Lets Craft a Lexington Weisse (Kentucky Berliner Weisse)

[jlangfo5]

So, I have read some recipes on here talking about Kentucky Commons. I started thinking to myself that it would be really fun to try and make a beer that uses a bourbon grain bill along with a sour mash.

I also thought about Berliner Weisse since it is a commonly brewed beer that can also be made using a sour mash, so I thought that maybe there could be some synergy between the two that could be melded together.

The main requirement for bourbon whiskey is that 51% of the sugar must come from corn, frankly this would probably be the hardest part to work with in making a drinkable beer.

I was thinking of something along the lines of:

Flaked Corn 51%
Wheat Malt 35 % (maybe mix of wheat and rye)
American 2-Row 14% (for conversion)

I would make a lacto starter first and sour mash at 130 until I was satisfied with the amount of sourness, and boil for an hour using enough hops to get around 10 IBU.

What I can not figure out is this, what og/fg should I shoot for? Should I use a mix of rye and wheat? Should I expect any "corn flavor" or will it all ferment into hot alcohol?

I am very interested hear discussion about this!

 

[motorneuron]

This sounds like a great idea. I did something similar myself last summer, though I used acidulated malt. For reference, my recipe is here: https://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/sour-harlem-common (the amber malt listed there is a stand-in; I actually used home-toasted 2-row.)

Just my two cents, but I don't think you need to stick religiously to the 51% corn requirement. You're right that bourbon needs it to be regulation, but you're going for something inspired by bourbon, right? Not something that is bourbon. A beer with 51% corn is probably going to be pretty light on flavor. Don't forget that bourbon gets a lot of its character from charred oak; corn itself is bland. So if I were you, I'd cut the corn back (maybe 20%?) and use a lot more barley or rye. The goals of distillers and brewers are different. Then again, if you want to try it, go for it!

 

[Bennypapa]

Reviving this thread.
I'd rethink the hour boil. You may need to boil for 1.5-2 hours to drive off DMS.

Another potential trouble spot will be the sticky mash. Flaked corn and wheat malt have no husk and so are sticky. You may want to opt for 6row barley to increase husk material and add diastatic enzymes. Not sure how the sour mash will affect the stickiness.

And, you may want to add rice hulls too.