I want Berliner Weisse

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agroff383

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Looking at recipes on here, it appears there is no boil? Could I just boil for 10 mins or something? Or do you just FWH and put wort into fermenter? I had this at a local brewpub, Iron Hill, and I loved it. Looks fairly simple to make, just buying the two yeasts is kind of expensive so I want to do it right the first time, but anyone who made it and has pointers I would appreciate it. I did a search and that got me pointed in the right direction. Thanks!
 
Looking at recipes on here, it appears there is no boil? Could I just boil for 10 mins or something? Or do you just FWH and put wort into fermenter? I had this at a local brewpub, Iron Hill, and I loved it. Looks fairly simple to make, just buying the two yeasts is kind of expensive so I want to do it right the first time, but anyone who made it and has pointers I would appreciate it. I did a search and that got me pointed in the right direction. Thanks!

wyeast has a mix as there special right now.
It has the lacto in it.
 
get a vial of lacto culture and make a 1-2L starter, no stirplate and let it be for 2 weeks @ 80 to 100°F.. you will likely see no activity except little blobs forming. make the Berliner to 1.031 SG, do little to no boil, barely hop it with a European noble hop, and dont cool below 90°F. DONT oxygenate. pitch the lacto culture and let it set. when you see the krausen starting to form (maybe in a few hours from pitch) from the lacto, cool the wort (in a cooler water bath) to about 68 and (optionally aerate/oxygenate AFTER cooling.. makes a big mess if you have no headspace in the carboy) pitch a vial of neutral yeast (wlp european ale works well). let it finish out to 1.004 to 1.001.. wait a number of weeks (1-6) @ room temp to let sour and tang develop. if you need more sour, add anywhere from 1 to 2 oz (30 to 60mL) of lactic acid to the keg. that what I did. very yummy when mowing the lawn in the TX sun.
 
This one took gold in the first round of NHC this year: http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2009/07/cabernet-berliner-weiss.html

I mash hop, decoct, no boil (but heat to just below the boil) and pitch lacto and US-05 at the same time. Max has good advice on the lacto starter, make sure it is really going. I also like some sour beer bottle dregs in there for a touch of funk, but they aren't strictly required. I don't use less than 50% wheat which has a historical basis, but isn't the norm. I also like to age it longer than some people, but then I like it really sour.

My only warning is if you pitch lacto first be careful not to wait too long to pitch the yeast, if the pH drops too far you can end up with some off flavors and a stuck fermentation.

Good luck.
 
Awesome....thanks guys! Just what I was looking for....looks to me like I can handle that...and I will probably have the keg to myself I don't think anyone else will want this one!
 
wyeast has a mix as there special right now.
It has the lacto in it.

I had good luck with this blend the first time it was out, it took several months to get adequate sourness, and it had a nice subtle funk from the Brett. Certainly worth a try to save a few bucks on buying multiple packs.
 
I had good luck with this blend the first time it was out, it took several months to get adequate sourness, and it had a nice subtle funk from the Brett. Certainly worth a try to save a few bucks on buying multiple packs.

So do I still make a big starter with the yeast blend? And let it sit for 2 weeks at 80F? I want to nail this beer the first time so thanks for all the help guys.

What exactly am I doing with a decoction mash? I'm not scared to do it just wondering exaclty why I need to do it if I boil for 10 mins instead. Where would the difference in flavor/end result be?

Thinking after she sits, rack it on some frozen raspberries, maybe a pound or 2? Or not?
 
So do I still make a big starter with the yeast blend? And let it sit for 2 weeks at 80F? I want to nail this beer the first time so thanks for all the help guys.

What exactly am I doing with a decoction mash? I'm not scared to do it just wondering exaclty why I need to do it if I boil for 10 mins instead. Where would the difference in flavor/end result be?

Thinking after she sits, rack it on some frozen raspberries, maybe a pound or 2? Or not?

That is the big issue with microbe blends, it makes propogation much more difficult. Lacto in anaerobic, yeast is aerobic, lacto likes it really hot, yeast does not. I just pitched it right in, for such a low gravity beer it shouldn't be an issue if the pack is fresh. That said it is safer to have the active slurry of lacto built up on its own.

It is just a different method. My Berliners tend to have a grainier flavor than other homebrewed examples I've tasted. It also ensures that you won't over bitter the beer (which will disrupt the lacto). Boiling will also darken the wort and coagulate proteins. Not saying one way is inherently better than the other, but my method has worked for me.

Why not split the batch, half on fruit, half without? Two beers for the effort of one.
 
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