Berliner weisse help

[MHBT]

I am planning for a berliner weissse and i could use some advice..I'm using michael dawsons recipe

2.5 lbs german pilsner
2.5lbs german wheat malt
1oz hallertau added to the mash
wy3191

According to the recipe there is only a 15 min boil and ithe procedure is pretty vague in the recipe

So from what i know you mash the grains like normal except add the hops to the mash, and collect the wort and let it sour, once its sour to your liking boil for 15 mins,chill and pitch..i never brewed one of these any advice would be great..this kind of beer kinda goes against everything i learned but it would be nice to have this on tap..what am i missing..the 15 min boil is strange considering there pilsner malt and how would 15 mins remove DMS and/or the precursors?

 

[Kent88]

don't over-hop it, 10 IBUs tops. you don't really need hops if you don't want too. They can cause problems for the lacto bacteria.

15 minute boil is fine. I've done it, and it will work out alright.

 

[MHBT]

don't over-hop it, 10 IBUs tops. you don't really need hops if you don't want too. They can cause problems for the lacto bacteria.

15 minute boil is fine. I've done it, and it will work out alright.

Yup i know AA i hops will screw with lacto. You think even if its a mash addition? According to the recipe i will get 5 IBU's from the mash addition/15 min boil..so im on the right track?

 

[cactusgarrett]

If you wanted to throw style to the wind (or for future kettle sours that are not BWes), you could add as much hops as you want after souring. But for this, 5 IBU is a good target. One thing I do in my BW is to acidify the wort after mashing, boil for 10 min., sour, with lacto then boil for a more typical period (30-60min). This first, short boil and acidifying the wort up front is to help prevent an infection by anything while the lacto does its thing.

One thing I'd like to suggest is to attempt to protect your beer from oxygen during the souring process. I'm not confident in my attempts any other way, so I actually "kettle" sour in a corney keg. That makes it easy for me to purge with CO2 as well as submerge the keg in hot water for a few days to promote sufficient souring.

Just this idiot's $0.02 at the process.

 

[JLump]

Keep in mind, if your using the grain itself to inoculate your wort with lacto, its a bit of a gamble.

I'm fermenting one right now for the first time and I ended up boiling for 15 min. after the mash to kill and the native microbes in the wort, cooling to about 100F and pre-acidifying with store bought 88% lacto solution down to a PH of 4.5. Then I added a couple probiotic pills which brought the PH down to 3.3 in 24 hours. After this I did an hour long boil and proceeded as usual. Only added .5 oz of saaz at with 15 min left.

 

[MHBT]

If you wanted to throw style to the wind (or for future kettle sours that are not BWes), you could add as much hops as you want after souring. But for this, 5 IBU is a good target. One thing I do in my BW is to acidify the wort after mashing, boil for 10 min., sour, with lacto then boil for a more typical period (30-60min). This first, short boil and acidifying the wort up front is to help prevent an infection by anything while the lacto does its thing.

One thing I'd like to suggest is to attempt to protect your beer from oxygen during the souring process. I'm not confident in my attempts any other way, so I actually "kettle" sour in a corney keg. That makes it easy for me to purge with CO2 as well as submerge the keg in hot water for a few days to promote sufficient souring.

Just this idiot's $0.02 at the process.

Thanks for the info, I just got my brewers edge mash and boil back from a friend i let borrow so im gonna use this to sour kettle cause you can heat the wort easily, So just to summarize all the info i gathered:
#1- mash your grains on the lower end -148-149F 60 mins
#2- chill to around 100-114F
#3-acidify wort with lactic or phosphoric to get a ph of 4.5
#4 cling wrap on surface of wort to keep oxygen/ other organisms at bay allow to sour for 24-36 hours maintaining temps at 100-115F
#5 periodically check ph taget ph 3.5
#6 bring wort to a boil ,add hops(5 IBU), 15 mins
#7 chill and pitch 3191 and let ferment

How does this process sound am i getting the gist of it? Cheers Thank you

 

[MHBT]

Keep in mind, if your using the grain itself to inoculate your wort with lacto, its a bit of a gamble.

I'm fermenting one right now for the first time and I ended up boiling for 15 min. after the mash to kill and the native microbes in the wort, cooling to about 100F and pre-acidifying with store bought 88% lacto solution down to a PH of 4.5. Then I added a couple probiotic pills which brought the PH down to 3.3 in 24 hours. After this I did an hour long boil and proceeded as usual. Only added .5 oz of saaz at with 15 min left.

I was thinking about using yogurt or a pure culture from wyeast or white labs , Maybe i will go the probiotic pill route i didn't even think of it, still gotta figure what im gonna use not sure yet

 

[cactusgarrett]

I would throw in the optional step 1.5 of a 10min boil before pitching lacto. Or at least brininging to 170F for 10 min (pasteurization).

 

[MHBT]

I would throw in the optional step 1.5 of a 10min boil before pitching lacto. Or at least brininging to 170F for 10 min (pasteurization).

Right right..so after the mash, pasteurize before moving on. cool

 

[cactusgarrett]

Not absolutely necessary, as many people make great no-boil BWes, but i like to hedge my bets as i am not a gambler.

 

[MHBT]

Not absolutely necessary, as many people make great no-boil BWes, but i like to hedge my bets as i am not a gambler.

yeah im in your camp, this is my first BW so im taking the safe route

 

[MHBT]

Not absolutely necessary, as many people make great no-boil BWes, but i like to hedge my bets as i am not a gambler.

also that little boil after the mash will drive off some oxygen as well

 

[JLump]

I was thinking about using yogurt or a pure culture from wyeast or white labs , Maybe i will go the probiotic pill route i didn't even think of it, still gotta figure what im gonna use not sure yet

This is what I used:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BZ3YWXC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Its a souring beast, its cheap, but completely hop intolerant. That obviously doesn't matter though if kettle sour before the boil.

 

[MHBT]

This is what I used:

https://www.amazon.com/Swanson-Plantarum-Support-Billion-Drcaps/dp/B00BZ3YWXC/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1517670967&sr=8-3&keywords=lactobacillus+plantarum&th=1

Its a souring beast, its cheap, but completely hop intolerant. That obviously doesn't matter though if kettle sour before the boil.

Right on thanks