First pLambic- 5 month mark

[cervezarara]

After 5 months in glass carboy, I have great Brett funkiness but very little sourness. I pitched Wyeast 3278 (1 pack) straight into an aerated wort with 1.068 OG. The recipe was 2 lbs flaked wheat, 1 lb cara Vienne, and 2 lbs Dingemanns pale malt (partial mash), and 6 lbs Muntons Pale DME, with 2 oz of Styrian Goldings and 1 oz Hallertau "aged" 1 hr at 175F. The hops were golden brown, not cheesy at all, but mostly bland and odorless.

About every other brew, while I have the hydrometer and stuff sanitized, I test the pLambic. After one week, the SG was 1.020. 2 months in, it was 1.014, and a month later was only 1.013 with a pH of 3.8. It was developing a nice funkiness already, with no sign of ropiness or any hint of pellicle.

After I finished a Saison around Christmas, I brought the carboy up to 75F for a week or so. January 8th, I sampled to discover great Brett horse lather flavor but just a hint of sourness. I love Hanssen's Oude Gueuze, and not that I was so ambitious as to expect such a flavor profile, I really wanted much much more sour! The week at 75 had brought the SG down to 1.010 and pH was now 3.4 by test strip (I know- accuracy is not their hallmark.)

So I made a small wort and pitched some dregs- JP La Roja, Oud Beersel, and Hanssen's for good measure. I didn't really expect many live bugs in the gueuzes, and every day I would look at the 'starter' mocking me on top of the fridge, lifeless and dour. On day six, a beautiful kraeusen developed, so I added this to the pLambic, along with 4 oz of maltodextrine.

Pedio, o pedio, why hath thou forsaken me? Are you not tempted by my alcoholic lure? Do my insipid hops not entice you? Whatever can I do to have you come join my party? Or is it too late already for you to be the belle of the ball?

5 months may be way too early, but does anybody have any further ecommendations? I'm holding her at 70F now. No pellicle (and no acetic) should mean low oxygen, right?

Any recommendations will be very welcome.

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

Patience patience patience...

I usually see the majority of my sourness occur between 12-18 months. Unfortunately, I've never had the greatest luck with 3278. I feel that it's suited for unblended, unfruited lambics, but for anything really sour, you need to customize. It could be just me...

I'd wait 12 months, and if it's not progressing on the sour side, then pick up a pack of wyeast lacto.

 

[cervezarara]

Suthrncomfrt, thanks for the reply. As I've said, this is my first sour batch, so no idea what to expect from 3278. Probably no two batches will be alike, either, from what I've read. I'm definitely riding this batch out for the long haul.

When I do the next batch, do you recommend WL655? Start with dregs? Have you ever tried Al's bugs?

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

I recommend starting with the wyeast bugs seperately and not all in one pack. You can then pitch them at different times to customize the flavor a little more. I also usually throw in dregs from a few good bottles depending on what I'm brewing.

 

[cervezarara]

Shortly after posting in February, this pLambic developed a nice pellicle that hung around throughout the summer. The temps in my basement stayed around 70*. At the end of September, the temperatures outside took a turn south and I thought I would let this cool down in the garage to see if the pellicle would drop. After 2 hours at 55* ambient, the pellicle dropped. My plan was to bottle this this weekend.

Yesterday I pulled a hydrometer sample. The flavor was awesome! It had developed a very complex flavor profile and a mouth puckering tartness. I would humbly say that it tasted better than Lindemann's Cuvee Rene and just slightly less sour than Cantillon and Hanssens. But the SG was still 1.011. This seems way too high for a pLambic, even though it hasn't dropped in 8 months.

Even though the flavor is right where I want it (and I would bottle it based on flavor alone) I feel I should let it drop a few more points to avoid grenades. There is no acetic flavor nor nail polish, but I dropped the pellicle. Will the O2 in the headspace lead to these issues?

I can wait as long as it takes, but the gravity hasn't dropped in 8 months. Can anyone suggest why the SG would be so high (I have corrected all measurements for temperature, spun the hydrometer, etc.)?

 

[bassbone]

I think you are at the mercy of the DME here. If it has been at the same place gravity-wise for 8 months I'd say it is done.

I never tried a sour w/DME, but no matter what yeast i used, i never got below 1.01 with extract (liquid or dry).

 

[ghpeel]

For what its worth, my first sour is sitting now at a fairly tart 1.004 gravity, and I used the same Wyeast 3278 Lambic Blend plus some Orval dregs.

I'd be hesitant to bottle a sour beer at 1.011...

 

[bassbone]

GHpeel-

out of curiosity, was that AG or Extract?

 

[ghpeel]

All grain, recipe is in my sig and here.

However, I would predict that extract vs all grain would NOT make a difference in the final gravity of a sour. Extract finishes higher than all grain for normal beers, because the extract often contains some Crystal malts, and is possibly mashed higher than you might think. With a sour, the bugs can chew through both dextrinous wort (made from high mash temps) and crystal malt. Even if the extract maker added something like Malto-Dextrin, the bugs in the Lambic blend can chew right through it.

I don't know why your sour has stopped at 1.011. On one hand, I'd say its not done yet, but on the other, it sounds like you've given it long enough.

Hmmm I guess the more I think about it, I'd say you are safe to bottle. It'll be such a shame if it bottle-bombs though!

Have you considered adding some Beano or other enzymes? Maybe they can knock down whatever complex sugars are in there that refuse to ferment?

(Also, double check your hydrometer. Thats the equivalent of the Help Desk asking you to verify that your computer is plugged in, but you never know...)

 

[Calder]

I just bottled one at 1.005 (at 11 months). I thought it was high, but I only bottled 1 gallon out of 8, so I would have some at Christmas. I have some of it on fruit, and the rest will wait a few more months.

 

[cervezarara]

I rechecked the hydrometer with 59* water and it reads 1.000, so i beleive I can rule that out.

I agree- 1.011 is high, and I was expecting the brett and bugs to chew through everything (the partial mash and DME I used are in OP). The brett is definitely working, and I observe that it a pellicle is re-forming now that the beer is at 66* in the basement.

I will ride this out, as it is quite nice tasting now. It really reminds me of some of the lambic on cask my wife and I had in Belgium this spring. We both can take a lot of sour and funk! If I ever do bottle it, I will bottle some at very low CO2 volume, to that style, rather than the champagne-like effervescence of gueuze.

C'mon, bugs! I can get 1.004 with WY3711, for goodness sake.