First attempt at Berliner weiss not going as expected
Let me start with my process and then get down to the concerns later:
8 days prior to brew day, began a L. Delbruekii starter (500ml of 1.020 SG sterilized wort) and held at 92F.
Brew day: Sanitized all equipment, heated strike water and infused for saccharification @ 149F for 60 minutes. Pulled 5 quarts thick mash for mash-out decoction. Added 1 oz Hallertau hops and boiled in decoction for 15 minutes. Return decoction to main mash for mash-out. Proceed with single batch sparging, collected 5 gallons of liquid and rise to boiling temp. Cut heat at signs of beginning of boil. Chill & pitch lacto starter, added ½ lb crushed pale 2-row malt to primary to assist lacto. 24 Hours later krausen head begins to form.
~12 hours later, high krausen. With slight concern for the beer, added the originally intended US-05 yeast.
So I’m wondering now if I prepared my brew too liberally to foster conditions for spontaneous fermentation. I’m not terribly worried how the brew turns out, the whole batch probably only cost me $10. Should I have concern for any harmful pathogens?
you dont need to be concerned about pathogens, but why did you add the crushed grains? I mean you already had a lacto culture, and planned on adding yeast
there are a ton of other bugs on grain besides lacto, and will funkify the beer like nobodies business, I havent done it like you have but Ive used grain to sour the mash and it smelled like hot garbage - now your going to be in anoxic conditions but only time will tell, how does the airlock smell??
also 1020 is a bit low for a starter, shoot a bit higher even for lacto, I would also recommend a bit larger starter for lacto as well, you want a very high cell count
Transfered to secondary last night as high krausen ceased. The stuff still doesn't smell like vomit, but definitely ain't right. I don't really have high hopes and when I have a second attempt will definitely omit the grain to primary. That was probably the factor that put this beer over the edge.
Hey Wes, just to be clear, I never did the grains in the fermenter, I was throwing it out there as a suggestion. I have read at least a dozen accounts of others taking this approach, so I know it is used in the berliner process by others. In making my berliners, I achieved sourness from very long, hot, sour mashes and the pure culture.
I am sure you are fine however, I think you might have been better served adding the grains after activity took off.
Don't have any experience with exactly what you did, but I would like to add that I brewed the linked recipe and am thus far pleased (bottling tomorrow so yea there is time for something to go wrong I suppose). Many others have used this method as well with positive results so don't chuck it under the bus just yet.
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First attempt at Berliner weiss not going as expected
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