Thoughts on an Oud Bruin(ish)

[MrBru]

So, I don't post much, but I am a hell of a troller.... Been brewing since '95, so I'm not afraid to hang it out there on occasion :rockin:

I tried a Petrus Oud Bruin for the first time, and am seriously intrigued by this beer. I know it is a blend of a young brown and an older, sour, barrel aged pale, and I don't have the resources to try that, but I was thinking (my wife always says that is my first mistake)...

My plan is to brew 6 gallons of a (somewhat) high gravity brown ale using 1056 or S05 for two or three weeks, and then hit it with the Roselare blend a la Brewing Classic Styles. I'm thinking that if I mash somewhat high (156-158), I should get some funk and tartness as it ages over the next year or so...

So, here's my evil plan, and my concern. So, say after 12-18 months, I brew 2-3 gallons of the same brown, rack off that amount from my batch and bottle, then replace what I bottled with the new. Then 6-9 months later, I brew 2-3 gallons of the same brown, rack off that amount from the blended batch and bottle, replacing with the new....Lather, rinse, and repeat every 6-9 months... My evil plan is that I might cultivate a complex, wonderful Oud Bruin over time that will become something great.

My concern is around the amount of oxygen I will incorporate every time I rack out the 2-3 gallons and rack in the new brown. Is it feasible that the first (or second) time I do this, I would create vinegar? I am also thinking I should rack to a fresh carboy every time I do this...Should I maybe put a pound of dry ice in the new carboy, allow it to sublimate and displace any oxygen prior to racking? Don't I want some oxygen to create the sourness? What about that oak? Should I put some cubes in every time I rack, or will once in the beginning be enough?

Any thoughts someone with experience in this would be greatly appreciated. This is a great community, and I really am appreciative of any feedback.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

What you're talking about is what several of us do in sort of a solera style of conditioning. It's really emulating the effect of true solera conditioning by using one vessel instead of multiple vessels.

I wouldn't be too concerned about introducing oxygen when you rack out/rack in because the new wort is going to ferment and produce a new layer of CO2 on the beer. Obviously you do not want to go out of your way to unnecessarily aerate the beer unless you want a really strong acetic (vinegar) flavor. The bacteria in roselare actually sour beer anaerobically so you do not need to introduce oxygen to sour the beer unless you are primarily looking for that acetic, vinegar flavor.