Fruit Lambic question

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hinke

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Going to make fruit Lambic. Can I first ferment with Safale 05 then put in my oak barrel, then pitch the sour blend and leave at current room temp at 80F for a year or so, then dump it on the fruit?
 
In my experience limited as it is 2 batches of plambic better to ferment with yeasts that produce some phenols and esters for the Brett to work with (ie Belgian Strain. The first batch I did was us 05 and the second was 500. The first batch didn't have the citrus character that I feel pulls the mineral, funky, hay character of a good lambic.
 
Why not just pitch the sour blend right at the beginning? That's what I've always done with good results. You can then control the amount of acidity based on aging time, oxygen exposure, etc.
 
Lots of good beers are made with a clean primary and then bugs in the barrel, but you can't make lambic that way.
 
I agree with the others, I have never gotten the amount of complexity and acidity I am looking for with a clean primary and adding bugs in secondary. I would pitch them all in the primary.
 
How much would you pitch? A vial or do I have to make a starter?

I assume you are talking about the bug mix.

Just pitch the vial. Do not make a starter.

Those vials have a small amount of yeast. They are designed to allow the bugs to get started before the yeast builds up it's population and starts to make alcohol. If you make a starter, you will be building up the yeast disproportionately to the brett, Lacto, and Pedio, and when you pitch, the yeast will take off, leaving the rest to struggle to build their populations. Result: Probably less sour, and certainly will take longer to get there.
 
Thanks!

Do you think there will be a problem fermenting this at 80F from the beginning in my oak barrel?
 
How big of a barrel is it? White labs vials have a pathetically small cell count and most people don't use them alone, even for a 5 gallon batch
 
I would ferment in a primary, then transfer when activity has gotten you to the gravity you want, then transfer. I have a 5 gallon funky barrel solera project going now. You WILL get acetobacter, but who doesn't love that vinegary taste in a sour? Just taste it, and rack when you like it.
 
I changed it to a Flanders Red style instead of Lambic. It is now fermenting with the Roeselare yeast from Wyeast.

I will transfer it to the barrel once the fermentation has settled down. Did not want it to blow over too much from the barrel, this is to make sure I have enough wort going into the barrel to fill it up to the max. I also froze two pints of wort to use when I need to top it of later on.
 
I would ferment in a primary, then transfer when activity has gotten you to the gravity you want, then transfer. I have a 5 gallon funky barrel solera project going now. You WILL get acetobacter, but who doesn't love that vinegary taste in a sour? Just taste it, and rack when you like it.

Lots of people consider acetic acid to be a flaw in any beer. I think a very small amount can add depth to the other acids, but find it quite unpleasant in large amounts. Even with a 'baby' barrel, you can prevent or minimize the acetic production by reducing the O2 permeability.
 
The Flanders Red is now in the barrel. I re-hydrated the barrel, then filled it to the brim. I then have wet towels on the barrel to keep the staves moist. Now the wait begins.
 
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