JustinB

Recipes 

Hi all, I've got two five gallon carboys of Flanders Red aging in my basement. Both are approaching the 12 month mark. I recently tasted both for the first time. As expected, the first batch (generation 1 Roeselare) is sour but not strongly sour. The second batch (pitched onto the cake from the first batch) is definitely more sour. I've also added dregs over the course of the last 12 months.

I'm a fan of strongly sour beers and while I know I should wait at least another six months, I was thinking of adding some maltodextrin for the bugs to feed on to hopefully add some more sour/funk. My questions are:

1) How much should I add to each five gallon batch? 8 oz? 16 oz?
2) Do I just boil the maltodextrin in some quantity of water, cool, then add to the carboys?

Thanks!

avidhomebrewer

Recipes 

I would add ~8 oz and up it, if necessary, based upon your tastes, from there.

Yes, boil in about 1 cup, cool, and add.

Huck-E-bear

Recipes 

Could you elaborate what dregs is and what effect does maltodextrin have on the brew?

Waylit

Recipes 

Dregs are the yeast and bacteria from a bottle of beer, (usually a commercial sour) such as Cantillon, Russian River, Jolly Pumpkin, etc. You save the last couple ounces, swirl and pitch into a starter or carboy.

maltodextrin is not fermentable by brewers yeast, but brett and bacteria can consume it.

ryane

Recipes 

I would suggest using about half of that, I used to suggest using 8oz of malto, but Ive done this several times now and those beers always come out a bit to acidic for me. I would add 4oz or so and see where that gets you, if its still not sour enough you can always add more

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RyanBrews - check out all the bread/funk/pickling/cheese and other crazy things I try...

• Candy Sugar the Right Way (hint - we've been doing it wrong!)

JustinB

Recipes 

Thanks all. I'll start with 4 oz and see what that gets me. Any idea how long it will take for the bugs to consume? In other words, when should I pull another sample to see what happened?

Huck-E-bear

Recipes 

So I could pitch the dregs or maltodextrin whenever I feel lkike it in the next year or so while my lambic sits in the carboy?

mccann51

Recipes 

I have limited experience, but I'd say at least three months before you consider checking it again (might be longer, though).

chefchris

Recipes 

Would you recommend throwing the maltodextrin into the boil or waiting and pitching it months later?

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staygoldBREWING

Primary: RIS, Flanders Red, Berliner Weisse

On Tap: Brown Ale, American Stout, Pumpkin Porter, Pale Ale, Uncle Muscle's IPA, Rowsdower Canadian Dry Stout

Bottled: Berliner Weisse

I think you are confuisng circle k with a reach around. - Denny's Evil Concoctions

Waylit

Recipes 

In the early stages of fermentation, there's plenty of sugars, which is why it's more useful later once the maltose has been been consumed.