Yet more Orval dregs questions.

Ingredients
1

I am about to keg up or possibly rack into another carboy a saison  I have going.  I plan to bottle condition it at some point.  I am going to add the dregs of a bottle of Orval.

What I am wondering is this.  If I add the dregs and let it sit a bit, I assume the bugs in there if they are still viable will multiply.  Then, if I were to draw off some of this beer and add it to another could I then “infect” another batch of beer?  Or maybe later once it is bottle conditioned can I use the dregs from that bottle again?

I am a little fuzzy on the process of this.  The collective wisdom seems to be that you want to culture these bugs in already fermented beer.  What I understand is, if you attempt to culture up just the dregs in a regular starter you will most likely get a larger population of the Sacchromyces strain than the Brett that is in there because conditions are more favorable for them at the point.  Whereas if you add the dregs to already fermented beer the Sacch. won’t have as much to eat so the Brett will take more of a hold.  Is my understanding correct?

Could you then perhaps culture the dregs on their own by adding them to a small amount of beer rather than wort?

2

Dave>> that orval critter is aggressive and fast  colonizing. I added dregs from a bottle to a keg
of Saison, and in a few weeks it was definately Orval. So your culture method of adding to beer is
prolly an unnecissary step. Just add the dregs from a bottle or 2 to your Saison.

3

The culturing was mostly just to attempt to “ranch” the bugs as I cannot get Orval readily where I am.  Iwas hoping I could keep a culture of sorts to add to future brews.  I suppose as long as I am bottle conditioning I can just add the dregs of one of the bottles to future brews to carry it over to new brews.

I did add the dregs and it is working its magic.  Curious that the bugs don’t kick up much CO2 in their eating.  They are most visibly active with a small ring of foam and bubbles around the surface in the carboy, not enough activity to create postive pressure in the airlock though apparaently.  It is smelling Orval like only a week or so after pitching.  The bottles of Orval were botlled over a year ago too!

4

Once in a while refresh with new bugs…but there ya go… :wink: