Bottling a sour with the pellicle?

[RyanK2]

I started this "Je Suis Légion Bretted Saison" back on Feb 27 and pitched Wyeast French Saison, 2 weeks later racked to secondary on 2 vials of WLP655 Belgian Sour Mix. I now have a nasty pellicle on the surface with some dried cherries floating in it, and I have a couple of questions as this was my first sour.

1) How do I taste it to know when it's sour enough to bottle without disturbing things too much?

2) When it is time to bottle, how do I avoid getting pellicle sludge into the bottles? Does it eventually settle? Probably not if it's anything like the barrel pickles and sauerkraut I make annually.

3) Once in the bottle, what is preventing a new pellicle from forming a nasty ring on the inside of the neck?

Any insight into these areas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[shanecb]

I've just stuck a racking cane through the pellicle to get a sample a number of times. The pellicle almost immediately heals up when I pull the cane out.

 

[jvlpdillon]

1) How do I taste it to know when it's sour enough to bottle without disturbing things too much?

Sour beers take a year or more to finish fermentation. If you were to bottle now. It would not be sour, and you would most likely have bottle bombs by summer. The Brett will keep eating until almost 1.000. Pedio will not even take ahold until 6 mos in.

2) When it is time to bottle, how do I avoid getting pellicle sludge into the bottles? Does it eventually settle? Probably not if it's anything like the barrel pickles and sauerkraut I make annually.

Pellicles can rise and fall. The Belgians refer to a pellicle as the beer getting sick. When it is well, or the pellicle falls, they bottle. This can happen more than once.

3) Once in the bottle, what is preventing a new pellicle from forming a nasty ring on the inside of the neck?

You can get a pellicle in the bottle. These can exist without O2. While it looks kind of nasty it is harmless.

Just a suggestion, you may get better responses in the Lambic and Wild Brewing section.

 

[maskednegator]

The pellicle is not "sick" beer. "Sickness" is when the consistency of the beer changes to a ropy and slimy.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

If you use a crazy straw, it will help.

 

[BenjaminBier]

My BW has a little bit of pellicle in the bottle but it disappears after about 30 mins in the fridge. No trace of it by the time we pour.

 

[Babylon]

3)

You aren't really very likely to be able to avoid a pellicle. Maybe you'll get lucky. In any case it wont' be a very big one, just a ring around the inside of the neck.

 

[RyanK2]

All of this is good info. I appreciate it.

 

[Unibrow]

Zombie thread!!!!!

I just bottled a hefe with pellicle starting to form, went from 1.043 to 1.002 in 3 weeks...but I'm seeing pellicle form in the bottle after 2 days, never seen this before...so I should expect bottle bombs!?

Don't know what to make of it....?

 

[eastoak]

Zombie thread!!!!!

I just bottled a hefe with pellicle starting to form, went from 1.043 to 1.002 in 3 weeks...but I'm seeing pellicle form in the bottle after 2 days, never seen this before...so I should expect bottle bombs!?

Don't know what to make of it....?

if it's at 1002 then the chances of it blowing the bottles are probably very slim, at 1012-1015 i might worry.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

The pellicle may or may not go away in the bottle. Probably nothing to worry about.