Lambic Brewing Assistance

[MMP126]

Hey guys. Just wanted to get some opinion on how to proceed with my 2 current sour/bug/lambic brews. Here is what I have going on...

Ferm 1
7 gal
Started 5/2020
Yeast: WY3278- Lambic Blend ONLY (no other yeast), no starter or anything, no sacc yeast pitched.
Its a golden wort (5 SRM) brewed with "Lambic" hops (0% AA) from YVH. So, no real IBUs to note.

Currently, this is pretty bland, with not much going on. There is some sourness, some lemon notes, but not too much else. pH is sitting around 4.1, and hasn't moved at all in about 6 months. Just wondering if I should wait longer? Should I pull some of it off the yeast cake, and add fresh wort? My plan was to "solera" this fermenter every year or so, so I am wondering if I should do that now, or wait longer.

Ferm 2
7 gal
Started 7/2020
Yeast: WY3763 - Roeselare ONLY (no other yeast), no starter or anything, no sacc yeast pitched.
Its a amber wort (11 SRM) brewed with "Lambic" hops (0% AA) from YVH. So, no real IBUs to note.

This one is pretty tasty, but missing complexity that I am looking for. When this was younger (about 6 months in) it was very complex, with hay, barnyard, lemon and cherry notes. Now, it is getting more sour (pH is 3.7) and losing these flavor notes. And, it is getting a bit of a nail polish remover note. I am not sure if I should let it ride, or pull it, put it on cherries and a bit of oak, and serve it as a Flanders. Thoughts?


Also, moving ahead, I want to do (2) more "wild" brews, and I have pack of 2021 Solera Blend from Bootleg Biology, and a pack of Sour Cherry Funk from Gigayeast. I want to pitch these into 2 additional "golden" colored worts. I was thinking of pitching a sacc yeast to start this one (S05), and then pitching the bugs like a week later. It is cool to just pitch the bug packs without a sacc yeast present? Any advantage/disadvantage to that?

Thanks in advance for the help. This is all new to me, so any help would be awesome!

 

[cactusgarrett]

WY3278 is notorious for being one-dimensional and not very sour the first time it's pitched. This blend works VERY well as a solera, and in my experience actually gets too lactic sour if the IBU aren't used to keep it in check over time. If you're not interested in a solera, use some more complex malts to give the base beer layers.

 

[goodolarchie]

WY3278 is notorious for being one-dimensional and not very sour the first time it's pitched. This blend works VERY well as a solera

Was about the say the same thing. I've tried 3278 twice as a solo pitch, gave it 18 months, was never impressed compared to other blends I've used. I think anyone pitching it expecting to get something remotely like real lambic is set up for disappointment because it's just a few isolates and real lambic is rich in microflora. I don't think it's a bad product, just that it benefits from adding dregs and continuing to feed with fresh wort (including a solera).

To that end, OP, you could consider if you do a no/low-IBU third brew, (carefully) add a bit to #1. You can coax out some complexity and perhaps drop the pH a bit. But if your LAB wasn't doing much before, it might not do much now. Otherwise you could blend with a third beer that is quite lactic. A lot of sour beers just don't work out, and if they become thin/bland it's best to just dump them, replace with fresh wort on the lees and maybe try some good dregs from a beer you like.

I find my beers get thin and weak if they weren't mashed hot enough, and got too much oxygen exposure over time. If you're getting ethyl acetate / acetone, you probably have an oxygen issue.

 

[MMP126]

Thanks guys!

I think I am going to pull about 4 or 5gal of the lambic blend beer off, pitch fresh wort, and let it ride. Toss in some dregs like you suggested, and see what I get!

For the Roeselare, I may pull it now, and just attempt to drink it. Can the nail polish flavor be aged out?

Circling back around, is it to ok to pitch the sacc yeast with the bugs?

 

[cactusgarrett]

Can the nail polish flavor be aged out?

Unfortunately, no.

is it to ok to pitch the sacc yeast with the bugs?

It absolutely is. You are aware that the Roeselare blend does have sacc in it, right? You can let it go as-is, co-pitch with other sacc yeast, or iterate it by clean ferment, then add the pouch for bug aging.

 

[pursuit0fhoppiness]

OP, just a note about increasing complexity in your beers. I HIGHLY recommend adding plenty of bottle dregs from lambics/complex sour beers you enjoy. I find just the mixed culture pitches usually don't result in a lot of funk/complexity, but adding bottle dregs increases the microbial diversity and really helps.