Tips and Tricks for brewing up a Berliner Weisse or Quick Sour Ale

Authors: Ron Unz and Jeremy Wickham
There are several things you need to brew the perfect Berliner Weisse. You need to chose a bacteria strain, control your fermentation temp, oxygen rates, and the amount of hops in your beer. By managing these four things, you are on target for a great berliner wiesse. Unlike other beers, the bugs in a Berliner Weisse don’t care much for standard conditions. So lets just jump right into some of the specifics of setting up the perfect atmosphere for souring up your beer.

Lactobacillus Strains

There are three primary lactobacillus strains available to homebrewers that can be used to brew a Berliner Weisse or quick sour an ale. Lactobacillus delbrueckii, lactobacillus brevis, and lactobacillus plantarum. Delbrueckii and Brevis are ones you are most likely to encounter during your adventure into brewing Berliner Weisses. The Berliner Weisse blend made White Labs is made with Delbrueckii and a Sacc. strain. Brevis and Delbrueckii are available through white labs separately. Some yeast vendors are starting to come out with blends that contain brevis. Plantarum usually isn’t found at your homebrew store, but it is known to be used as a probiotic, so you can pick this up online or at your local health food store relatively easily. You maybe able to plantarum from yogurt or other food product that contains it as a probiotic. Wyeast does distribute a lactobacillus buchnire strain, but we are not familiar with working with that particular strain.

Personally, brevis and plantarum are the strains of lactobacillus we would recommend folks using in their Berliner Weisses or quick soured ales. Brevis and plantarum work very well and quickly in fresh warm wort. We haven’t had much success using delbrueckii, so we would recommend avoid using it or blends where delbrueckii is the only strain of lactobacillus. If a blend has delbrueckii and another quick acting strain, go ahead and use it; just know that the tartness in the beer is most likely not coming from delbrueckii. Brevis and 2015-10-29plantarum also work very quickly, usually with in 24 hours to give the beer a very strong tartness. Usually a pH of 3.5 can be reached with in 24 hours. Both strains produce citrus-like flavors and provide a relatively clean sourness.

Fermentation/Sour Wort Temperatures

Lactobacillus doesn’t like being kept cool. Most strains prefer being kept between 90° F to 110° F. Wort tends to sour more quickly the higher the temperature. Staying within this temperature region for 24 hours is generally long enough for beers containing lactobacillus to reach their minimum pH, usually around 3.4-3.5. If you don’t want to beer to be aggressively sour, you can ferment at cooler temperatures for 24 hours then pitch the yeast you plan on using to complete fermentation. We recommend pitching lactobacillus at warm temperatures (above normal ale yeast tempeatures, 90-110° F) and then cooling to ale temps after 24 hours and then pitching your favorite ale sacc. strain. We’ve had good luck using European Ale Yeast (WLP011) and US-05 in our berliner weisses.

Oxygen Pickup

Oxygen is your worst enemy when working with lactobacillus. You are almost in a tough place when working with lactobacillus. Lactobacilllus doesn’t like oxygen, but your standard brewing yeast does. However, in the presence of oxygen, there are many off flavors and aromas that can occur.

  • Acetic acid - think of how your standard white vinegar tastes. Although acetic acid in a Berliner Weisse is inappropriate for the style, it can be present in low levels in other sour ales such as a Flanders Red.
  • Butyric acid - you remember in college when you drank too much and here comes the McDonalds you ate after you left the bar? Yeah, that’s what butyric acid is. That is a flavor and aroma compound you do not want showing up in any style of beer.
  • Isovaleric acid - when you smell this beer you instantly want a plate of spaghetti. Not really, but with this compound it can smell like Parmesan cheese or some stinky feet that just got back from the gym.

Photo May 09, 11 52 20 AMWhen you are done boiling your wort for your sour ale, you do not want to oxygenate your beer. You want to transfer your wort from your kettle to your fermenter as carefully as possible. Some splashing is ok, but excessive amount could induce too much oxygen. If you are going to keep the wort in the kettle and kettle sour your beer, you will want to flush the wort and head space in your kettle with CO2 or nitrogen and then seal the lid by applying some tape or plastic wrap around the edge of the lid. You want to make the kettle sealed and full of CO2 or nitrogen.

