Berliner Weisse

[Tony]

I haven't worked that out yet but i cant see why not. I have an elastic band around it keeping it tight.

If there is any reason why it wont work I'm happy to hear it but my experience with airlocks has never been good and i no longer use them at all..... haven't for years

I have let starters sit for months with the foil lid method and they never had a problem. When i used the red rubber bung and airlock i used to get random infections so i switched to the foil and never had a problem since.

 

[QldKev]

I've decided I'm going to do Chris's "The slower sour ferment way", so as per above but add in a 15min boil and age it for a couple of months.

I'm a bit chicken not to boil

Be interesting to compare how they go.

QldKev

 

[black_labb]

I've just recultured some dregs from a bottle of moon dogs"billy ray citrus" which on tasting seems to be atleast partially the lacto culture.

I'm thinking I may have an attempt at a berliner and maybe even some sort of berliner dulkelweiss or berliner schwartzweiss for something different.

Is there much significance to the mash steps below saccrification temp for a berliner? I may just do a smaller batch on the stovetop instead of the usual brew system.

In terms of process I'm thinking a very basic one for me would be


mash hops + 50%wheat 50% malted barley
60 mins @63
10 mins @72
15 mins @78

remove grain and let cool naturally to pitching temp

Pitch yeast and leave for a few months, bottle with fresh yeast/lacto and prime as usual ???

Would it be benefitial to add some crushed grain into the wort before the cooling and pitching the yeast? I guess that depends on the ratio of lacto to yeast in what I've cultured up?

Sounds fun whatever happens!

 

[Tony]

I saved the final running's from the mash to compare to the wort in the carboy.

The wort is starting to foam and the leftover mash dregs are still dead and taste ok.

So im figuring its yeast doing the work.

fingers crossed

I will keep some pics up if it gets interesting

 

[Tony]

I'm a bit chicken not to boil

Bok Bok Bok Bok

 

[black_labb]

Keep us updated, I'm keen to brew one and would love to learn from your mistakes instead of mine

 

[Tony]

lucky i have big shoulders........ and a 2nd smack pack of BW yeast

 

[Goldenchild]

I've just recultured some dregs from a bottle of moon dogs"billy ray citrus" which on tasting seems to be atleast partially the lacto culture.

Just did a split double batch BW with Half this cultured yeast and Half the wyeast bweisse.
The moon dog dregs batch smelt and tasted of a wheat sacc yeast after a few days but then turned much funkier and definitely had more then just lacto. I have found a lot of there beers to have a slight Brett twang to it so wouldn't be surprised at all if it's in this too.
I had an awesome pellicle within 2 weeks of ferment! I Found it to be much more lambic in taste and smell which I'm not upset about. In keg now and will be serving around Christmas time so can update then

 

[black_labb]

Just did a split double batch BW with Half this cultured yeast and Half the wyeast bweisse.
The moon dog dregs batch smelt and tasted of a wheat sacc yeast after a few days but then turned much funkier and definitely had more then just lacto. I have found a lot of there beers to have a slight Brett twang to it so wouldn't be surprised at all if it's in this too.
I had an awesome pellicle within 2 weeks of ferment! I Found it to be much more lambic in taste and smell which I'm not upset about. In keg now and will be serving around Christmas time so can update then

Thanks for that, sounds perfect for me to have a play around with!

 

[Jase]

Just did a split double batch BW with Half this cultured yeast and Half the wyeast bweisse.
The moon dog dregs batch smelt and tasted of a wheat sacc yeast after a few days but then turned much funkier and definitely had more then just lacto. I have found a lot of there beers to have a slight Brett twang to it so wouldn't be surprised at all if it's in this too.
I had an awesome pellicle within 2 weeks of ferment! I Found it to be much more lambic in taste and smell which I'm not upset about. In keg now and will be serving around Christmas time so can update then

I have a BW in the fermenter now, and am planning on kegging in the next week. Did you naturally carbonate or use CO2? Is the keg sitting at room temperature or is it being refrigerated at the moment?

Cheers,
Jase.

 

[Goldenchild]

I have a BW in the fermenter now, and am planning on kegging in the next week. Did you naturally carbonate or use CO2? Is the keg sitting at room temperature or is it being refrigerated at the moment?

Cheers,
Jase.

