Sour beers

[manticle]

Been a while since I did it so bit vague on the details. I'm never a super fizzy beer kind of guy though so I reckon 1.8 -2.2 co2 vol would have been my likely range (probably lower end) and g/L as per any other beer to get that theoretical volume. Sorry to be so vague but pretty sure the process was exactly the same as other brews but I added in the extra yeast for backup (very bright beer after all that time in a demi).

 

[Tony]

Cheers mate

Now to find the time to clean the bottles :huh:

May be 2.5 years at this rate

 

[bobsantos]

I've read a lot about making sour beers. and this got me http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2009/11/brewing-sour-beer-at-home.html

 

[Tahoose]

Hmmm options, options.

Have been thinking about a wine barrel setup, but after reading some of this thread I think I might have to investigate a solera . I have a 50ltr keg which might be suitable for this.

 

[JB]

Is there a particular strain of brett that would suit a 2 day sour mash?

 

[AJ80]

Finally bitten the bullet and pitched 11.5L of darkish mild (mashed nice and warm at 70C to give the Brett something to munch on) with WLP655 - belgian sour blend. My oldest plastic fermenter has been sacrificed to the sour beer gods and I've picked up a 15L glass demijohn for long aging on some French oak cubes. Will pitch something onto the cake when transferring - maybe something paler that I'll age on fruit.

Now that I've sacrificed the fermenter also looking at doing some 100% Brett fermentations.

 

[Tahoose]

My oldest plastic fermenter has been sacrificed to the sour beer gods.

May they look upon your sour interest with favour.

 

[hwall95]

My one month old experiment. It's the 2L leftover of my APA (only 15 ibu @ 60 hops) wort that I had spare. Pitched dregs of orval and vielle onto it. I know I completely under pitched but I was just curious what would happen just I went for it as it's better then throwing the leftover wort out. Smelling pretty nice atm, quite fruity.

The pellicle getting thicker slowly, last week it was just clear bubbles but now it's getting whiter. Will leave it under my stairs for a year or so and see what happens

 

[Tony]

i have read back through this thread again and noticed a lot of people talking about mashing at high temps to give the bugs something to chew on.
The bugs will consume these sugars that are usually left fermented by regular yeasts, but they will eat them fairly fast.
You need to provide food for the bugs for 1 or 2 years + to keep them working and build the complex flavors.
To do this you need to do a Turbid mash which saves unconverted starch from the mash and adds it back to the boil.
The bacteria than feeds slowly on these starch particles.
My Lambic has been in the fermenter for almost 2.5 years and it still lets out a "bloop" now and then.
A lot of the idea behind the starch feed is that not all the bugs are active all the time. As conditions change over time in the fermenting wort, one or 2 bugs will be dominant. As they consume what the feed on, they die and leave both further food and suitable conditions for the next bug to come to life. So on and So on.
I have watched my beers change over the years. The gunk on top has changed in color, appearance and smell many times and I am fairly confident that they will be fantastic beers due to the turbid mash I did.

I popped the bung from the flanders red for the first time in almost 2.5 years and had my first sniff ever.
WOW!

Took a photo and put the bung back in.

 

[Tony]

What are peoples thoughts around leaving a true unblended Lambic uncarbonated?

 

[manticle]

Easy to check. After all - it's been well aged.
Personally I reckon the tiniest bit of sherbert zing suits me. I don't want still but I certainly don't want sparkling. The compexity of microflora and age needs room to sing and dance, which incidentally is the ONLY time I'll allow singing or dancing in my presence.

Except if it's really, really, really good and probably not dancing.

 

[barls]

i added a small amount of sugar just to lightly fizz it. think it was 10-15grams the whole 23L

 

[mrsupraboy]

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/recipe/1331-raspberry-beer/

I have atempted This recipe and used blueberrys and used wlp630 sour blend yeast.

As my 1st sour i thought it world be good for a newbie.

I read a few of the reviews.

Some people did a 1 minute boil
Some people started fermentation at high temps 65degrees c .
Some people did it to the yeast instructions.

Im guessing it will take a month for the sour to be ready to bottle or to keg.

What should i be expecting after a month. Should the sour taste be dominant or just coming through. Have i made a very balnd recipe. Whats your take on what i have do e or should of done. I pitched at 21degrees and through the blueberrys in a week after primary into 2ndary

 

[barls]

it will take more than a month and depending on the amount of blue berries you used it may not have much of that flavour. it takes a shit tin of blueberries to contribute the flavour . strawberries are the same.

 

[mrsupraboy]

I used 2kg of frozen. Do you think i should of uped them

 

[barls]

maybe, but at least you can taste and see.

 

[mrsupraboy]

I had a taste at 3 weeks. Not really sour at all. There is a solid blueberry taste through the beer. What do you think about the souring. Is it not gonna produce much sour due to the yeast or will the sour tend to come after a bit of aging. How long should i be leaving in the fermenter

 

[mje1980]

Be careful what you wish for. It's much better to have to wait for more sourness than to try and force it and end up with undrinkably sour beer.


I bottled half a batch of Flanders sour ale at the start of the year ( 15 months I think ). It seemed a little bland in bottling, and at first taste. After a few months in the bottle it has slowly increased in sourness and complexity.

The other half is still in the carboy.

 

[mje1980]

Checked the carboy, and the airlock looked out of water. Got it down and it smelt ok, so I ended up bottling it. It's right on 18months. I added us05 and the dregs of an orval to the bottling fermenter.

 

[Ciderman]

I'm going to make a Flanders red ale at the end of the month. I've got a recipe that I'm happy with, though I have a question about the yeast...

Do you ferment with a neutral yeast like US05, rack into carboy and pitch roselaire yeast or do you just pitch the roselaire first up. I can't imagine you would make a starter with that type of yeast, so two packets would probably be thereabouts for a 25L batch?