One things we have both forgotten to do at some point while brewing up our first batches of Berliner Weisse is keeping the airlocks full. If you are letting the beer sit in primary for a long period of time and you let the air lock run dry, you run a very high risk of letting some of that lactobacillus produce some acetic acid. So, keep those air locks full!

Hops and Hoping Rates
Lactobacillus hates hops. Lets say this one more time, lactobacillus HATES hops. Most recipes call for 3-5 IBUs of bitterness in the boil. We find this to be too high for lactobacillus. Hops really are effective at keeping lactobacillus at bay, so you don’t want very much in your beer. We highly recommend going with no hops in your Berliner Weisse. Who can taste 5 IBUs of bitterness? The reason most recipes have hops noted is so they follow the Reingeitsgebot. If we had to guess, just about no one, so we just skip adding hops all together. However, what if you want hop flavor in your sour ales? Well, the best solution to that is to blend with a hoppy beer or dry hop your sour ales. A dry hopped Berliner Weisse/sour ale is quiet refreshing and the acidic character often times brings new notes to hops to the surface that you wouldn’t have noticed in a regular beer.

Levels of pH

Having a pH meter is not necessary for brewing up a delicious sour ale. However, they can be very useful in the fermentation process. Pitching rates, temperatures, and the type of wort the lactobacillus is pitched in can have an affect on how long it takes for lactobacillus to drop the pH of your beer. Having a pH meter gives you another tool to dial in your process and give you more control over how sour your beer is. Say for example you just want a slightly tart beer. Well you can let lactobacillus do it’s thing until you hit a pH of 3.6-3,7, then cool to your normal ale fermentation temps, and let the yeast finish off the sugars. Your pH will drop a little bit from the fermentation process, but you’ll be left with a tart beer and not a crazy sour beer. On the other hand, you can monitor the pH of your beer until it reaches its terminal pH and then ferment your yeast. A pH meter just gives you the ability to have more control of your fermentation process. We will be having a future post about how to measure pH and go about maintaining pH meters.
For deciding how far to take the pH with your sour beer, you need to know what pH gives you specific level of sourness. We have provided some basic numbers below.

  • Photo Jun 23, 6 12 48 PM4.5-3.9: Imperceptible
  • 4.0-3.6: Perceived brightness to the beer. This is a great pH range for brightening up a fruit beer.
  • 3.5-3.4: Good level of tartness. Appropriate range for a Berliner Weisse
  • 3.2-3.3: Very sour
  • 3.1-3.0: Extremely sour
  • Less than 3.0: Will dissolve your teeth (joking). A pH and below 3.0 is for the hardcore sour ale drinker. Be sure to take your antacids.

If you are kettle souring, it is highly recommended to reduce the pH of your wort to 4.5 before letting your wort sit for a long period of time and boiling for the second time. You are limiting the types of bacteria that can thrive in wort by reducing the pH to 4.5. This will help keep the beer cleaner and keep unwanted critters from settling in. You can find lactic acid solutions (usually 88% by weight) at your local homebrew store. Just add small amount of this solution (start with 1 ml at a time) until your pH falls to 4.5. Then pitch your lactobacillus and you are ready to go.

We have a particular method for checking the pH of our sour wort. (Note: we always remove samples of the wort and measure the pH of the removed sample. We never check the pH of the wort by sticking the probe into the fermenter, doing so is a pathway for cross contamination.) For our sour ales, we typically remove about 6-8 oz of wort from the fermenter and place it into a sanitized pint glass. For all intents and purposes, we assume the wort in the fermenter at this point is homogeneous and the removed sample is a good sample of the wort in the fermenter. We measure the pH of the sample in the pint glass. Rinse probe with water and stick it back into its storage container. Then cover the pint glass with plastic wrap and keep it next to the fermenter so they are maintained at the same temperature. Do not pour this sample back into the fermenter. When it comes time to check the pH of the wort again, We just remove the plastic wrap and measure the pH again in the pint glass. The pH of the wort in the pint glass should be the same as the wort in the fermenter.