Carbed the keg with around 200-240g dex from memory around 3.7units co2. When it's sitting for 3 months it might aswell carb up and save the hassle at a later date.
plus I wasn't too worried about upping the abv from 3.0% to whatever it turns out to be.
Keg is sitting in my mancave which is at a steady temp around 20c I'd say.

I bottled 1 bottle so I can see when the pellicle drops and hopefully the kegs the same and should be ready.
Currently 1.5months in Its still got one.

 

[Adam Howard]

Was going to knock out one of your LCBA recipe's Tony but the wind here is mental and a 90min boil without wind shielding would've been painful. Dropped in to Grain and Grape to grab some stuff and thought bugger it I'll buy the PC blend and do a BIAB BW in my electic HLT.

Will be doing a 90 min mash at 65-63 (allowing some drop) with 10g old Herbrucker and 40g old Saaz pellets in the mash. Thinking I'll get my volume right at the end of the mash after pulling out the bag, check gravity and then just hold it at about 75-80 for an hour or so to kill any enteric bug (something Chad Yacobsen of Crooked Stave has spoken about) and then run into the carboy and pitch the blend at room temp.

Excited.

 

[Jay Cee]

But then again, what do BJCP judges know about a beer most of them have never tried as a commercial example?

What are some locally available commercial examples? I tried one about a year ago at Redoak, despite the suggestion from the bar guy that I try a small sample first (I went for a half pint). And I have to say that it was rather unpleasant. So I'm interested in trying some other offerings of the style.

 

[Darkman]

Was going to knock out one of your LCBA recipe's Tony but the wind here is mental and a 90min boil without wind shielding would've been painful. Dropped in to Grain and Grape to grab some stuff and thought bugger it I'll buy the PC blend and do a BIAB BW in my electic HLT.

Will be doing a 90 min mash at 65-63 (allowing some drop) with 10g old Herbrucker and 40g old Saaz pellets in the mash. Thinking I'll get my volume right at the end of the mash after pulling out the bag, check gravity and then just hold it at about 75-80 for an hour or so to kill any enteric bug (something Chad Yacobsen of Crooked Stave has spoken about) and then run into the carboy and pitch the blend at room temp.

Excited.

If you're prepared to hold the mash at mash out temperature for and hour to kill any stray bugs why don't you just boil the wort for 15mins instead. I just can't see why you would want to risk isntroducing unwanted bugs when you have the perfect mix of bugs required to make a great BW in the Wyeast blend.

 

[black_labb]

What are some locally available commercial examples? I tried one about a year ago at Redoak, despite the suggestion from the bar guy that I try a small sample first (I went for a half pint). And I have to say that it was rather unpleasant. So I'm interested in trying some other offerings of the style.

I don't know of any. Only one I tried was in germany

 

[Florian]

What are some locally available commercial examples? I tried one about a year ago at Redoak, despite the suggestion from the bar guy that I try a small sample first (I went for a half pint). And I have to say that it was rather unpleasant. So I'm interested in trying some other offerings of the style.

I think about the only commercially available one in Germany nowadays is the Berliner Kindl Weisse. There used to be Schultheiss Weisse which had a much better reputation, but unfortunately both companies merged and the Schultheiss Weisse disappeared.
That's what I meant when I was talking about BJCP judges. It's like judging a Bohemian Pilsener but never having drunk a PU or Budvar or the likes before.
I know Bacchus Brewing in Capalaba is now brewing a Berliner Weisse as well, but unfortunately I haven't tried that one yet.

 

[Adam Howard]

Heretic Tartuffe is also available here now. It's pretty mild for the style, not bracingly sour but a good intro. I ended up just mashing out at 75 with a dunk sparge and am letting the wort sit for a bit before putting it into the carboy.

Tony, was your wort at 78 degrees when you put it into the glass? I'm thinking I'll put mine in now while hot but my greatest fear is fracturing the glass.

 

[Nick JD]

I know Bacchus Brewing in Capalaba is now brewing a Berliner Weisse as well, but unfortunately I haven't tried that one yet.

Just saw the stack of oak barrels thirty feet high with some of them full of BW.

 

[NickB]

I've been reading the northern brewer link - very keen to brew. Will slot it in at about 10th on the To Brew list

 

[brettprevans]

best berlinner ive tasted made is from our last collaborative brewday. Made an imperial pils then used the gyle as a berlinner base. spent 2 months on roselare yeast awsome.

new world pils recipe from brewday
fairly sure we just used some old low AA hops i had in the mash. bought to boil and switched it off.