spearko520

Recipes 

I have a question about using the roselare yeast blend for a flemish red, and i've been reading through posts and it seems like getting differing opinions, so i was hoping someone could put this to bed. Everything i've read about the flemish red style, indicates that the beer is racked off the primary at some point, into a secondary (usually made of wood- where many of the bugs reside), versus a lambic, which is left on the lees as they provide nutrients for the brett down the stretch. The question i have is that, when using a yeast blend such as the wyeast roselare, would racking do something similar to propagation- that is, create a new ratio of different organisms, throwing the environment out of "balance"? i couldn't really find anything too specific on their website, other than the warning against propagation, so if anyone has any info on what the best technique is, i would sure appreciate it. I have always racked, but do not feel like i am getting the "sour cherry pie" flavor that i am looking for and am wondering if this has something to do with it. Am i leaving bugs behind? I realize that blending is the key, and i think i saw something oldsock posted a while back about making a malt vinegar and using that to blend- but i have had people tell me they got good results right from the initial batch fermentation, so i am curious to hear opinions...

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cervezarara

Recipes 

I think the reason these beers are secondaried is because, in Belgium, they are just primaried with a pure sacch strain or blend of sacch and lactic acid bacteria. This can be from four to eigght weeks. Then they go into a large barrel or foudre where more bacteria and Brettanomyces are introduced from the wood. These foudres are huge- Rodenbach's large tun is 5,280 gallons and their small tun is 3,168 gallons. They can stay in these tuns for 18 months to three years. A light beer may also be made for blending, which is done right from the primary.

Thus I have always felt that the best strategy for the homebrewer without a barrel is to either primary with a fairly clean strain and secondary with the blend, or primary with the blend and leave on the lees. I would agree with you that pitching a blend, then racking after initial fermentation would upset the balance of bacteria and yeasts. For the most part, they are not well established due to wort oxygenation and rapid sacch fermentation.

Guess42

Recipes 

I would disagree with the last statement. If you start with a blend the sacc will ferment out and flocculate. At this point the rest of the organisms are still in solution. When you rack you take the rest of the organisms with the beer, so it makes no sense that you would adjust the blend.

Racking or not will effect the beer in the fact that if you rack the brett and bacteria will not be able to feed on the sacc. If this will have a huge effect? I don't know.