Special Equipment

Lactobacillus likes to hide in all of nooks and crannies of brewing equipment. It’s important that you have a duplicate set of any equipment that is made of plastic (example: racking canes, bottling buckets, carboy caps, air locks, etc.). Lactobacillus can be extremely difficult if not impossible to remove from slightly scratched plastic surfaces. If you don’t want to keep separate pieces of equipment, use equipment that is made of stainless steel or can be safely boiled without damaging the specific piece of equipment. We have boiled pieces of equipment like carboy caps to pasteurize with good success.

 

Brewing A Berliner Weisse

OPhoto May 01, 5 57 54 PMk, so we gave you a crash course on the basics of brewing a Berliner Weisse, so lets go through the whole process from start to finish real quick.

  1. You’ll need a wort that is around 1.030-1.035 OG that is roughly 50% continental pilsner and 50% white or red wheat. If you are an extract brewer, you’ll want to use a 50/50 mix of pilsner and wheat malt extracts.
  2. The boil
    1. If you are doing all-grain, boil for 90 minutes to drive off any dimethyl sulfide. If you’d like to experiment, you could look into doing a no-boil Berliner Weisse.
    2. If you are doing extract, bring your wort to a boil. You do not need to boil more than a few minutes.
  3. Chill your wort to 110° F.
  4. Carefully, without splashing, Transfer to a glass carboy or stainless fermenter. You can use a plastic bucket, but don’t use this bucket for anything other than Berliner Weisse or other quick sour ales and don’t leave it in there for more than a few weeks.
  5. Pitch Lactobacillus and maintain the fermentation temp above 90° F.
  6. After 6 hours, remove 6-8 oz from the fermenter (use a dedicated wine thief) and measure the pH.
  7. Check the pH every few hours. When the pH hits 3.5-3.6, move the beer to a cooler location so the beer can come to friendly ale fermentation temps. Assume the pH will fall to the desired 3.4-3.5 range during the cooling process.
  8. Once the beer has cooled to about 70° F, pitch your favorite ale yeast (WLP011 is the most traditional).
  9. Ferment for two weeks.
  10. Package as a normally fermented beer, but be sure to use your dedicated/separate sour ale transferring equipment.

 

BJCP Scoresheet - Odell IPA

OdellIPAEntry: 003
Judge: Ron Unz
BJCP ID: F0711
Rank: Certified
Beer Name: Odell IPA
Category: 21A - American IPA
Special Ingredients: None
Bottle Inspection: Ok.
Comments: None:

Aroma: 8/12

Moderate-low caramel malt sweetness. Moderate floral hop aroma with moderate-low citrus notes. No fruity esters. No diacetyl.

Appearance: 3/3

Depp gold in color. Very clear. Tan head with tiny tight bubbles. Good head retention.

Flavor: 15/20

Moderate-low caramel up front, slightly too high for style. Citrus and pine hop flavor, moderate. Moderate-high bitterness. Clean fermenation. No fruity esters. Malt is moderately sweet. Slightly cloying. Balance is a little on the sweet side. Bitterness and sweetness follow into the finish.

Mouthfeel: 3/5

Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. No warmth. Low astringency in the finish.

Overall Impression: 8/10

Hop flavor is appropriate for style. Hop aroma could be a little higher for style, increasing carbonation sightly should help. Residual sweetness is too high for style. The sweetness also leads to a body that is too full for style. Caramel flavor is also borderline high. Back off malt by 10%-20%. Overall a very good beer. Great hop flavor.

TOTAL: 37/50

BJCP Scoresheet - De Brabandere Petrus Oud Bruin


19454445840_e413f3d35e_b
Entry:
002
Judge: Ron Unz
BJCP ID: F0711
Rank: Certified
Beer Name: De Brabandere Petrus Oud Bruin
Category: 23C - Oud Bruin
Special Ingredients: None
Bottle Inspection: Ok.
Comments: None

Aroma: 9/12

Upfront sour aroma. Moderate notes of blackberries and dark cherries. Low malt sweetness. Sour notes are moderate-high. Malt aroma improves as the beer warms. No diacetyl.

