Wild Only Homebrewing...

[brendanos]

While I've put out a couple of sour beers in the few years I've been home brewing, I've never had any "resident microbes", or unitentionally infected batches. I've even used the same fermenters and hoses, just being sure to clean them profusely before using them again (though extended aging i've always done in glass). When dealing with any kind of wild yeast or bacteria, the advice you get is always the same - have two of everything - one for your regular beers, and one for your sour beers. They'll tell you that once it's touched something sour, draw x's on it and forget about it. The cost and space of setting up this "second brewery" has always been inhibitive for me. I've been contemplating this long and hard over the past year or so, and have recently come to an incredibly exciting conclusion - to ditch the rest and only brew sour from here on in.

I've always been a massive fan of lambics, sour browns, sour reds, funked belgians, farmhouse ales, etc etc, so rather than it being a frightening concept, the thought of not brewing "regular" beer is actually quite liberating. I've got at least 16 2-5L jars just begging to be filled. Ditching "unpleasant" batches doesn't really worry me either, I think the experience will be well worth it. Watch out De Dolle, T'Ij, Le Baladin, Fantome - here I come! And if you think I'm going to miss "clean" beer, you probably don't know me.

Might want to keep me away from your brewery though.........

 

[warrenlw63]

You're quite mad aren't you? :lol:

Yet I applaud you. :beer:

Warren -

 

[Doogiechap]

I'm glad you movd further away from me !! :lol:
By the same token my glass will be hovering close to anything you may bring along to future brew days .
Good luck with it bloke !
Cheers
Doug

 

[mika]

Does this mean the stocks at the IBS are safe, or should I only buy cantillion from here on in ? :huh:

 

[Stuster]

Definitely crackers.



And all the better for it. Have some funky fun. :beer:

So what have you got planned? What kind of bugs are you planning on using?

 

[bugwan]

At least your family won't bother you for your homebrew anymore!

Assuming they're anything like my family, even an IPA can be a challenge ("ohhhh, that's fruity...")!!

 

[Swinging Beef]

No way... after recently watching the Beer Hunter episode on Lembeek and the Lambic style of ale, with cobwebs and shit everywhere... I can only imaging what strange funky smells and tastes we would get from Australian open fermenting.

 

[randyrob]

brendan, will u marry me?

 

[brendanos]

Does this mean the stocks at the IBS are safe, or should I only buy cantillion from here on in ? :huh:

Might want to dunk the neck of your bottles in iodophor before opening them

So what have you got planned? What kind of bugs are you planning on using?

I've got brettanomyces bruxellensis, brettanomyces lambicus, lactobacillus and pediococcus, lambic blend, roeselare blend, berlinerweiss blend. I've also got some sour commercials I wish to "borrow" some culture from. I've got plenty of funky belgian/dutch/canadian yeasts to use them in combination with too. What have I got planned? Anything and everything!

At least your family won't bother you for your homebrew any more!

Well my dad drinks cold/blonde, my mum drinks wine, my sis drinks cider/gin. All pretty much exclusively, so while I've never had a problem, I doubt I ever will, but I hope they do try them. Offering some friends a sip of the Cantillon Gueuze I was drinking on the weekend certainly got some entertaining responses.

brendan, will u marry me?

California got plenty of fruit orchids, yeah? Maybe together we can pioneer the orange plambic

 

[Asher]

Your beers are welcome at the Junctyard pLambic Cave for some spontaneous lovin anytime they want.

On the re-use of fermenters - I have a couple of 30l fermenters that get used for the odd wild batch and then the odd pure beer also. I give them a good soak in bleach, then Iodophor before use each time though. No cross contamination as yet...

 

[mika]

<waits for Darren to read this thread>

Brendan, given that these beers have quite a long maturing phase, what will you been drinking for the next couple of years

 

[RobB]

I'm glad you movd further away from me !! :lol:

But he now lives around the corner from me! Do me a favour Brendan and don't pitch while there's an easterly blowing .

 

[brendanos]

<waits for Darren to read this thread>

Brendan, given that these beers have quite a long maturing phase, what will you been drinking for the next couple of years

Yeah I'm looking forward to having some input from that old wet blanket. I wonder if he'd appreciate some wood chips in the mail....

To be honest I don't drink large quantities of beer, so I think the four kegs in my fridge, my bottled collection, and the 500 or so different beers at the shop should see my through.

*and I'm sure I can call on the WCB'ers if times get tough

 

[GMK]

Most excellent Brendanos...

Wish you well.

Dont tell anyone - but i have a 25ltr oak barrel with a Scotish Ale in it from march 07...

This will form the base of my Lambics next year.
It is not Funky enough - so I have just got some Roseleare taht i will add.

Only advice is get some 25ltr+ oak barrels.
Or one 200ltr barrel - once that is filled and funky you can them blend with wahtever

 

[Darren]

Yeah I'm looking forward to having some input from that old wet blanket. I wonder if he'd appreciate some wood chips in the mail....

Brendanos,

Pack another pipe mate. Anyone can brew with spoilage organisms.

cheers

Darren

 

[brettprevans]

Anyone can brew with spoilage organisms.

cheers

Darren

yes anyone can brew with them, but only few can brew WELL with them....

god im being an ass tonight

Go Brendanos. experiments are essential to moving forward and great discovery....

 

[Darren]

yes anyone can brew with them, but only few can brew WELL with them....

god im being an ass tonight

Go Brendanos. experiments are essential to moving forward and great discovery....

Yeah, but can he repeat the successes??

I know, he does not want to because ALL his beer is great and each is unique.

cheers

Darren