Packaging and Carbonating 2 Different Sour Beers

[allouez86]

So I have a couple questions about 2 different beers that I am looking to package pretty soon here for an event I have in May.

The first beer is a Flanders Red that was brewed in November of 2013 so it's currently 16 months old. Taste is fantastic, nice hint of some cherry and sweetness with a decent amount of acidity. My only concern is the finishing gravity. It's been at 1.012 for the last 4 months and hasn't moved. I checked it at a year old to see where it was at and the flavor and aroma have definitely changed a bit since then but the gravity has been at a stand still. Do you all think this is too high to carbonate?

The second beer, if I had to classify it, is a sour blonde brewed with Bug County. Probably one of the best beers I've ever brewed. Final gravity is 1.004 with a hint of lemon, and a big amount of acidity with a tiny amount of brett funk.

I'd like to have both of these beers carbonated by May 1st which is 8 weeks. For those that have experience with carbonating sour beers, do you generally have good luck getting carbonated beer within 8 weeks that doesn't develop any off flavors or any "ropiness" that requires extra aging?

 

[microbusbrewery]

Mine have been very slow to carb (3-4 months), so sometimes I'll force-carb in a keg if I'm in any kind of a rush. It also ensures more consistent carb levels. Re your red, what yeast and bacteria did you use? 1.012 is a pretty high FG for a sour.

 

[allouez86]

For the Flanders Red I used ECY02 Flemish Ale. The high final gravity has me a bit worried but again, it's 16 months old and has been stable for the last 4 months. Traditionally Flanders Reds do finish a little bit higher and have a little bit of sweetness, but I wasn't sure if 1.012 was too high.

 

[microbusbrewery]

Yeah I wouldn't worry too much if it's been stable that long but it is kind of surprising.

 

[Wahoo]

8 weeks is about the minimum time I'd reccomend for bottle conditioning of sours. Sometimes my beers are clean in less time, sometimes it takes more.

I'd definitely suggest adding yeast for carbonation-- I've been using wine yeast and it seems to help reduce the time things are in that awkward stage.