Appearance: 3/3

Very dark ruby color. Very clear. Tan head with tiny bubbles. Great head retention.

Flavor: 17/20

Moderate-low bready malt flavor. Low caramel malt sweetness. No hop flavor. Low bitterness. Moderate-low tartness. Very bright. Moderate-low notes of plums, figs, and tart cherries. Balance is semi-dry. Very low sweet fig flavor lingers into the finish. Fruit character intensifies as the beer warms. No diacetyl.

Mouthfeel: 5/5

Medium body. Medium-high carbonation. Some what tingles the tongue. No warmth. No astrongiency.

Overall Impression: 9/10

The malt aroma and flavors were a little low, especially in the aroma. The malt flavor was more prevalent and more appropriate to style. Sourness was more pronounced in the aroma and could very well be masking the malt aroma. Tartness level is perfect. Over all a very solid beer. Increase the malt every so slightly for both flavor and aroma.

TOTAL: 43/50


Comments: I am usually not a huge fan of oud bruin. I have always found them kind of ‘meh’. I have had both Liefmans’ version of the oud bruin and I was not impressed with them either. This is by far the best oud bruin I have ever had. I am very impressed with it. It has enough complexity in the aroma and flavor to compete with some of the other sour ales, such as flanders red.

BJCP Scoresheet - Westbrook Gose


WestbrookGose
Entry:
001
Judge: Ron Unz
BJCP ID: F0711
Rank: Certified
Beer Name: Westbrook Gose
Category: 27 - Historical Beer: Gose
Special Ingredients: None
Bottle Inspection: Ok.
Comments: None

Aroma: 8/12

Moderate sour aroma. Low bread crust-like aroma. Low coriander. Low levels of floral notes. No hops. No esters. No diacetyl.

Appearance: 2/3

Hay in color. Hazy, but ok for style. White heat with large bubbles. Poor head retention.

Flavor: 14/20

Moderate-high sourness. Moderate-low levels of salt. Almost reminds me of salted buttermilk. Moderate-low bread and bread crust malt flavor. No hops. Low bitterness. Very low levels of coriander. Balance is dry. Sourness follows long into the finish. Sourness comes off like lemon juice.

Mouthfeel: 4/5

Moderate-low body. Moderate-high carbonation. Sourness make my jaw clench. Heartburn is also felt.

Overall Impression: 8/10

Great beer, but the sourness is almost too intense for the style. The sourness is so intense it is masking the malt and coriander. Back off a little on what ever method is used to sour. I would also like to see a bit more coriander in the flavor and aroma. It’s a little too low for style. Other wise, this is a great summer ale.

TOTAL: 36/50

Rosemary Cream Biscuits

Round1Discoloration-2There isn’t a single traditional home in the south where biscuits aren’t a staple. We don’t make biscuits a lot in our house due to our busy schedules, but we do like to make them about once a week. This recipe is a quick cream biscuit recipe that can be easily whipped up in minutes. This minute is great on those nights you want a biscuit with your meal, but don’t want to spend a lot of time making them.


Round1DiscolorationPrep Time:
5 min
Cook Time: 18-20 min

Ingredients
1 tbsp. fresh finely minced rosemary
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1.5 cups heavy cream
3 tbsp. honey

 

Steps

  1. Preheat your oven to 425°F
  2. Whisk together the rosemary, flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
  3. Add the heavy cream and honey.
  4. Mix with a spoon until just about everything is roughly incorporated.
  5. Flour a flat working surface.
  6. Place the dough on the work surface and kneed the dough until everything looks uniform.
  7. Roll the dough out until about 3/8 of an inch thick.
  8. Cut out the biscuits in any shape you want. I tend to just free style them. You just want them rought all the same size so they cook evenly.
  9. Place the biscuits on a greased baking sheet.
  10. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
  11. Place the biscuits on a cooling rack and then consume.

