How should I proceed? (kit question)

[OneCerebralSamurai]

I'm a moderately experienced homebrewer and have decided to try to make a couple of lambics.

I just bought a couple of lambic kits, but the brewing instructions that came with them are just the regular run-of-the-mill kit instructions you'd get for just about any basic kit. For example the fermenting instruction are the normal “5-10 days in primary, then optionally rack to a secondary, then bottle” type you'd expect for most simple brews.

These kits did come with the Wyeast Lambic Blend...

Should I try to follow these simplistic instructions... or should I follow my gut and modify them? I don't understand how a beer that's transferred off the lambic critters so quickly would produce a lambic beer. I'm thinking of waiting until primary is about complete, then stirring it gently to get the sediment stirred up (but not to aerate) and racking into a carboy for 6 months or a year...

I bought these kits (one cherry and one raspberry) because I thought it would be a good first step in learning to brew a different and more complex type of beer, but I think I made a mistake. The company that makes these kits considers the ingredients “intellectual property”, so I don't even know what most of the ingredients are (packages aren't properly labeled). I doubt that I'll make that mistake again, but in the meantime I have these two kits... and the question is, slavishly follow directions, or follow my heart?

 

[Sulli]

Always follow your heart my friend.

 

[rorygilmore]

I'm assuming these kits are extract. They'll probably be fine since the most important components of a lambic are contained in the Wyeast pouch. Hopefully, a good portion of the extract is wheat, but you could always supplement with an extra pound or two of wheat extract just to be sure.

But, no, do not follow those instructions. Lambics usually take a year, and it's best to keep them on the yeast (no secondary). If you bottle that soon you'll be rewarded with exploding bottles.

After a year, that's the time to think about adding fruit & bottling.

 

[dcHokie]

I'm thinking of waiting until primary is about complete, then stirring it gently to get the sediment stirred up (but not to aerate) and racking into a carboy for 6 months or a year...

You're right, chuck the instructions. But I wouldn't stir, after a few weeks in primary those bugs are in there. Siphon quietly as normal and run the racking cane/auto-siphon gently across the bottom of your vessel to pull a little extra sediment into secondary. You may want to consider bumping out your timeframe to more like 1-3 years though, 6 mos likely won't give those bugs enough time to do their thing.

 

[OneCerebralSamurai]

Thanks for the replies guys.

As for the fruit – these kits each contain 2 cans of puree that are supposed to be added to the primary a couple days apart near the end of primary fermentation (I.E. within the first 2 weeks)… yet I see many people write about adding fruit many months (or a year) after primary. If using the puree (which contains quite a bit of fermentable sugar), what are the pros and cons of adding this per the instructions or waiting a year (I guess I’m asking if using puree is different from using fruit).

As for my plan to stir gently and rack to a carboy – most that I’ve read indicate to leave a lambic on the trub for an extended primary, but I don’t want to tie up my bucket for that long and I have a bunch of carboys. I figured that stirring the sediment before racking and then aging in the carboy would accomplish pretty much the same thing. Is my thinking wrong?

Thanks again!

 

[ryane]

Thanks for the replies guys.
(I guess I’m asking if using puree is different from using fruit).

Wait for at least 6mos to add the fruit. Adding it early will only feed sacch, and fruit flavor fades with time as well. So if you add it early the beer will turn out less sour, less funky, less complex and with less fruit flavor

....I don’t want to tie up my bucket for that long and I have a bunch of carboys....

I hope you know that your gonna have to get a different bucket to do clean fermentations in now. Buckets arent the easiest to clean when it comes to lambic blends, and youll likely contaminate other batches. Glass on the other hand is very easy to sanitize, so if you have a large enough carboy I would suggest starting and leaving it in that (6gal+). If you go this route there isnt any need to rack either

 

[weremichael]

I wouldn't rack it to a secondary at all. Pitch the Wyeast and forget it for at least a year. Then add your fruit.

 

[Taypo]

Thanks for the replies guys.

As for the fruit – these kits each contain 2 cans of puree that are supposed to be added to the primary a couple days apart near the end of primary fermentation (I.E. within the first 2 weeks)… yet I see many people write about adding fruit many months (or a year) after primary. If using the puree (which contains quite a bit of fermentable sugar), what are the pros and cons of adding this per the instructions or waiting a year (I guess I’m asking if using puree is different from using fruit).

This the Dawson's Kreik from NB?

 

[OneCerebralSamurai]

This the Dawson's Kreik from NB?

No. The kits I'm refering to are from AnnapolisHomebrew.

I've seen the Dawson's Kriek kit at NB, and I'll probably try that soon (as well as their Grand Cru). The NB website has MUCH more information about the contents of their kits than Annapolis has, and has much better instructions tailored to specific kits.

 

[Taypo]

I'm really curious about this now. I emailed NB about the timeframe on the Kreik, they were pretty insistent that the time frame is accurate based on Dawson's recipe...

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

I would also leave it on the trub for a year at minimum. If you have a carboy large enough to avoid losing a lot to blow off you could use the carboy as the sole fermenter. Otherwise you'll need to use the bucket.

 

[OneCerebralSamurai]

To be fair, the NB directions for the Dawson's Kriek (which are on their website) indicate a time frame of 4-7 months from brew day to bottle. While a little on the quick side, this is much better than using instructions designed for a regular ale. When I try this kit, I might stretch the time out a bit.

 

[Taypo]

Oh, they're definitely stretching the normal directions out. We're going to go with at least 6 months on the fruit but they call for a 2-3 week primary - thats whats throwing me off.