Berliner Dunkelweisse

Berliner is a very simple style but here's something a little darker that I'd like to try. I'm using Munich instead of pilsener malt and adding a bit of blackprinz (Carafa) and Special B to bring the color up and add some malt complexity.

5.5G batch

3# Munich (46.2%)
3# White Wheat (46.2%)
0.25# Blackprinz (3.8%)
0.25# Special B (3.8%)

Mash 144F for 1 hr
Pitch Wyeast Lactobacillus Brevis; ferment at 75F

OG 1.036
SRM 17.8
IBU 6 (mash hop with 1.5oz 4.5AA% Styrian Goldings; 60 min)

I like the idea a lot,but after recently using 5% crystal wheat in a similar brew,would say stick to one and keep it low.
I have s little sweetness that doesnt quite seem to fit in

I thought about that and lowered the mash temp to 144F instead of the 147F on Mad Fermentationist's 100% lacto BW that mashes at 147F. You think that could help? Just blackprinz alone gives me SRM 15, but red-colored beers are pretty neat.

Arrheinous said:

I thought about that and lowered the mash temp to 144F instead of the 147F on Mad Fermentationist's 100% lacto BW that mashes at 147F. You think that could help?

Click to expand...

No. 144F is barely not hot enough to gelatinize starch, so you may not get full conversion.

The idea that lower temperature equals more fermentability is only a half-truth. Too low (below 145) and you may not get full conversion. Even with a rest at 145ish, I would follow up with an alpha amylase rest close to 160. With no alpha amylase activity, you will leave a lot of beta-limit dextrins that beta amylase can't break down. Personally, for a really dry single infusion I'd mash at 150.

I'll go for the single infusion 150F mash then. But with the small amount of grain I can definitely do step mashing and end up with the right amount of wort even if it doesn't go quite to plan.

Alright, settled on 3# Munich 10L, 3# White Wheat, 0.25# Blackprinz. And I used a modification of Wyeast's berliner step mash schedule (122F for 15 min, 150F for 35 min, 162F for 15 min, 172F for 10 min) in my little 4G kettle as a a direct fire mash tun.

Are you sure the lacto is enough to finish the beer?

I have not read Oldsock's book (sorry Mike), but last I saw from him was that he had not had any success in an all-lacto brew.

I have had some that have gptten quite low with lacto alone, but still needed sacc to pull down the last few points.

That is a concern I had. Definitely need to read that book again but maybe some Brett would work. I did a no boil style berliner so there's possibly a few bugs that survived the hot sparge and they'll follow up after the pure Lacto brevis I pitched. The Better Bottle I'm using is also one reserved for sours but was thoroughly cleaned however there might be something still around.

If it dies out I've got a Brett C beer to dope it with. There's also a soon to be available cake of San Fran Lager yeast to try.

I would think brett has better survivability after the lacto has finished up than sacc.

After two weeks at cool (lower 60's) there's a lot of sulfur going on. Not very sour either considering the lacto was pitched at 100F and stayed well into the 70's for a couple days with the insulation I had going on. It tastes pretty good but it's lacking that berliner sourness (definitely not sour mash level sourness but also has less funk) and I might have to add lactic acid at kegging. Right now it's kind of like a small German brown ale.

I've added some San Fran Lager yeast to try and clean up that sulfur. It's not a putrid, spoiled sort of sulfur and doesn't come across as a taste. It's just on the nose of the beer. The beer is currently outside my 75F fermentation chamber at ~61F. I couldn't fit it with everything else in the works but I've moved it in there for now.

Next time I'll go for a sour mash and with the amount of grain/water it can easily be mashed/pasteurized all in one 4G pot.