Tropical Brett Stout

Hey, all!

Here is my Brettanomyces tropical stout recipe. I originally brewed this a couple years ago at KVCC's sustainable brewing program, where it won a gold medal in the Brett beer category of the US College Open Beer Competition. I liked it at the time but now that I have more experience, I want to brew it again. The original recipe has way too much roasted and highly kilned malts; Brettanomyces can be easily over-shadowed by an intense roast characteristic. I'll be sticking with a little bit of roasted malt and Carafa special II to get the near black color. Carafa special II is great in this recipe because it is "dehusked" which means it won't have as much of that roasted bitterness that is prevalent in roasted malt.
When mashing, opt for a higher temperature (70 C) rather than lower (66 C). A higher mash temperature will result in a more dextrin-focused mash; more dextrin means more food for Brett.
The boil is pretty self-explanatory, just follow the hop/adjunct addition schedule.
Whirlpool and add Saaz hops. Let whirlpool rest for 20 minutes before adding the wort chiller.
Aerate after wort has been chilled to fermentation temperature. Do this whichever way works best for you.
Pitch yeast, place airlock on top of fermenter, and place in a dark room. Once airlock activity has slowed immensely or stopped completely, it is ready for secondary fermentation.
In a sanitized bucket add oak cubes, Brettanomyces, and plum puree. You do not need to purge the bucket with carbon dioxide because the Brettanomyces needs some oxygen in order to remain healthy.
Add an airlock and lid to the bucket and place in a dark room. Secondary fermentation is finished when: the airlock is no longer active AND the desired Brettanomyces character is achieved, this can take anywhere from 5 to 10 weeks.

I plan on brewing this in about a month or so. I need to procure the rest of the equipment needed for my 5-gallon homebrew setup.