These biscuits are super easy and super delicious. If you don’t want the rosemary in the biscuits, then take it out. The biscuits will still be delicious. I absolutely love making these to have with my biscuits and gravy. The rosemary compliments sawmill gravy so well.

Measuring pH and pH Meter Maintenance for Homebrewers

Author: Ron Unz

The pH during the brewing process can be pretty important, especially if you are interested in repeatability. One of the most common applications for the use of a pH meter is during the mash. Having the mash pH in the appropriate range can greatly increase your mash efficiency. A pH meter is also very hand while brewing a sour ale, making a sour wort, or even a sour mash. A pH meter is a device that essentially measures the hydrogen concentration of a solution. The lower the pH, the more acidic the solution is.

Devices for Measuring pH

In homebrewing, there are two primary methods for measuring pH. The first method utilizes pH strips that require estimating the color of the strips after its dipped into the wort or whatever solution you want to know the pH of. These strips are not very accurate and require you interpret and extrapolate the colors on the bottle or chart that came with the strips. The color of the wort can also interfere with interpreting the color on the strip. I do not recommend these strips being used in a homebrewery.

Photo Jun 17, 7 20 23 PMThe second method of measuring pH is using a pH meter. This is the preferred method of measuring pH. Meters can range in price from $15 to thousands of dollars. A $13 model can be found here, but reviews among the homebrewing community are that these can act a bit wonky at times. Two highly recommended pH meters in the brewing and wine making circles are the Milwaukee MW101 or MW102 pH meters. I would recommend the MW102 model because it comes with a thermometer and has built in automatic temperature compensation (ATC). Inexpensive pH meters require the solutions to be at room temperature before measuring the pH. Measuring the pH of a solution is temperature dependent, so having ATC is useful at elevated temperatures, like in the mash.

A third method for measuring pH has recently come to the hombrewing market. This devices has typically been reserved for laboratory. The third method is using a colorimeter or photometer system. This devices requires you to add a small amount of the liquid you wanted tested into a small chamber and then adding a small amount of reactive chemicals. The colorimeter or photometer then measures the color of the solution to determine its pH. These devices are usually very expensive, but can also perform a large range of tests beyond measuring pH. A homebrew photometer system can be picked up for about $300 from Industrial Test System. However, these systems aren’t very useful for solutions that aren’t clear, have color, or contain particulate matter, such as a wort or grist. These devices are most useful for measuring your water chemistry.

PH Meter Maintenance and Care

Photo Sep 24, 6 06 26 PMYou will also need to purchase three (two if your pH meter only has a one-point calibration) different solutions to maintain your pH meter. The first one or two solutions you will need are called buffer solutions. These are used to calibrate your pH meter. Most pH meters will require at least a two-point calibration. Usually the pH meter will want to be calibrated with solutions with pHs at 4.0 and 7.0. Calibration buffer solutions are relatively inexpensive and will last a homebrewer a relatively long time. Carefully read the instructions that came with your meter to learn how to perform the appropriate calibration procedure. Note: The buffer solutions can also be used as a quality control check on how well your pH meter is functioning.

This is a caption
Diagram of pH probe. Source

The third solution is for maintaining the functionality of your pH probe. The probe on a pH meter is a sensitive glass probe . The probe of a pH meter is usually constructed of a thin special glass membrane and there is a conductive fluid inside the pH probe. This probe can easily dry out if the pH probe is not kept in a storage solution. Storage solutions (usually a potassium chloride solution) are relatively inexpensive, and like the buffer solutions, should last a very long time. You don’t need much solutions at any given time. All meters will come with a method for keeping the probe submerged in the storage solution. Usually a cap or small container is filled with the storage solution and the probe screws directly into the container. You want to keep the probe moist during storage. You can use the buffer solutions in place of the storage solution if you are in a pinch. Tap water can also be used, but a normal storage solution or buffer solution would be better. Do not use distilled water as a storage solution as this could permanently damage the probe.

