Sour Apricot Rye

Just because I haven't seen much about making a sour rye. I thought I would post the beginning of this process I started last Friday for brewing a Sour Apricot Rye.

I used a high percentage of rye because with the strong flavors of Brett, Lactic Acid, Acetic Acid, and Apricot I didn't want the rye to get lost.

5 lbs. Belgian Pils
4 lbs. Rye Malt
.5 lbs. Barley Flaked
.5 oz. Goldings (Pellets, 0.0 %AA) boiled 15 min.
2-3 lb. Apricot (pureed)

Original Gravity 1.054
Color 5.50 °SRM

Brew Day Notes. I do things a bit differently, but it works for me.

I ramp mashed from 70-160F over three hours with 4 gallons of water.

I do BIAB slightly different than everyone else. My kettle has a false bottom. So I can ramp mash with direct firing (still a very low flame) and not scorch the grain. I got 94% efficiency, which is typical for me.

Since it has a spout I use my bottling bucket to sparge. I pull the bag of grain out and add the sparge water in there. Sparged with 3 gallons, to make up for the absorbing of the rye. Rye sucks up a lot of water.

Boiled for 60 min to get to 5.25 gallons.

I left my hops in a hot garage for a few weeks. They started life as EKG pellets. They had little aroma left when I boiled them.

Transfered to primary. I did not pitch yeast. I placed my fermenter in cooled and cleaned kettle to form a water jacket. I set an aquarium thermometer in kettle and filled to top with water. Added 1/2lb of acidulated malt in primary, in a hop sock. Held for three days at 90F. I followed the same process with a Berliner Weiss and got silver in my region for NHC.

On day 3 removed Acid Malt. Strong sour smell, not tasted. Not rancid just noticeably sour. Cooled to room temp.

I bottled part of the yeast cake from an Oud Bruin I bottled 2 weeks prior. This consisted of Wyeast Brett L 3526, WLP568 Saison Blend, Giardian Gueze, and Russian River Consecration dregs. I added this to the primary.

As of tonight the gravity is at 1.013.

I am going to set this aside. I will add between 2 and 3 pounds of apricots in December. I intend to buy the fruit fresh this summer and freeze them to break the apricots down before adding.

Sounds like a good batch. Just be careful with the apricots, from what I have heard from Vinnie and Cantillon they tend to contribute the most sourness of any fruit (if the beer is already really sour you might save them for another beer, or remove them quickly). Hope it turns out well.

Thank you for the suggestion. I didn't realize adding Apricots would be more sour.

There is a very good small brewery in Denver (Dry Dock Brewing) that makes a great Apricot Blonde. The Apricot flavor does not come across as sour just true apricot flavor. My assumption was it would do the same. My expectation was the more earthy flavor, but still fruity flavor of the apricot would compliment the rye.

I will still try this and let you know if this was not my best choice.

It seems that the issue is apricots in a sour beer, not sure the route cause though. Sounds like a great combination though.

jvlpdillon said:

Thank you for the suggestion. I didn't realize adding Apricots would be more sour.

There is a very good small brewery in Denver (Dry Dock Brewing) that makes a great Apricot Blonde. The Apricot flavor does not come across as sour just true apricot flavor. My assumption was it would do the same. My expectation was the more earthy flavor, but still fruity flavor of the apricot would compliment the rye.

I will still try this and let you know if this was not my best choice.

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Are you sure they use real apricots? If they use a puree or even an extract flavor the acids associated with actual fruit will be avoided entirely. If it is too sour after using fruit you can always throw a Oenococcus culture in there (white labs malolactic culture) that will break down the sharp malic acid from the fruit into lactic acid.

I am not sure they use real apricots. It was just my inspiration.

I had not considered the malolactic acid. I did a little more reading after your post and it may be what I need to try if this turns pole grippingly sour. Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately it won't be until next year before I can let you know if it was needed or worked.

Just remember this thread and update us in a year. I'm interested in hearing.