"Sour" Beer Extract Kits

I put it like that because im not looking for a traditional sour beer made with wild yeast strains. Since i live in an apartment in a city with a limited budget, having seperate setups for standard and sour beers is kind of impractical right now. So far ive only really found one kit AHS Sour Ginger Peach. I realize you could just make up your own kit using acid malt but right now im trying to keep things simple. All of that being said are there any other similar kits out there? Thanks

I don't know of any kits (though the Sour Ginger Peach definitely seems interesting enough to look into), but I would encourage you to check out sour mash techniques. I've not heard of anyone doing this with extracts, but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work just as well, if not better. Basically, just heat your water to around 100-110 degrees, and get your extract dissolved well, then toss in a handfull of uncrushed grains. Crushed grains will work, but can add starch and make your beer cloudier. Leave it as close to that temp as you can manage (I use the oven) for a couple of days, and once it's sour enough for your liking, bring it to a boil to kill the lacto (that was introduced from the grains).

If anyone see some reason that this would not work with extract that I have missed, please speak up.

I would be willing to bet a decent sour can be had from extract wheat kits and lambic style or REALLY old hops. Other than that it is just adding bugs. Check out the Berliner Wiess/sour section of "Recipies" then click "Prefix" on the left and it should sort them by AG/Extract/PM.

You should be aware that sours typically sit for a year or more and any equipment that touches the sour beer POST BOIL should be dedicated to it otherwise you will contaminate the rest of your brewery.

Zamial, please read original posts before postinng a response....

Berliner Weiss is a simple sour beer. You can use raw grain to get the lactic sourness, but it will also stink out your apartment and make you want to wrech. Here is the basic process without that problem:

Obtain some Lactic acid bacteria. Wyeast 5335 Lacto is good. I have used Lactobacillus Acidophillus probiotic pills from Walmart successfully. This is what will sour the wort, and to make a quick sour, the wort needs to be soured before adding the yeast.

Lactobacillus does not like hops. The Wyeast Lacto will tolerate a little (maybe 10 IBUs max, but don't push it. The probiotic pills will not tolerant any IBUs, so don't add any hops.

A Berlliner Weisse is traditionally a wheat beer, but normal malt will be fine.

Step 1: Make a starter with the lacto, no hops. Keep warm (90-100 F for 5 days). Taste a small amount. If sour go to step 2. If not sour, leave another day. When sour, go to step 2.

Step 2: Make wort to about 1.036 (1 lb LME to 1 gallon). No hops. You don't need them. And pitch starter. Keep as warm as you can (90 to 100 if you can). Taste a small amount. If sour go to step 2. If not sour, leave another day. When sour go to step 3. Remember, once you pitch the yeast, the souring will slow down considerably or even stop.

Step 3: Lower temp to normal fermentation temps and pitch yeast and aerate. If you really want some hops in the beer, now is the time to add them. Maybe make a quart to half gallon amount heavily hopped. However, this beer really doesn't need any hops.

Beer should be clear in 2 weeks ready to bottle. I usually go 3. You can add fruit at this time if you want too. Beer will be ready to drink once carbed.

A Berliner Weisse is a very refreshing low alcohol beer.

Im really not looking to add extra strains of anything to get the sourness. I was just curious to see if there were any other kits out there that use acid malt. That may change after a while and yes, smell is a concern to me but im working on a filter system to get rid of the stank. lol

I honestly haven't tried this yet, but I intend to. There is a Lambic kit on Northern Brewer that is available in an extract kit called Dawson's Kriek. It sounds pretty good from the reviews. Alternatively, I did come come across a recipe here on HBT by AMANDAK that is a sour made from DME. Haven't tried that either...but it is on my bucket list. With the pedigree she shares, it might be worth the year of anticepation.