Beer Recipe: “Kick in the Mangos” Brett IPA (2024)

I have been playing around with the tropical fruit hops like mosaic, simcoe, falconer’s flight (a blend), etc, for my last few batches, and have really enjoyed the result. This time, I decided to pair these hops with the brett trois yeast strain which is known for anything from tart to mango and pineapple to horse blanket; I tailored the conditions to draw out only the mango and pineapple to complement the hops. The result was an IPA gushing with tropical fruit flavors layered over smooth bittering.

Lately I have been trending towards a primarily late hopping schedule with everything coming with 30 minutes or less from the end of the boil unless the style I am brewing doesn’t call for hop character; if this wasn’t an IPA, its likely everything would have gone in 15 minutes or less from the end. I personally like the resulting flavor and aroma contribution better than from a standard hop schedule, even with dry hopping, and its much easier.

This is my first time playing with brett, but from my research on it, there are numerous ways of using it. If used like a standard ale yeast, it produces bright tropical fruit flavors. Allow it to ferment with access to oxygen throughout the fermentation, and you get a very tart beer. I found this to be true with my starter, which was puckeringly tart. The horse-blanket funk brett is famous (or perhaps notorious?) for seems to only occur when fermented with traditional ale yeast. These funky flavors are a result of the brett metabolizing fermentation products of the ale yeast (and even dead ale yeast), so without the ale yeast to produce the precursor compounds, the brett won’t get funky.

Batch Size: 5 gal/ 18.9 L

Malt:
12 lb/ 5.44 kg 2 Row malt
3 lb/ 1.36 kg Red wheat malt
1 lb/ 0.45 kg Crystal 60 malt

Hops:
1 oz/ 28 g Mosaic, 12.7%, 30 min, 25.8 IBU
1 oz/ 28 g Mosaic, 12.7%, 10 min, 12.2 IBU
1 oz/ 28 g Falconer’s Flight, 11.4%, 10 min, 12.1 IBU
1 oz/ 28 g Cascade, 7.3%, 10 min, 7.8 IBU
Total IBU: 57.9 (Tinseth) (est. 63.9 with lower mash eff.)

Yeast:
3 L starter WLP644 Brettanomyces bruxellensis Trois (3.33 L recommended)

Target CO₂: 2.5 vol

Gravity:
OG: 1.062 (52% mash eff; target 1.074, 62%)
FG: 1.018
ABV: 6.25% after conditioning

Water:
Mash temp: 151F/ 66C (target 151F)
Mash thickness: 1.5 qt/lb/ 3.12 L/kg
Single infusion mash, single (batch) sparge
Boil time: 60 min

Calculated Profile:

I was pretty happy with this water profile, save for the sodium content, which is just how my water is served up. I balanced it pretty heavily towards sulfate to accentuate the hops, and lowered the RA to ensure the pH was low enough to make the fruit flavors pop. (See my water treatment post here.)

Fermentation Temperature: 74F/ 23.3C ambient; pitched at 80F/ 26.7C; remained over 80F for the remainder of the ferment, with a lamp to keep it warm after the ferment tapered off

Tasting Notes:

Appearance: hazy orange yellow, pours with a tight white head inches thick which laces the glass as it dissipates

Aroma: strong tropical fruit, especially mango and pineapple

Taste: general tropical fruit with a fair amount of smooth bittering up front; hop character apparent; malt plays supporting role- does not stand out on its own except for a hint of wheat as it warms, but is balanced; difficult to differentiate contribution from yeast and hops as far as fruitiness

Mouthfeel: medium-high carbonation lends a good refreshing sharpness on the tongue; could have gone a bit heavier (ie higher OG by hitting planned efficiency with same mash temp), but it does not feel lacking

Overall: This was my first brew fermented with Brett and I was very impressed- the fruitiness complements the beer without making it taste less like a beer and leaves the palate cleanly. The bitterness won’t stand up to a west coast American IPA, but it will hold its own nonetheless. I was a bit surprised at the complete lack of funk or even tartness- the starter was puckeringly tart, but this did not come through in the main ferment. I’ll definitely be playing around with this strain again, perhaps in an open fermentation vessel to get something a bit more tart.

I encourage everyone to experiment with this strain. Brett seems to perform about the same as standard ale yeasts when treated as such, though it likes to be warmer, making it a great summer strain. I have read pretty much everywhere that attenuation would be higher than normal, though in this case I found it to be about the same as any ale yeast. I have also seen some claims of some very slight funk developing over time after a clean brett ferment, but I don’t plan on keeping a hop-forward beer around that long (unless a save a bottle or two specifically for that purpose). [2014.03.06 UPDATE: I recently finished this batch (which I am very upset about- this was definitely one of my favorite beers!), and no funkiness showed up after six months in the bottle at room temperature.]

I would recommend using a different fermentor and equipment if possible to avoid cross contamination with your standard ales, as brett will consume a slightly different carbohydrate profile and can lead to bottle bombs if contaminated right before bottling. Alternately, you could end up with the funky fermentation character if contaminated during the fermentation. If this is not an option, I think as long as you are meticulous in your sanitation you would be fine with only one set of equipment, as long as you at least use different hoses.

According to Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing, as of late 2005 there were only two or three 100% brett fermented commercial brews. I’m not sure how many there are today, but I have only ever found one in my local beer stores- a clean fermented beer that really put me over the edge to brew with it myself. But, its a fun strain to use and you shouldn’t be afraid to experiment; I have heard an increasing amount of buzz for alternatively fermented (brett/ sour) beers lately, and there is definitely good reason.

– Dennis,
Life, Fermented