Lakes & Legends Brewing Co. Brews a Wild Bock with Fermentis BR-8

Many brewers love the flavors produced by a wild Brettanomyces bruxellensis yeast, but they often shy away from using it due to its unpredictability. Thankfully with SafBrew™ BR-8 from Fermentis you can now get all the distinctive flavors of Brett brux but with more control and reliability.

Kabel Lefto, Lead Brewer at Lakes & Legends Brewing Co. had the opportunity to work with Fermentis SafBrew™ BR-8 and we sat down with him to learn how it went.

What attracted you to the yeast?  

I’m actually a huge fan of Brett beers and love getting to experiment with Brett in general. When I saw Fermentis was introducing a Brett in a dry micro granular format I jumped at the opportunity to play around with it.

What beer did you brew with Fermentis SafBrew™ BR-8?  

I rehydrated the BR-8 and pitched it into a Heaven Hill bourbon barrel with a little bit of dextrose to feed it. We then filled the barrel with our Bock and let it sit and work for 8 weeks. The beer itself is a traditional style Bock made with Maris Otter, Dingemans Biscuit, and a few Weyermann products.

Would you recommend Fermentis SafBrew™ BR-8 to other brewers?  

I would absolutely recommend BR-8 to other brewers! It provided a crisp, clean tasting funk that we’ve struggled to produce successfully in the past.

Do you currently use any other Fermentis products?  

We use the BE-256 Belgian yeast in our flagship beer Marigold.

Why do you like using Fermentis products?  

I really appreciate how user friendly and consistent Fermentis products are. Plus, they’re easy to obtain when I needed them, and the cost is low without cutting quality, which is always a plus!