Sour Wort Berliner Weisse

Thanks to MilkTheFunk for some inspiration to move forward on this idea.

Grain

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5.5 lbs German Pilsner

5.5 lbs American Wheat

Bugs & Yeast

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WLP677 Lactobacillus Delbrueckii Bacteria (for souring wort in kettle)

Safale US05 (for primary fermentation)

Hops

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.5 oz Hallertaur (for Brew Day #2 in a short boil)

Notes

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Average commercial Berliner Weisse pH range: 3.2 - 3.4 pH.

Checking pH and tasting daily would be a good idea just to track the lactic acid production. Check gravity reading when the wort pH had dropped to a desired value.

Estimations:

Preboil OG: 1.052

OG: 1.056

FG: 1.016

Reals:
Pre-sour OG: 1.055
SRM: 3.45

7/29/2015 - Brew Day Notes

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Mash started at around 152°F while adding 3.33 teaspoons Gypsum, and 1.91 teaspoons Calcium Chloride. Let it sit for 60 minutes and the temp had dropped to about 147°F. Brought mash temperature up to 155°F with some boiling water and let rest for another 30 minutes before starting sparge. Mash pH was checked at 15 minutes into the mash to be about 5.6pH. Checked again after sparge and the wort was around 5.55pH.

Let wort cool to 120°F and pitched a vial of WLP677 Lactobacillus (11:30 PM). Covered the wort with seran wrap touching the liquid to try to eliminate the oxygen. Stuck the thermometer in the wort, keeping it in place with a little extra seran wrap. Set electric smoker temperature to 100°F (this is the lowest set temperature of the smoker).

7/30/2015 - 8:00 AM

In the morning I had to move the smoker inside because of rain in the forecast. The set temp of smoker remained at 100°F but the smoker was reading 108°F. Thermometer in the wort was reading 115°F. This is ideal because I was aiming to stay between 113°F - 120°F, encouraging the Lactobacillus and discouraging other bacterias.

7/30/2015 - 10:00 PM
pH reading of 4.35. Smells rank.

8/1/2015 - 2:00pm

pH reading of 4.04 (at 120°F).

Brought wort up to 170°, added 1oz of hallertauer for 5 minutes, then dropped wort chiller in and turned heat off. Let sit for 10 minutes before starting the chill. Chilled to 80°, racked and pitched US-05. Did not aerate.

8/18/2015
Gravity reading of 1.036
Taste is not pleasing. Rank, diapery taste. Not sure what went wrong or what to do to remedy this.

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Fiancéson

After this beer was brewed, here is the impressive lineup of fermentation. The Fiancéson is in the leftmost bucket.

Grain

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12 lbs Belgian Pilsner

.5 lb Belgian Cara 8

1 lbs Rolled Oats (325°F for 20 minutes)

.75 Unmalted Wheat

Hops

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1.5 oz UK East Kent Golding [A:5.7%, B:2.9%] (60 min)

.5 oz UK East Kent Golding [A:5.7%, B:2.9%] (45 min)

1 oz  Czech Saaz [A:3.6%, B:4.8%] (10min)

Yeast

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White Labs WLP566 - Belgian Saison II

Mash Notes

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7/10/2015

Want to keep the mash at the low temp range for the Beta to go to town. Trying to fit the style and to make it dry.

Need to be careful with the mash.

Mashed in with 9.5x1.5quarts of 163°F water. Mash rest temperature was 150°F. 5.31pH after 15 mins! 

After 60 minutes we added boiling water to raise mash temp. Couldn't get it much higher than 152°F because there was no more room in the mash tun to add boiling water. That'll do.

IBU: ~38 - 40

SRM: 4.43

OG: 1.071

FG: 1.008

ABV: 8.3%

Mash notes made before brew day. 

Starch Rest

60 minute mash @ 147°F @ 1 Quarts/Pound (Mash In at 14.25 Quarts @ 163.4°F)

Add 3.44 teaspoons (13.78 grams) Gypsum & 1.98 teaspoons (6.72 grams) Calcium Chloride to the 14.25 Quarts

Sach Rest

30 minute mash @ 155°F @ 1.17 Quarts/Pound (add 2.4 Quarts of boiling water)

Did not make these additional salt additons

Add .58 teaspoons (2.32 grams) Gypsum & .33 teaspoons (1.13 grams) Calcium Chloride to the 2.4 Quarts

7/29/2015 Racked to carboy for secondary (didn't take gravity reading). Tasted very spicy and not absolutely enjoyable. Hopefully it mellows a bit with time.

9/8/2015 Bottled
Yield - 45 bottles. Gravity Reading of 1.008
Tasting notes: Still not entirely enjoyable to drink warm/uncarbonated. We'll have to wait for the finished product. Brett and I think the unmalted red wheat might be providing the off flavors on this batch and on the Witbier we also added unmalted red wheat to. 

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Witbier

Grain

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7.8 lbs Pilsner Malt

3 lbs Unmalted Wheat (used blender to grind)

1 lbs Flaked Quick Oats

Hops

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.5 oz Hallertau (60 min)

.5 oz Hallertau (30 min)

.5 oz Hallertau (15 min)

.5 oz Hallertau (5 min)

Yeast

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Lallemand Danstar Munich Wheat Beer Yeast (dry yeast)

7/7/2015 - Brew Day

Mash in with 3.75 gallons added at 170°F. Mash temp started at 154°F.

Stirred at 40 min and again at 50 min. Iodine tested positive at 60 min. Tested again at 75 min still with deep red color. The unmalted wheat is probably a contributor to this. 3.4 srm calculated

Added 2 teaspoons calcium sulfate and 1 teaspoon of calcium chloride to the initial mash. This was only half of the calculated salt adjustments needed. Hesitated to go all-in with salt addition. 5.6pH reading from mash 5 minutes into the mash.


7/12/2015 - racked to secondary
Still plenty of fermentation action, however we needed the bucket that it was in. Moved it to a 3.5 gallon carboy and a 1.5 gallon glass jar.

7/20/2015
Oddly there is still plenty of action in the airlock. Must have had some residual starches present that is allowing a longer than normal fermentation.

7/29/2015
Fermentation is settled and will be ready to bottle soon.

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