jalgayer

Recipes 

Made a flanders red sour back about 4 months ago. Still no pellicle. What if any actions can I take?

Thanks

__________________
Regards,
Jason

BOTTLED / DRINKING
Mad-Elf Inspiration, Graff

SECONDARY
Flander's Sour Red {1 Year Old on July 28, 2011}

PRIMARY
Vanilla-Almond Pumpkin Ale, Surly Furious, Triple Karmelite Clone


ON DECK
Double White

avidhomebrewer

Recipes 

Nothing. Let it go for a few more months before you decide to take any action. Of all the lambics I've made, they take at least 6-9 months to form the pellicle.

Oldsock

Recipes 

Pellicles form quickly if there is oxygen in the headspace. If you keep your airlock filled and don't pull samples too often it will generally take a few months to form and when it does it won’t be that thick.

Have you taken a sample of the beer? That’s the best way to see how things are progressing.

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Check out The Mad Fermentationist for my adventures in fermentation (cheese, bread, ginger beer plant, and of course plenty of funky beer).

jalgayer

Recipes 

So I just tasted it and there is a hint of sourness. No pellicle. It is now at the 5 month mark.

Should I still let it ride or maybe try to kick it along in some way shape or form

__________________
Regards,
Jason

BOTTLED / DRINKING
Mad-Elf Inspiration, Graff

SECONDARY
Flander's Sour Red {1 Year Old on July 28, 2011}

PRIMARY
Vanilla-Almond Pumpkin Ale, Surly Furious, Triple Karmelite Clone


ON DECK
Double White

jessup

Recipes 

add oak chips and it will form a pellicle. is it due to the oxygen being introduced by disturbing the beer? yes. does having a pellicle mean having a better beer? no.

edit: now that you recently sampled the beer you may have done enough already.

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set I: Pale (3) -> Mild (4-5) -> amber / Victory (20-25) -> special roast (40-50) -> brown (70)
set II: pilsner (2) -> Vienna (3-4) -> Munich (8-10) -> dark Munich (20) -> aromatic / melanoiden (25-30)
encore: smoked (5)

jalgayer

Recipes 

Ok, thanks, I guess I am not as concerned with the lack of pellicle.... Just worried that I wll do nothing at the 5-6 months mark and just sit and wait until 12-18 months pass and look back and wish there was something that I could have done.

Is there anything on the horizon that I should do - or consider doing? At the 8 months mark? 10 months? Adding anything - more bugs, malt, dex?

Thanks

__________________
Regards,
Jason

BOTTLED / DRINKING
Mad-Elf Inspiration, Graff

SECONDARY
Flander's Sour Red {1 Year Old on July 28, 2011}

PRIMARY
Vanilla-Almond Pumpkin Ale, Surly Furious, Triple Karmelite Clone


ON DECK
Double White

Oldsock

Recipes 

Why don't you tell us what you did? Recipe, bugs, general technique? What the gravity is etc...

Adding more bugs would be a good idea if you just added a commercial culture. Adding sugar/dextrin wouldn't be a bad idea if you fermented the beer out clean before adding bugs, or if the gravity is very low already <1.005 say.

__________________
Check out The Mad Fermentationist for my adventures in fermentation (cheese, bread, ginger beer plant, and of course plenty of funky beer).

passedpawn

Recipes 

I'm interested. Please post details, specifically yeast choice(s) and fermentation schedule.

I've got Jamil's Flanders Red recipe going, on Wyeast Roselare blend. Brewed 4 days ago. It's fermenting strong right now.

__________________
Now there's some take delight in the carriages a rolling
and others take delight in the hurling and the bowling
but I take delight in the juice of the barley
and courting pretty fair maids in the morning bright and early

jalgayer

Recipes 

Hey all

I used the grains and dme mixture that old sock suggested. Og was around1.060 and I fermented it
With rosalare only. After 2 months I added oak chips which had soaked in makers mark for a month.

It dropped to 1.005 the last time I took a gravity reading which
Was2 months ago.

The last 2 months there really hasn't been much happening. Taste is currently a hint of sour.
Which I guess is a relative term do lets just say not sour enough.

Any other information needed let me know.... And thanks for any tips


I am currently at the 5 month mark.

Oldsock

Recipes 

There is still certainly a chance that the beer will get more sour, so you could certainly wait. That said I'd start adding dregs the next few times you have a bottle of something you enjoy. If you still haven't gotten more sourness in 3-4 months I'd go with 1/2 lb of light DME.

__________________
Check out The Mad Fermentationist for my adventures in fermentation (cheese, bread, ginger beer plant, and of course plenty of funky beer).