First Wild Yeast Inoculation

We inoculated the first neutral wine barrels with wild yeast and souring bacteria. The slurry we pitched is a blend of Brettanomyces Bruxellensis, Brettanomyces Lambicus and a native culture of wild yeast and bacteria we collected from the Texas Hill Country. We pitched an active slurry that had been stepped up multiple times in an effort to get a good amount of wild fermentation activity in an environment that’s already about 7.5% ABV.

The barrels are filled with Boxer’s Revenge Farmhouse Provision Ale. We’re planning on a relatively short contact time in the barrels in order to achieve a somewhat subtle background note of funk, spice and acidity. We’ll also finish off the beer with a subtle dry hop in the barrels before kegging and bottle conditioning. Our goal is also to build up enough brett and house culture in the barrels so that we won’t have to re-inoculate each time we fill the barrels. We have the “master culture” being kept happy in a series of carboys.

The next two beers we’ll put in the neutral wine barrels are Das Wunderkind! Farmhouse Table Beer and Cocksure Farmhouse Pale Ale.