pohldogg
Well-Known Member
I'm starting this as a thread here because it was off topic to where I originally posted it. Basically I've been experimenting with faster sours by mashing low in the 140s and pitching a bunch of active bugs right off. So far in the two batches I've tried the flavor developed and soured up in 6-8 months. I'm not saying that the process will give the exact results for some of the classic styles like lambics and reds, but for beers like american wilds and other farmhouse ales I think this can be a viable option for shortening the process to well under a year.
Basically my theory is that the reason sours take so long is because of long chain sugars and low pitching rates and that by shorting the sugar chains and raising the pitching rates the time frame can be condensed while still getting the desired flavor. Has anyone else tried this successfully? Thoughts?
From my post
I have a theory I've been working on that is to help get a fast sour I mash low and pitch very active bugs up front. So far in the two I've done they were decent at around 5 months and real good at 8. Both had jolly pumpkin dregs which are real aggressive, not sure if the wy/wl bugs or Belgian dregs would do the same.
1 year is generally the minimum. It's similar to smoking meat for 16 hours rather than microwaving it, you "can" do it quicker, buy why?
First reply
There are a variety of ways to easily make a quick sour (sour mash, lactic acid, etc), but none of these methods is going to produce the complexity that makes sours/lambics so interesting. Patience, letting the microbes work slowly over time, is what makes these beers unique and delicious.
Basically my theory is that the reason sours take so long is because of long chain sugars and low pitching rates and that by shorting the sugar chains and raising the pitching rates the time frame can be condensed while still getting the desired flavor. Has anyone else tried this successfully? Thoughts?
From my post
I have a theory I've been working on that is to help get a fast sour I mash low and pitch very active bugs up front. So far in the two I've done they were decent at around 5 months and real good at 8. Both had jolly pumpkin dregs which are real aggressive, not sure if the wy/wl bugs or Belgian dregs would do the same.
1 year is generally the minimum. It's similar to smoking meat for 16 hours rather than microwaving it, you "can" do it quicker, buy why?
First reply
There are a variety of ways to easily make a quick sour (sour mash, lactic acid, etc), but none of these methods is going to produce the complexity that makes sours/lambics so interesting. Patience, letting the microbes work slowly over time, is what makes these beers unique and delicious.