Berlinner weisse. A cube full of spew?

[mje1980]

1.005 and a little "pongy sock" character about it. So far pretty happy. Tomorrow I'm brewing another batch to put on the slurry.

 

[Kai]

During the lactic ferment, do you take measures to exclude oxygen?

I was thinking of doing the lactic fermentation and pasteurisation (add hops, heat to 100C) in my HLT (has an electric element) before cooling, transferring to a fermenter and pitching yeast. However using this method it would be difficult to keep oxygen out of the HLT. Do you anticipate any problems?

I've done it a lot of times in a vessel much like yours with no O2 related issues like acetic acid bacteria pickup. But I have had wild yeast growth on several occasions with this method. I've found that boosting the temperature above the tolerance of yeast (>37°C) has helped there, but i haven't got an established enough method to recommend anything totally specific.

If you have kegging gear, it does not hurt to purge the vessel with CO2 first, and to sparge the wort post-filling (and purge the headspace). And a little clingwrap around the lid is not a bad idea either. Then resist the temptation to open it for a day or two, and if you do, repurge with more CO2.

Cheers,

Kai

 

[mje1980]

Has anybody used the slurry of their Berliners?. I just bottled today and pitched another cube onto half the yeast cake. Few hours later and it seems to have kicked off ok.

I've read that the slurry can make for a more sour beer, so interested to see.


I ended up adding orval dregs a few days ago. Smelt pretty nice when bottling, didn't taste crazy sour either. I'll see how it ages in the bottle. I also split 5 litres off into a small fermentor with 1kg of cherries.

 

[rehabs_for_quitters]

thinking about mashing in a 40L batch this arvo, now was going to split into two batches and was going to put 2kg of frozen strawberries with one carboy and one just straight, until now I haven't used fruit so would that go alright or do I need to sterilize them fruits first?

 

[seamad]

Frozen fruit has been fine in my experience.

 

[yankinoz]

Question for this forum: how well do beers made by souring the mash stack up to conventional Berlinerweissen that are soured post-mash and post-boil, that is, in a long fermentation? I ask because beers made the traditional way are among my favorites, but I'm not about to dedicate a fermenter to one for several months.

 

[rehabs_for_quitters]

I'm 21 hours into a sour mash, its foamy and brown and it stinks in a good way I hope, its doing something hopefully it doesn't climb out of the pot as I am thinking about letting it go 48 hours in total before the boil

 

[mje1980]

I've only done one sour mash. As you may have read, it ended badly. I just bottled my first batch fermented with wyeast lacto for a few days then 1007 added after that, and Orval dregs a few days before bottling. Samples are tasting very nice. So nice I brewed another one and pitched it on the yeast cake.

 

[rehabs_for_quitters]

48 hours of sour mash then boiled for 30 minutes just to be safe, I am glad I did this in the garage as it smells like dank undies after a week tramping then left in your pack for another week,

 

[mje1980]

I tried a tester of mine last night. Very light bodied and dry, a little pongy sock, not too much sourness and no brett, which is understandable given it's only 2 weeks in the bottle. I think over time this could be quite nice. I'll crack one at Xmas. The batch I pitched into the yeast cake has been split into 2 fermentors and I'm going to let it age a few months before bottling. I may even add raspberries to one of them.

 

[rehabs_for_quitters]

Just had test from the hydro sample both carboys at 1.008 and look to be finished, doesn't smell as crotchy as it did, I think 200grams of Pils malt for 48 hours might have been too long as its sour as and almost a bit puckery, might go 24 hours next time, I think its time to get a good PH meter and use that to test it after 24 hours and then use that level as a future guideline

Bet the BJCP are glad we aren't writing the style guidelines as I am sure a little pongy sock and crotchy are possibly not good characteristics of a beer

 

[Jazzman]

Quick newbie question.
What beer can I go and buy to try this sour beer you blokes seem to love so much?
I didn't even know there was such a thing until I got on this forum. What a ride!

 

[mikk]

A homebrew club!

The locally made commercial ones I've tried have been pretty lacklustre, and haven't been particularly sour. Add to that the fact that they aren't carbonated anywhere near enough due to having to be served on tap, and that bottle conditioning & some aging are extremely beneficial for the style means it's all too hard to do properly unless you're a homebrewer.

Maybe you could find a Berliner Kindl at some import beer places?

 

[rehabs_for_quitters]

I got the Dogfish Head Peche and tasted my two and that one together, not far off sour wise to what I did but mine had an after twang which I assume was just bad process and slight oxygenation when doing the sour mash, so from now on will put a CO2 blanket on top of the mash

Just jump in and do a sour mash its best way to taste one, go on I dare you to

I found the strawberry in mine really cut through the harsh puckering acidic sourness that the straight one seemed to suffer from, great beer to have on a stinking hot day though pretty close to Brut Sparkling Wine, maybe not quite as dry though but bloody refreshing

 

[dannymars]

I tried a tester of mine last night. Very light bodied and dry, a little pongy sock, not too much sourness and no brett, which is understandable given it's only 2 weeks in the bottle. I think over time this could be quite nice. I'll crack one at Xmas. The batch I pitched into the yeast cake has been split into 2 fermentors and I'm going to let it age a few months before bottling. I may even add raspberries to one of them.

how's the beer now after a few months on?

 

[mje1980]

Funny you ask. I tried one yesterday, taste I'm happy with, though carbonation is lower than I'd like, and this style I think really needs a spritz to it. A few months in the bottle has upped the tartness a little, could do with more but I'll definately brew another. I think this time I'll add some Orval dregs and us05 for a few days before bottling and up the priming sugaz.