Acid beers and blending

[chefchris]

My plan is to brew a 5 gallon all extract batch (3 lbs Pils DME, 2 lbs Wheat DME) and pitch second generation Roselare in along with Jolly Pumpkin, Fantome, and whatever else dregs to try and get a very tart beer to blend into other sours which will have Roselare as their primary strain. The concern is the stronger bugs in the acid beer continuing to eat the sugars in main batch and over carbonating.

The other option would be to blend an older beer with a younger one but you can still run into the same problems.

I have batch in the bottle that is 2.5 years old with only Roselare, and while I am thrilled with it, it needs a touch more acidity. Adding lactic to the glass really improves it. I want to make the best sours possible and it seems like blending is how you achieve that.

So, does anyone here keep one around for blending? If so, I'd like to hear your procedure. I have read Sour Beers at least 3 times by now but I want to hear personal experience. If you blend an older beer with a younger one I'd love to hear your procedure as well.

Thanks!

 

[dantheman13]

I've run into carbonation issues with blending sours with clean beers (duh). I now prefer to blend in a fermenter first, allow for the additional fermentation to occur, then bottle the beer.

 

[chefchris]

I've run into carbonation issues with blending sours with clean beers (duh). I now prefer to blend in a fermenter first, allow for the additional fermentation to occur, then bottle the beer.

How much does the flavor change after you've blended them and the additional fermentation is over? I would assume it wouldn't taste like your original blend, which makes it tricky.

 

[dantheman13]

Yeah, it changes quite a bit. That's the tricky part about blending in general, the taste of any blend may not be what you get after the beers have time to sit and interact.

 

[TAK]

Subb'd to any feedback you get.

To add to the tread, I'll throw out a question. Does anyone keep a small batch of overly-sour beer on hand and promote its sourness by introducing oxygen purposefully?

 

[davejanssen]

Subb'd to any feedback you get.

To add to the tread, I'll throw out a question. Does anyone keep a small batch of overly-sour beer on hand and promote its sourness by introducing oxygen purposefully?

Introducing O2 to promote sourness would promote acetic acid, which most people try to avoid. I think that would be a bad idea. But if you wanted acetic character you could blend in vinegar to taste.