First Sour Ale... Help

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jmich24

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First Sour Ale, all grain BIAB w/ some extra grains I have left over.

5-gallons mash at 158, sparge 168.
(Final recipe edit)

4 pounds pilsner
1 pounds white wheat
1 pound vienna
1 pound munich
1 pound Caramel 40
.5 pound Special B
.5 aromatic
.5 carapils
4 oz maltodextrin

My take on a Flanders red.

Pitch on one pack of Roeselare.
Rack to secondary after 60 days.
Age in a cool dark place for a year or two.

Suggestions, additions, comments?

Thanks in advance.

*Also after racking can I plan to ferment on the used Roeselare yeast cake, sound okay?*
 
One comment - Don't rack!

Just set it aside and forget about it for a year+

Also the Roeselare tends to get more and more sour faster with each reuse so be cautions of that should you try to repitch
 
That's a lot of crystal.Mashing at 156 will leave plenty for the bugs. Allthat Crystal will leave a lot of sweetness in the flavor. Just keep it to about a pound.
 
It's really not THAT much crystal. If you look at Wild Brews they have a flanders red recipe were it's basically 30% crystal of various shades. I just did a flanders red on monday last week and it was very crystal heavy. I followed the recipe and figured what the hell why not. If it weren't a wild brew with brett and bacteria I'd advise against all the crystal but it's not "clean" beer so I say roll with it.
 
Calder said:
That's a lot of crystal.Mashing at 156 will leave plenty for the bugs. Allthat Crystal will leave a lot of sweetness in the flavor. Just keep it to about a pound.

I was listening to the Flanders Red episode of the Jamil Show recently. He actually advocates using a larger amount of crystal malts to give the bugs more to eat.
 
I brewed my flanders red on wednesday. Pitched Roeselare and JP dregs after lowering temp to 65 degrees. I had good fermentation within 12 hours but has mostly stopped after only 24 hours. The yeast cake has settled at the bottom of fermentor and there are fairly large bubbles but no krausen(ever) on the top of fermentor. The OG was 1.042. With my low OG I am assuming there is nothing to worry about but, thought I would ask because this is my first sour.

Thanks
 
It's really not THAT much crystal. If you look at Wild Brews they have a flanders red recipe were it's basically 30% crystal of various shades. I just did a flanders red on monday last week and it was very crystal heavy. I followed the recipe and figured what the hell why not. If it weren't a wild brew with brett and bacteria I'd advise against all the crystal but it's not "clean" beer so I say roll with it.

I agree. Brett can break down starch. It won't be afraid to chew up some higher sugars.
 
at 158 even with bugs it isn't going to be a dry beer imo. with that amount of crystal (and malto) i think you're looking at a syrupy feeling beer. not that it'll be syrupy, i just think you're head for a full mouthfeel.

and i would certainly rack it off the cake eventually - flanders aren't left on the cake like lambics. however, i wouldn't plan on anything and just adjust as need be but 60 days sounds like a good start - my last flanders stayed on the cake for 5 months and then got put in a barrel... still there, should really bottle it - it's ready.
 
at 158 even with bugs it isn't going to be a dry beer imo. with that amount of crystal (and malto) i think you're looking at a syrupy feeling beer. not that it'll be syrupy, i just think you're head for a full mouthfeel.

and i would certainly rack it off the cake eventually - flanders aren't left on the cake like lambics. however, i wouldn't plan on anything and just adjust as need be but 60 days sounds like a good start - my last flanders stayed on the cake for 5 months and then got put in a barrel... still there, should really bottle it - it's ready.

Time will tell, only 79 more weeks to go :rockin:
 
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