Stuster
Big mash up
- Joined
- 16/4/05
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As suggested by neonmeate, to avoid taking the Witbier thread off topic, I've started this thread. I have some acidulated malt which I bought primarily to adjust mash pH. However, I'm also interested in using it to make some sour beers (probably witbiers and Berliner weisse). I've included the last couple of posts on this topic from the other thread. From neonmeate's experiences, it seems it won't work too well, but I wanted to know if others had used acidulated malt for either of these uses and what your experiences were?
Well, a little digging has resulted in a quote from Wes Smith, here, to the effect that the sourness from acidulated malt definitely will not carry over into the finished beer. However, weyermann themselves say that this malt is perfect for achieving the sour character of beers like Berliner Weisse, here. Anybody care to comment on that? Wes? Seth? Anybody?
this should probably be hashed out in its own thread as it is an interesting one that i've pondered as well. wes seems to be saying that it is purely designed for using in small quantities for buffering high-pH mashes, whereas weyermann say that in excess it will lower the wort pH as well. the question is how much you need to add to get past the buffering effect and leave actual sourness in the beer.
my personal experience with it - i did try using about 9-10% acid malt in a beer i made once that i intended to be kind of a sourmash tripel. it didn't make it sour but it left a weird rotten sort of flavour that was quite overpowering. i have also used too much when pH adjusting in pilseners and it left the same yukky flavour. maybe a better way to add sourness might be to sour the beer itself by throwing in a few grains of acid malt and keeping it warm for a week or two? (you could control it by souring only a couple of litres then pasteurising and adding back in)?