ECY02 Flemish Ale Stalled

[allouez86]

About a month ago I brewed a flemish red using ECY02. It had an OG of 1.052 and I pitched the ECY02 as the primary strain without making a starter. Fermentation started out fine and after about a week or so it got down to 1.020 and it's been at 1.020 ever since. The heat is up to about 78F in the fermenter and I'm hesitant to go any warmer as the East Coast website says the fermentation temp range for this blend is 60-74F. The beer has formed a pellicle already so I'm assuming it's still chugging along, albeit at a very slow pace. I was hesitant to make a starter as this was a unique blend of different yeast and bacteria but am beginning to think that maybe I should've. So I'm wondering if anyone has had any experience with this strain or has some advice. Should I leave it in the primary for a few more weeks/months and let it chew through some more points or should I move it over sooner. I know this style will take up to a year so I'm not necessarily in a hurry but just assumed the gravity would be lower at this point. Also have a batch of ECY20 Bug County that I plan on using next week or so. If anyone has experience with that feel free to comment.


ECY02 description: "A unique blend of yeast and bacterial cultures. Produces dry beers with sourness and notes of leather, fruit, and cherry stone. Contains: S. cerevisae, Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. Perfect for Flemish reds, oud brune, and other sour ales. Designed to be pitched into primary fermentation, but can be added at any stage. Availability (year round)"

 

[TNGabe]

I have made a handful of beers with ECY02. I tasted one earlier this week that's about 7 months old and it's still at 1.022. Another that I racked onto blueberries a month or two ago was around the same gravity. I leave lamebics in the primary vessel the entire time, everything else I transfer to a secondary vessel to age. That gives me a bunch of slurry to harvest (I don't rinse it) to use in other beers. I've got three beers going where I used the ECY02 slurry with fresh sacc in primary, plus the original beer, ranging in age from about 10 months to 6 months. I made a 5th where I added the slurry to secondary and it was done in about 6 months.

 

[smokinghole]

I try to move my beers with pediococcus if I am going to move them before two months or so. Otherwise you risk trying to rack snot and I've done that plenty of times already. So I might have to transfer closer to 3 weeks rather than 6-8 weeks in order to have easy transfer. Trying to rack over a viscous beer that started getting ropy is a pain in the butt. You will transfer plenty of yeast, brett, and bacteria for fermentation to continue.

 

[kiwi_daz]

I have made a handful of beers with ECY02. I tasted one earlier this week that's about 7 months old and it's still at 1.022. Another that I racked onto blueberries a month or two ago was around the same gravity. I leave lamebics in the primary vessel the entire time, everything else I transfer to a secondary vessel to age. That gives me a bunch of slurry to harvest (I don't rinse it) to use in other beers. I've got three beers going where I used the ECY02 slurry with fresh sacc in primary, plus the original beer, ranging in age from about 10 months to 6 months. I made a 5th where I added the slurry to secondary and it was done in about 6 months.

Just bumping this thread, I have aflemish ale thats about 9months old now with ecy02 and I havent removed the airlock for the obvious reasons. How has your beers aged? WHat time in the fermenter is required for a good sourness?

Feedback would be good as very little available on the net

 

[allouez86]

Drank this one about a month ago. Finished at about 1.015 and tasted magical.

 

[Quaker]

Just adding another datapoint: brewed about 7 gallons a week ago with OG 1.051. Split it between 2 x 5 gallon car boys. Pitched half of an ECY02 vial into each plus used the vial to measure out 150ml each of slurry from a prior racked WLP665 batch and 150ml each of my mixed dregs reservoir/starter. It took 24 hours before visible activity, was churning for a couple days, then settled down. Today I topped off one carboy with the other plus filled a jug and growler. The current SG is 1.019. Seems to be a common spot for these guys to stall. Of course this will sit for at least a year, so I'm sure it will continue to drop. I'll try to remember to report back just how far it gets. I just milled the grains for tomorrow's brew with 12% buckwheat to rack onto the thin slurry left behind in the emptied carboy.

The hydro sample of the 1 week old batch has some tartness and a peach character muddled with a little rotten fruit base which doesn't worry me considering the extremely young state. But I was happy to pick up the tartness so early.

 

[madscientist451]

I've got a Flanders red going with the ECY bug country right now. Recipe was out of Jamil's book. Did primary with So4, racked to secondary + added the bug country after about 3 weeks. Just tried it today after 5 months at room temperature and have pretty good sour character, although seems a little raw. Plan is to let it go for 18 months then blend with 3 month old same beer somewhat like Rodenbach does.