When you are done using your probe, it’s important to rinse the probe. Any material clinging to the probe can easily be transferred to your storage solution. Over a long period of time this could interfere with your probes functionality. I always rinse my probe immediately after using it. I rinse with tap or distilled water.

Over time, there is the possibility of the probe getting gunky. You will be sticking it in some sticky and protein rich solutions, so it’s good to give your probe a good cleaning every now and then. A dirty probe can give very slow or erratic readings. Soaking probes in new clean storage or buffer solution is sometimes enough, but sometimes you’ll need something a bit stronger to get them clean. For a deeper cleaning, procure some 0.1 M hydrochloric acid and soak the probe for about 15 minutes and rinse with water. If your probe is very dirty, you can try to soak the probe in water with a tiny bit of dish soap and then use a soft bristled toothbrush to try and brush any contaminants away. If these methods do not resolve problems with the probe, you might want to consider purchasing a new probe. Also, be sure to rinse out your storage containers occasionally.

Measuring pH

There are several times during the brewing process where knowing the pH is useful. The primary process where pH is most important is during the mash. Mash pH should range from 5.0 to 5.8 with a sweet spot of 5.2-5.4, depending on who you ask and which source you reference. To measure the mash pH, remove the probe from the storage container and stick it in the mash. If your pH meter has a separate thermometer for ATC, put it in the mash close to the pH probe. Push the tip of the probe about 2 inches below the surface of the mash. You will see the pH reading drop and eventually reach a value where the reading does not change. Most pH meters have an indicator telling the user when the pH reading has stabilized. If your probe doesn’t have a stabilization indicator, you are pretty close to stabilization when the displayed number on your pH meter hasn’t changed after about 5 seconds. Once you have measured your pH, remove the probe and immediatelyPhoto Sep 20, 5 50 35 PM rinse with water and place the probe back into its storage container.

Most pH meters provide two decimal points on the readout. I never use the second decimal point. I have found that sticking with the first decimal point and rounding to the nearest 0.1 pH has been more than adequate.

The process of checking your pH anywhere else in the brewing process is the same. Place the probe in the solution your are testing, wait for it to stabilize, remove, and rinse. It’s that easy! If you are measuring post-boiled wort or beer, I would recommend removing a sample from the fermenter or keg before taking a reading. Never stick the probe into your fermenters or kegs. pH probes can be a source of cross contamination if you are not careful, so it’s better to remove a sample and measure the pH of the sample.

I hope you have enjoyed this post. If you have any questions of feel that I have missed something important, please comment below. I would love to have some feed back.

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

Berliner Weisse - Brevis and Butthead

BrevisAndButtheadBerliner Wisses are one of my favorite styles of beer. They are tart, easy drinking, and the base beer is extremely easy to make. Based on the BJCP 2015 guidelines, a Berliner Wiesse is supposed to have a starting gravity around 1.030 and 5 IBUs of hops and composed primarily of wheat and pilsner malt in equal amounts.

The hard part about brewing a brewing a Berliner Weisse is working with lactobacillus. My first four or five trials using lactobacillus and Berliner Weisse blends from white labs did not turn out like I wanted, even after several month of aging. The big problem was that my beers would never get sour. After a year, one managed to get a little tart, but it had too much of an acetic acid quality because I let my airlock dry out. I even tried an all lactobacillus beer once. I wrapped it in a heating pad for over a month. It grew mold before it fermented out.

For a while I gave up on trying to use lactobacillus in my Berliner Weisses. I got tired of fighting with the beers not getting sour, no matter what I tried. Then earlier this year, we got a chance to have Michael Tonsmeire do a Skype call with our local homebrew club. I mentioned my problem to him and he pointed out that a lot of people haven’t had good luck with the strains I have been using. He recommend a specific strain of lactobacillus: lactobacillus brevis.

After doing some research, brevis wasn’t used in any of the white labs Berliner Weisse blends I was using. White lab typical uses lactobacillus delbrueckii (WLP677) in their blends and is the strain I have used previously. I decided to hunt down some brevis (WLP672) and give it a whirl.

