About 2 years ago, on 5/2/2015, I brewed a simple wheat ale that would become the base for an experimental ale that is bottle conditioning as I type this out.

When I initially brewed this batch, I had a pretty simple goal in mind. I had been brewing different sours and farmhouse ales for a while but I had not done anything with an extended aging. I really wanted to see some flavors develop from additions of Brett, Lacto, and Pedio and I wanted to use as simple a grain bill as possible to really let the bugs be the stars of the show.

The WLP655 Belgian Sour Mix 1 was the ideal choice because it included your typical Saccharomyces yeast along with the wild yeast strain Brettanomyces Bruxellesis (aka Brett B. or Brett Brux). Along with that WLP655 includes the bacterial strain Lactobacillus and Pediococcus. The results that brewers get from this mix include: fruitiness, Belgian sour notes, vinegar, acetone, and countless other flavors and aromas.

Being the overachiever that I am…and wanting to make use of a fresh vial I had in the fridge, I included a vial of WLP653 Brettanomyces Lambicus (aka Brett L.) in this brew as well. Where Brett B. is often noted for fruitiness and funkiness along with sometimes vinegar notes, Brett L. is the strain that for many best defines the “Brett flavors”. Flavors commonly noted can include smoky, spicy, phenolic and funky. Aroma can include horse blanket and acidic fruit among others.

It was going to be a fun endeavor but first I had to brew the beer.

I brewed a 10 gallon batch, here’s the recipe and process…

Ingredients:

9 lbs. of German 2-row Pils

7 lbs. of German Wheat

2 oz. of Saaz hops

WLP655 – White Labs Belgian Sour Mix 1

WLP653 – White Labs Brettanomyces Lambicus

Heat 6.5 gallons of water to 163F. Mash 75 minutes at 152F. Sparge with 8 gallons of water at 170F. Bring to a boil and add the hops. Boil for 60 minutes.

My boil was pretty aggressive and I ended up over doing it just a bit. I had expected 10 gallons and ended up with around 9 gallons. My expected OG was 1.043 and I ended up at 1.048 but I said fuck it and decided to keep going as-is. A little extra ABV never hurt anyone. I split the batch into 2 carboys equally, around 4.5 gallons per.

I cooled it to 75F and pitched the WLP655. It fermented in primary for 4 weeks. Airlock activity started within 12 hours of pitching. The so’n bitch was gushing like a guyser out the airlock and stayed that way for several days. It was stored at 75F to 80F, in a closet in the house.

About a month into primary, when I racked to secondary, it was reading 1.010 at which point I pitched the Brett L. At that point, I moved the 2 glass carboys to my shed (in Florida) and left them there…through two Florida summers and all the “seasons” (if you can call them that) in between. The temp had to range over that time from about 40F up to 105F or so. And mostly on the higher end of that scale for sure.

The first weekend of March 2017, I moved the carboys from the shed into my keezer which I had running around 38F to cold crash it. I kept it there the past two months until I was ready to bottle.

On 5/3/17, I was finally ready to bottle. I took a reading with the hydrometer and came in at 1.001 for my FG yielding an ABV around 6%…not bad!

The bottles are conditioning and I’ll be sampling after a couple weeks. I’ll share an update soon.

Update 5/17/2017

So it’s been exactly 2 weeks today since I bottled the aged Belgian that’s been sitting in my shed for the past couple years. It is also my wedding anniversary today so thank you to my awesome wife for letting me take a break from the festivities to sample a brew.

Is 2 weeks of bottle conditioning enough time? Probably not! I’ll keep some around a little longer of course to see how they develop but I just couldn’t wait any longer to give it a taste.

I cracked open a swing top bottle; I had bottled mostly capped bombers but did a few in swing tops as well. When it popped open there was a very subtle poof sound and not much fizz. It poured like champagne with tiny bubbles of carbonation and a lacy head.

The color reminded me of cider or maybe a single-malt Scotch. I picked up the aromas of Belgian candi sugar and sour apple immediately along with a funky sweetness. The taste was dry, mildly boozy, and tart. At 1.001 FG, it is certainly dry but the sour apple tartness helped to balance that well. The mouthfeel was slightly effervescent with a finish like sparkling wine.

All in all, I’m a happy homebrewer today. I admittedly played it safe with a simple recipe and a low ABV beer but the flavors and complexity make this an enjoyable drink. Two years aging in a central Florida shed with no off flavors or smells sounds like a victory to me.