First sour not as expected

[Jimmy321]

Hi from the UK

I started my first sour 29th June 13. Grain bill was left overs, 3kg Lager Malt, 1kg Pale Malt, 1kg Wheat Malt for a 21L batch.

OG 1060, 8 IBU pitched Gervin G12 (Nottingham) which took it to 1014.
I then pitched Wyeast 5335 Lactobacillus then about 6 weeks later the dregs from Anchorage White IPA (Bottled with Brett) then the dregs from another bottle 2 weeks later (£14 a bottle here in the UK!).

I tried it in March this year and it tasted really good, clean lingering sourness which I would have been happy drinking.

Tried it again in June and it was funky with a dirty sourness.

Tried it today and the sourness is lost to horse sweat and slightly glassy mouth feel, the aroma is dominated with fruity cider but it's not there in the taste. It's not nice.

I've picked and put aside 5kg of Blackberries for this beer, should I...

1. Leave it (it's still in the primary)
2. Add the Blackberries or rack it on to the Blackberries
3. Do either of the above and pitch more Brett
4. Something else

Sorry I have edited this OP the beer was started 29th June 2013 and not 2014 as stated

 

[youreanimpulse]

I would try the blackberries. It would add some flavor/maybe perceived sweetness at first to balance. I'm afraid the Brett will eventually take over again with the horse sweat, but it may be pretty good for a while. Interested in what other more experienced minds would come up with as well. I'm still relatively new to souring (though I'm doing a ton of it right now).

 

[youreanimpulse]

Sorry, I'd rack it onto the berries. I imagine the dead yeast is feeding the Brett funk.

 

[Jimmy321]

I'm tempted to rack it on to the Blackberries, I would not mind a bit of horse sweat if it was balanced with more sourness. I was imagining a fruit beer with a sour bite.

 

[badlee]

Not that it will help with this beer now,but leaving the lacto pitch till that late on ws always going to have the Brett overtake in the flavour stakes.
How about this; rack off about 1/3 of the beer and age it on berries.
The next thing to do is sour some new wort with lacto Brevis,nothing else,and keep the bugger as warm as you can. in about 5 days it will take your breath away.
With breath taken away blend it with the remainder of the Brett overtaken beer and it should balance the whole thing out.
howwwwwwwzzzzzaaaatttt?

 

[Jimmy321]

That looks like an option and I can get WLP672 from stock here in the UK, I will need to look in to it further to see if it can also be used in a Berliner Weisse which I hope to get on for drinking next summer.

I'm sipping Cantillon Gueuze at the moment and all the flavors in my homebrew are there but completely out of balance, I added the dregs to my beer and also the dregs from a bottle of Orval.

 

[Pilgarlic]

I'd let it ride. Be patient. It sounds as if you're really just beginning to develop the brett character. Let it develop. Let some of those acids, in the presence of alcohol, convert to esters and more of the fruitiness you're looking for. If it's your first sour and it's still developing you owe it to yourself to let it develop and see what it will become. Derail it and you'll never know. It's still developing. Let it be.

 

[Jimmy321]

Sorry but see my edited OP to see if it changes opinions I understand it can take a long time to age.

 

[Weezy]

Is this still in bulk or bottled? Do you bottle or keg?

If its not bottled and you intend to keg and drink, you could brew a small batch of clean, simple, pale ale and blend it to taste.

Maybe blend half and throw the other half on the berries.

Just some ideas.

 

[Jimmy321]

It's still in bulk in the primary glass carboy I have been reading the American Sour Beer book and perhaps there has not been enough oxygen present as I used an orange plastic cap sealed with keg lube with a airlock which I has never dried out.

I'm tempted to get WLP672 growing it up and making a gallon or so of quick sour beer for blending and holding some back for another brew.

 

[Pilgarlic]

Sorry but see my edited OP to see if it changes opinions I understand it can take a long time to age.

I had assumed you meant 2013. My opinion was based on that. I still say let it ride. It's still a young sour. Patience, patience, patience. Trust the bugs.