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I would never consider them to be complex sours. They develop a bit of acidity, especially during bottle conditioning, and ferment just off bone dry within 6 weeks (FG 1.004-1.006). If I have any advice, it’s to use a single culture/blend from your favorite sour beer and keep it actively...

I usually keep one house sour culture that is under constant rotation. When I brew a sour beer, I’ll use up to half of the sour culture, replenishing with fresh (hopped) wort. So it’s a solera of sorts — sometimes I add new dregs from sour bottles that I enjoy; sometimes I recycle my own bottle...

I think I’ve diagnosed at least part of my issue. I brewed a black IPA about two weeks ago, which has been sitting on dry hops for 10 days. A little long, I know, but the beer just wouldn’t seem to attenuate. So I performed an experiment with the gravity samples. OG = 1.070, 17.2 Brix FG =...

I’ve been meaning to try WLP066, and there’s actually a White Labs tasting room about 45 minutes away from me. I’ve never actually seen it on sale at my LHBS, so it seems like I should make the trek as well... This is a great idea, so please keep this thread updated!

I keep forgetting about all those baby boomers starting up breweries nowadays.

I think the added acidity is a great idea, though. The acidity will balance and brighten the finish, if executed correctly. I love tart saisons and I know a few individuals and breweries that blend sour beer into their saisons. If you’re amenable to mixed culture fermentations, there’s even more...

If you’re looking to use that much acid malt in a Saison I would recommend adding it in the last 15 minutes of the mash to prevent the acidity from affecting starch conversion. Unless you have really alkaline water it will be difficult to maintain an appropriate mash pH with that much acid malt...

You are on the right path, sir! I feel that “malty” and “sweet” are two completely different sensations, and they can be mutually exclusive. Oktoberfest/Märzen is a style I would characterize as malty, but never sweet — any perceptible sweetness would come across as cloying and inappropriate. I...

The unmalted barley is the culprit here. Flaked and roasted grains contribute zero diastatic power to the grist and will result in poor mash efficiency when used in abundance (>30%). Typically base 2-row malt has enough diastatic power to convert itself and its weight in other starches to...

I second this recommendation. I’ll be making an OktoberFast recipe soon using this yeast and it’s a great segway to lagering. If you can ferment in the low 60s it finishes out crisp and clean. Give it a couple weeks at lagering temperatures and it will really shine. If you’re looking to use a...

It depends specifically which style you’re interested in replicating. Traditional Marzen is an amber lager with a strong malty character; Festbier brewed for Munich’s Oktoberfest is basically a strong Munich Helles / Munich Exportbier, lighter in color and only touched with a faint grainy-sweet...

The terminal specific gravity is the final gravity (FG). To work backwards to figure out the projected original gravity (OG), simply add the volume multiplied by the gravity points per volume and divide by the total volume. It is a fairly safe to assume no / insignificant volume change from the...

As someone who’s had the unfortunate experience of drinking this retch-inducing beverage in college, I can appreciate the appalling name choice. P.S. I would have shot for “Sweet Daddy Vladdy” but that’s just me.

The only thing that would compel me to steer clear is the salt and oil content in many breads. The starches will definitely convert and ferment, and the puffy texture should make it easier for extraction. But you’re probably going to kill some head and you might raise the salt content to...

I’ve never really found a need for it, especially if I acidify the sparge water correctly. But if you’re really curious, you could put the grain basket onto a pie pan and collect the final runnings to make sure it’s okay.

Yes, you’re absolutely correct. That’s a very stable mash pH and will produce a balanced finish. I would still recommend acidifying your sparge water to a pH of 6.0 or less to prevent tannins from being leached, but that’s it. I usually build my water with slightly alkaline tap water, so I’m...

There’s a profile for RO water on B’run Water. It’s not “zero” mineral content but effectively there. I have a couple suggestions for you: You really don’t need the magnesium content to ensure successful fermentation. Malted barley has plenty to ensure a successful fermentation. The only...

Even if it didn’t contribute to the medicinal flavor you’re experiencing, I would strongly recommend avoiding any and all dish soap for cleaning anything that touches wort / beer. The smallest amount of residual soap is enough to substantially degrade head-retaining proteins. I soak my carboys...

I read the same information in a CB&B article a few months ago. The practical takeaway from this information is to incorporate a thorough diacetyl rest while dry hopping to prevent off-flavors from emerging; e.g. don’t dry hop and cold crash immediately. Or dry hop at lagering temperatures to...

There’s enough FAN and magnesium in malt to sustain yeast health. Insufficient calcium from the brewing water can contribute to poor yeast health, but the salt additions would have more than made up for that issue. OP, the only other thing I can think of is using an inappropriate solvent for...