Roselaire blend in Flanders brown looks...interesting..

[apreswho]

I've never used the roselaire blend before. nor have i attempted a flanders brown before. but yea. looks quite strange and a bit moldy in teh glass carboy.

Brewed in january of this year. 2.5 gallons, not 5. Extract+specialty grains. smells great but just looks weird. its been sitting in the same fermenter the whole time...should i move it? for the next 4 or so months?

i was also debating putting half on cherries? how much/what would you guys recommend?

 

[brewru]

I've never used the roselaire blend before. nor have i attempted a flanders brown before. but yea. looks quite strange and a bit moldy in teh glass carboy.

Brewed in january of this year. 2.5 gallons, not 5. Extract+specialty grains. smells great but just looks weird. its been sitting in the same fermenter the whole time...should i move it? for the next 4 or so months?

i was also debating putting half on cherries? how much/what would you guys recommend?

I too brewed my first sour in January, I used wyeast lambic blended with an "expired" white labs California ale. I was planning on splitting my 5 gal batch half onto cherries & half on raspberries later to blend back? Anyway, I have had trouble finding berries where I live. So mine is still also in the primary. The layer of yuck on the top is good, it's part of the souring process called a peliccile or something like that, it helps regulate oxygen to the fermenting ale.
When you do transfer, taste it, I don't know if I want to add fruit to mine because it's so good as is. But I would use a pound per gallon at LEAST, maybe 2. I definitely recommend adding oak cubes for that authentic taste

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

Looks fine. Do not move it.

 

[apreswho]

Thanks for the tip on fruit. If I want to put it on fruit should I move it or ad the fruit in? What about with oak? Thanks!

 

[brewru]

Transfer to a 2ndary & add fruit before or after beer along with toasted oak. I'm a little unclear about if enough viable yeast gets into the 2ndary, or if you should get some of the trub off the bottom during the siphon.

 

[AmandaK]

Pellicle Photo Collection

Do not move it. Wait for that pellicle to drop, then (and only then) should you think about transferring to a secondary for fruit. You cannot tell a sour beer when to do things. It tells you when it's ready.

As far as fruit goes, I've used 2 lbs whole tart cherries per one gallon. Add the fruit to another carboy, then rack your beer on top of the fruit. I'm not sure what the 'toasted oak' suggestion is, but if you would like a bit of barrel flavor, I find that 2 oz. of Medium Toast French Oak goes very well in a Flanders, just be sure to taste it regularly so you don't over do the oak flavor.

 

[apreswho]

Thanks so much for all the info AmandaK, very helpful!