How to increase efficiancy with a Berliner Weisse

[Kob]

Hi guys,

Just did my second brew of a Berliner yesterday and I have a couple questions. It's also my fifth all grain brew so that's also been a bit challenging itself.

I used 6# 2-row, and 6# German wheat. They might be off a little but it came out perfect last time with the same grain. For bugs I had a handful of grain, a tiny bit of liquid from some yogurt, and had that sitting out for a few days until a nice pellicle formed and the smell was very sour.

On brew day I heated my 4 gal to 160* and had my BIAB started. I steeped for 45 min then sparged and added water to make my 5.5 gal. Tested the OG at a temp of 110 and got 1.048.

My "planned" OG was 1.058. I calculated my efficiency to 59%. Should I be steeping for longer? Throwing a boil in? I'm still new to the BIAB and have been trying to get more points in the brews.

Mike

 

[flemming]

Was that 1.048 already corrected for temperature? Because 1.048 @ 110F is 1.056 at 60F. When I was doing BIAB, I was mashing for more like 75-90min and doing a 10min mash-out @ 170F. Throwing in some rice hulls will probably help when using that much wheat, along with some healthy stirs during the mash.

Robert

 

[Kob]

That was corrected with the temp. No that 10 points are the last thing in the world at this point, but I'm trying to get my efficiency up as much as possible.

I'll try some rice hulls next time and mash for a longer period of time. I think I stirred it maybe twice in the 45 min it sat.

 

[Calder]

A sour mash BW is not the place be measuring effcency. Heterofermentive lacto actually create alcohol, which will brings down the grvity .....which you also boiled off.

Also adding extra sparge water will dilute the sourness.

 

[Kob]

I pulled it in from the garage where it sat with a heater wrapped around it to stay ~100*. Gravity was 1.012 and it had a decent sour taste with a touch of sweet. Pitched yeast, which I thought about skipping due to the low gravity reading.

So I now have a gravity of 1.012, should I have even pitched the yeast? Since some lacto will produce ETOH, how will I know if that's the case? It didn't have a very strong alcohol taste at all when I sampled.

This is my second sour and the first turned out amazing. I followed all the same steps, but let this sour for 48 more hours. Had a sweet lookin pellicle on top too.

Mike




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[Kremlock]

I had a Weisse that went from 1.032 to 1.006 in 36 hours using a big lacto starter I made at home with grains in DME. I ended up making an other batch with the same grain bill but pitching sacc and then blending the 2.

 

[Kob]

FG was 1.008 as of yesterday. Smells absolutely amazing.

With using lacto from crushed grains and a little yogurt liquid for assistance, how am I to know if the lacto created alcohol not just lactic acid with the sugars consumed?


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[Calder]

FG was 1.008 as of yesterday. Smells absolutely amazing.

With using lacto from crushed grains and a little yogurt liquid for assistance, how am I to know if the lacto created alcohol not just lactic acid with the sugars consumed?

Homofermentative lacto would not have lowered the gravity. You made alcohol.

 

[Kob]

Well hell yeah.


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