Brevis and Butthead

SG: 1.030

FG: 1.005

ABV: 3.3%

IBU: 0

Batch Size: 12 gallons

Mash Efficiency: 70%

Grain Bill

7 lbs - Continental Pilsner Malt - 50%

7 lbs - What Malt - 50%

Hops

None

 

Yeast

Lactobacillus Brevis (WLP672) - two vials

European Ale Yeast (WLP011) - two vials

Brewday

I mashed in around 148. Due to the lower mash temp, decided to mash for 90 minutes. Mashed in with ~4.4 gallons of water. I do not remember my strike water temperature. I have been using the Green Bay Racker’s calculator, but it hasn’t been accurate for me lately. Sparged with 7 gallons around 170 degrees F.

Hit 70% efficiency.

Topped off to 15 gallons. Assuming 2 gallons/hour boil off and I am performing a 90 minute boil to drive off DMS.

Final volume 12 gallons.

IMPORTANT: These next steps I believe are critical for the Berliner Weisse. I chilled wort to 100 degrees F. Transfer to two class carboys (I don’t recommend using buckets because lactobacillus can get stuck in even the tiniest scratches. )

While wort was still warm, I pitched the lactobacillus. One vial in each batch. Kept carboys warm (above 90 degrees F) by leaving them in my hot garage. Left carboys in my garage for about 20 hours. Brought them into the house to let them cool off to normal pitching temps.

When the two batches of wort came down to pitching temps, I pitched WLP011 into both carboys. I did not oxygenate like I normally would. I was afraid of introducing oxygen with lactobacillus being in the wort already.

Put both carboys into fermentation chamber.

48 Hours after Brew Day

No sign of fermentation.

1 Week after Brew Day

Still no sign of fermentation

2 Week after Brew Day

Still no sign of fermenation. Decided to take a taste sample. Holy crap was this beer good. It’s very tart. Like holy cow tart. I got a ton of other fruity flavors. Lemon. Orange. I decided to keg one of the batches now. It’s pretty dry. I don’t have my finishing hydrometer to measure the FG, but it tastes pretty dry. Based on the lack of fermentation, I am curious if this went through an all lactobacillus fermentation.

7/11/15

Tasting notes. This beer is excelent. The flavor hasn’t changed much since I kegged it. It’s still extremely tart. Like tooth dissolving tart. Next time, I might go with only 12 hours of letting the lactobacillus do it’s thing before pitching WLP011.

10/22/2015

I have brewed this beer one more time since the last update. I brewed another double batch. One batch received a pitch of Farmhouse Sour Ale blend from The Yeast Bay and the other batch got WLP 672 (Brevis) and US-05. The Farmhouse Sour Ale blend has a mixture of Brevis and a Sacc. I pitched while the wort was still slightly warm and I let it naturally cool to room temp in my house. The other batch was left in my garage and I pitched with brevis and kept warm for 24 hours. After 24 hours, the beer was brought into the house to cool. I then pitched a single packet of US-05 and I let the beer ferment for two weeks before kegging. Both beers were very good and tart. I highly recommend folks giving lactobacillus brevis or plantarum a try. However, the key is letting them get a warm head start before pitching yeast. Another important key to brewing berliner weisse is using no hops. Lactobacillus is very hop sensitive. Keep the IBUs very low. I choose to go with no hops at all. The style calls for about 5 IBUs, but I’m willing to bet no one can taste 5 IBUs of bitterness, so I just skip the hops all together.

Welcome to Southern Fried Fermenters

Welcome to our blog/website. This blog is written by a group homebrewers in the deep south. We are deeply committed to the promotion and education of craft brewing. We are passionate about all things beer and food. This website is a platform for us to share our knowledge with you. In the coming months and years, we plan on discussing the following topics: basic brewing techniques, advanced brewing techniques, beers styles (BJCP) training, beer pairings, product reviews, and lot of good old southern cooking. So join us on this adventure while we share our passions with the world and please share our page with folks who might be interested in following along.

Cheers!