAB pitch, blending with an acid donor) rather than running both at once in the critical months.

Strain comparison

Product Species Ferment. type Practical pH floor Hop tolerance Temp range Speed Recommended here?
WLP677 L. delbrueckii (identity disputed; behaves as a soft, slow acidifier) Effectively homolactic in practice ~3.2–3.4; soft, gradual to ~20 IBU (claimed) 32–47 °C optimum; works slowly at ambient Slow (weeks) Yes — first choice for a secondary backbone. This is the strain the protocol always meant
Lallemand WildBrew Sour Pitch Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Facultatively heterofermentative (homolactic on glucose) ~3.2 ~0 IBU 32–38 °C Fast (24–48 h) Yes — first choice for kettle souring and for front-loading Protocol A. Dry, no starter
Fermentis SafSour LP 652 (new option) Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Facultatively heterofermentative ~3.2–3.5 Low ~32 °C ±5 Very fast (24–36 h) Yes — the most convenient pre-acidification route. Direct pitch, dry, no starter; use where LP 652's slightly higher floor is wanted
Pediococcus damnosus (WLP661 / Wy5733) (new option, not a Lactobacillus) P. damnosus Homofermentative ~3.2–3.4 over months–years Hop-tolerant Ambient Very slow (months) Yes — the correct organism for a 12–24 month funk carboy. Slow bound-HCA liberation that synergises with Brett VPR (07 §4). Accept the diacetyl/ropiness phase; Brett clears both
WLP672 Levilactobacillus brevis Heterofermentative 3.0–3.5 <10 IBU 21–35 °C Slow Situational — sold for long secondary ageing, but it is an acetic producer. Only if a vinous edge is wanted
Wyeast 5335 L. buchneri (not delbrueckii) Heterofermentative ~3.2–3.5 <10 IBU 16–35 °C Slow; 5–7 day starter needed No for a clean lactic backbone — acetic co-production, plus lactate-to-acetate conversion risk. Supersedes the earlier recommendation
Wyeast 5223-PC Levilactobacillus brevis Heterofermentative ~3.3 to ~20 IBU 32–35 °C Moderate No — same acetic objection; kept in the table so it is not re-considered
Omega OYL-605 L. brevis + L. plantarum blend Hetero + facultative 3.0–3.2 0–2 IBU 18–35 °C Fast Situational — overshoots the 3.4–3.6 target. Reserve for aggressive Cantillon-style or acid-donor work
Bootleg Biology Sour Weapon L (new option) L. plantarum blend (kveik-derived) Facultatively heterofermentative 3.0–3.5 0 IBU 29–37 °C Very fast Situational — excellent kettle-sour performer, floor a little low for an unattended secondary

pH floors are working figures from vendor data and Milk The Funk aggregation, not measurements in this system; wort composition and pitch rate move them by a tenth or two. Medium confidence throughout. Reclassification note: the 2020 split of Lactobacillus means L. brevis is now Levilactobacillus brevis and L. plantarum is Lactiplantibacillus plantarum; vendors still use the old names on packaging.

Practical trajectory (secondary pitch, one pack per 5 L directly at secondary start, no starter): ~4.2 → 3.9 (wk 2–3) → 3.7 (wk 4–6) → 3.5–3.6 (wk 8–12). Underpitching stretches timeline, not endpoint. LAB do not survive in finished beer — buy fresh each time. Aged hops keep IBU low enough for all of the above; a fresh-hop addition does not.

Per-batch decision:

Profile wanted Approach
Mild, saison-adjacent WLP677 in secondary, no pre-acidification
Moderate gueuze Pre-acidify to 4.2 + WLP677 in secondary
Long funk carboy (12–24 months) P. damnosus for the slow backbone; lets the funk window run at a higher pH first
Aggressive sour L. plantarum (kettle or secondary, unhopped)
Ester-forward (Protocol A) Front-loaded only: kettle-sour or pre-acidify to 3.6–3.8 before pitching Brett; no secondary co-ferment (§3.1)
Fruit/thiol showcase Skip LAB; fruit acids + Brett contribution
Acid donor for blending L. plantarum kettle sour to pH 3.0–3.1

Brett alone cannot reliably supply the backbone — pushed hard it goes acetic + THP via the oxygen it needs.