Up a Kriek...?

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FermentingFreak

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10 November 2012: My first attempt at a Lambic. I used NB Dawson's Kriek Extract Kit with Wyeast 3278 Lambic Blend. Followed the recipe; O.G.1.053.

23 November 2012: Racked into Secondary; added an extra can of Cherry Puree. Covered and (tried) to forget about it...

5 January 2013: Lifted my carboy cover to discover
thumb2_img_0370-58925.jpg

Being a noob at lambics, I didn't know what to expect; I recovered the carboy and hoped this was normal...

10 February 2013: Checked again and the panic grew...
thumb2_img_0399-58926.jpg

Mustered up the stomach to sample it; smelled like a Lambic should and tasted like what I thought a young Lambic would...decided to keep it...

5 March 2013: Checked again and really freaked me out!
img_0480-58927.jpg

Smells DEVINE!!! but looks SCARY!

I probably wouldn't have been so freaked out had I done my research on Lambics prior to endeavoring to create one :fro:
 
I was planning on bottling it next month but might let it sit a couple more months. I didn't taste it..afraid to disturb it too much. :eek:
 
Looks totally normal. Let it sit for another 8 or 9 months.

...that long huh? Aside from my desire to drink it now, my fear is that the room it's in may get too warm in the summer months...I know it's supposed to be sour but will warmer temps have the same adverse affects as they would on an ale?
 
Yeah it's all good that's looking great as a matter of fact. I tried the NB kit and had the same thing happen, unfortunately I fermented in a bucket for the duration and it allowed way too much oxygen in. The beer is basically undrinkable because of the amount of acetic acid (vinegar) that formed. You'll be good in the carboy and it will be worth the wait don't get impatient.
 
I was planning on bottling it next month but might let it sit a couple more months. I didn't taste it..afraid to disturb it too much. :eek:

it will be a much better beer in 5 - 9 or 12 months. start another one in 3-4 months and you won't have to wait as long after you bottle the first one.
 
Those pictures look excellent. Nothing to worry about, leave it alone.

I was planning on bottling it next month but might let it sit a couple more months. I didn't taste it..afraid to disturb it too much. :eek:

Start November, bottle April = 5 months. That's pretty young. Just as a matter of course, I taste mine at 1 week (when I rack it), and the next time is at 8 months when I move some to fruit, and next time is when I'm thinking of bottling it. Mine are generally left between 12 and 18 months before bottling..

...that long huh? Aside from my desire to drink it now, my fear is that the room it's in may get too warm in the summer months...I know it's supposed to be sour but will warmer temps have the same adverse affects as they would on an ale?

Warm is OK. The bugs and Brett are more active in warm temperatures. Those guys are still working for up to 18 months and more.
 
So...it's been just over a year! Preparing to bottle. Any words of advice from the Pros about bottle this Kriek?
 
Awesome pellicle! Have you been checking the gravity? Make sure it's stable before bottling (it can still move a tick or two down even at 12 months). There are a lot of threads on this forum that can give you insight on bottling. Some people use champagne yeast at bottling to speed up carbonation but it's not required. I just drank a Flemish red I bottled two months ago without champagne yeast (just added 5oz of priming sugar like I would for a 5 gallon batch of clean beer) and it's really nicely carbonated. I figure that since you're spending a lot of time aging sours waiting an extra few months after bottling isn't a big deal.

This thread has some good info on bottling.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f127/time-bottle-441436/
 
Looks delicious! The pellicle on that is quite impressive! Let us know how it turns out!
 
So...life got on the way and delayed me 3 weeks but I don't think it matters as this has already been sitting a year :p

ImageUploadedByHome Brew1387667529.351806.jpg

I've been checking the gravity and it seems stable. I moved it to the workspace for bottling tomorrow morning. I tried not to disturb it too much however, some ripples were avoidable. The pellicle is intact but some of the 'floaties' underneath stirred. I think resting over night will allow it to sufficiently settle.

I'm a little concerned that I lost a good bit of volume...there is a bunch of trub on top of the cherry purée, as you can see in the picture. It was a 5gal batch. Maybe it's an illusion since it's in a 6.5gal carboy...

I plan on priming it as usual (5oz of corn sugar) and am corking in 375ml 'Vinny' bottles.

Wish me luck!
 
Well...it's done! Letting it settle work really well. I got exactly 5gal. I worried for nothing. I tasted it from the siphon; tastes amazing even uncarbonated.

It took me a few bottles to 'dial-in' the corker but I'll use those 'duds' as my sampling bottles.

ImageUploadedByHome Brew1387729299.935234.jpg

Now...where to store them so that I forget about them for another year! :p

Now on the the next one...
 
I took the picture prior to putting wire hoods on them. :p

I am disappointed that the only color of wire hoods I could find were gold. Guess there isn't much of a market of variety.
 
I am about to start the same venture. I plan to brew this month and (hopefully forget about it). A couple of questions if someone could help me out....
1) With the Wyeast Lambic Blend and the time in the secondary I am not planning to make a starter. Is that correct?
2) I am planning to buy a new glass carboy for secondary. Should I buy a 6 gallon given the volume of cherries?
3) Once I use my 6.5 glass carboy for primary do I have to dedicate it to sours like the plastic items or should I just primary in a plastic bucket and then just dedicate that plastic bucket to sours only?

Any help and other insight would be great.

Thanks.
 
1) yes, no started needed nor recommended. what is recommended, by me, is to add some dregs from commercial beer if you can. that mix is kinda weak. alternate, keep IBUs to the single digits (or zero) to give those bugs half a chance.
2) sounds about right. not sure if your cherries will take up a full gallon, but it will be something more than 5 gals.
3) glass can be cleaned and sanitized. so if your process is good (PBW + star san, for example) then you can re-use the glass.
 
Thank you for the response. Very helpful.

I have been doing some reading and understand that some lambics are made with year old (or more) hops to decrease the IBUs. I also read that you can bake the hops to achieve a similar effect in a shorter time. As a noob that is what I need. Any thoughts on that given your comments?
 
don't worry about the aged hops thing. won't make much of a difference in kriek. i would just put in a few pellets of whatever hop you have on hand and leave it at that.
 
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