El_Exorcisto
Well-Known Member
So my next beer is going to be something a little weird. I want to do a sour saison, but am wondering what souring method I want to use. I want it to be a "quick" sour, so the usual methods of funk are out. So my options are doing a sour mash, or adding some unmashed grain to the fermenter before pitching the yeast.
I've never done a sour mash, but the consistent theme I am reading is that it is inconsistent at best. There is also the proverbial "hot vomit" aroma that my wife may object to during the boil. What sour mashing does give me is a sour that I can halt though. I can hop however I want with this method since the lactic fermentation never sees them.
I've done the second method on a berliner weisse and was happy with the flavor, although gushers were a big problem. It could have just been impatience and my first dealings with bugs though. I threw a little unmashed grain into the fermenter and let that run for three days before pitching my yeast. It resulted in a perfect level of sour. This method also really limits hopping, and any real hop character is derived from dry hopping only.
I am going to use 3711, so I wonder how much I really need to worry about residual sugars being eaten up by any remaining bugs. Which method would you guys use? Pure bacterial cultures are out... They just feel dirty.
I've never done a sour mash, but the consistent theme I am reading is that it is inconsistent at best. There is also the proverbial "hot vomit" aroma that my wife may object to during the boil. What sour mashing does give me is a sour that I can halt though. I can hop however I want with this method since the lactic fermentation never sees them.
I've done the second method on a berliner weisse and was happy with the flavor, although gushers were a big problem. It could have just been impatience and my first dealings with bugs though. I threw a little unmashed grain into the fermenter and let that run for three days before pitching my yeast. It resulted in a perfect level of sour. This method also really limits hopping, and any real hop character is derived from dry hopping only.
I am going to use 3711, so I wonder how much I really need to worry about residual sugars being eaten up by any remaining bugs. Which method would you guys use? Pure bacterial cultures are out... They just feel dirty.