Moldy Strawberry Beer!

I made BM's Cream of Three Crops a few weeks ago. I got terrible efficiency, and on top of that; I didn't cook the corn before adding it to the mash. the result was a strangely rice-starchy beer with an OG of 1.022 and an FG of 1.014. I used WYeast European Ale 1338, and that is supposed to finish slightly malty.

I decided to add 12 lbs of strawberries that I bought on sale at the grocery store- to liven things up. I chopped 'em and froze 'em and plunked 'em in the secondary.

Perhaps I was subconsciously hoping for some weird mold to inhabit my dull beer, because I didn't put forth any effort to sanitize them other than the freezing process. Which, in my understanding, does practically nothing to cleanse fruit of its moldy goodness.

Sure enough! today when I went to rack it to a fresh carboy, their was mold! white mold bacteria had colonized my beer! tasty mold! Great happiness! O joyous day!

The mold had brought the FG down to 1.003 with a wonderful sour, tasty, and refreshing quality, that is very hard to understand unless you have tasted a sour beer. This is still a very young beer, and I expect that this beer will only improve with age. I would not be suprised if this totally dies out the beer (hydro reading of 1.000).

I can't wait to taste a bottle in a year! :rockin:

Most likely it is wild yeast and bacteria rather than mold (which is a fungus needs oxygen to grow). Glad to hear it tastes good, starchy wort is one of the goals of the traditional turbid mash used to make lambics.

You gave me an idea, dude. Wanna try that moldy strawberry beer recipe. Thanks for sharing.

Daria show

Wow! the Mad Fermentationist answered one of my posts! I am always reading your website looking for brew inspiration. although the only sour beer I have made (other than this one) was a Berliner Weisse that is thoroughly un-sour. I plan to do an all bret C English Barleywine next.

thanks for the responses.

Always happy to lend a hand when the subject turns to sour beers.