Kettle Sours

[jready]

Hello everyone, we have a local brewpub that does some great kettle sours. I am about to try my first kettle sour and would like to create a great "base" recipe that I could then add fruit to. I plan on using the probiotic capsules to do the souring and would love suggestions on a good solid base recipe.

My initial thought is 60% pilsner and 40% wheat (open to suggestions on both). What I'm not sure of is mash in temp I'm leaning towards 148 to get a quick fermentation. Mash for an hour then into my kettle for the souring, thinking 36 hours or so with a capsule per gallon.

Once I get the right PH (I don't have a PH meter if someone has a rec on a really cheap on I'd love to hear it) I'd boil and add a small hop addition. Would love thoughts on how long to boil and what hop.

Once chilled pitch a nice clean yeast, I was thinking Chico since I have some I'm about to harvest but, again, totally open to suggestions.

For the fruit, does it make sense to add some to the fermentor and let it sit on it for a week or just add juice or extract at kegging?

I'm thinking this would almost be a "house" sour that would be on tap most of the time with different fruit flavor.

I would love input or thoughts on things you have done. Thanks in advance!

 

[biestie]

I've got one on day 2 in the kettle right now, and I made a few last summer. I think mine's pretty well dialed in.

Recipe - I do 50/50 pilsner and wheat. Hallertau hops at 5 or 6 IBUs.

Your mash temp sounds about right. You do want it to be pretty dry.

You will want to do a short boil following the mash to kill the bugs from the mash.

36 hours is a bit short, and you really shouldn't just rely on time I don't think. Following the boil, cool to 110F. Adjust ph down to 4.5, and pitch lacto (I don't use probiotics so I can't speak to that). Hold the temp at around 110 as possible.

Check ph daily. I shoot for 3.4, and it usually gets there on day 3. I boil for 15 minutes at that point, with the right amount of hallertau to get about 6 IBUs. At that point your pretty much just making a normal beer. Chico is fine. Anything neutral.

ph meter, define cheap? I use a Milwaukee MW101, it's on Amazon for 78$. The ones in the 20$ range are not accurate enough.

I've got nothing on fruit. I've never done that.

 

[jready]

I've got one on day 2 in the kettle right now, and I made a few last summer. I think mine's pretty well dialed in.

Recipe - I do 50/50 pilsner and wheat. Hallertau hops at 5 or 6 IBUs.

Your mash temp sounds about right. You do want it to be pretty dry.

You will want to do a short boil following the mash to kill the bugs from the mash.

36 hours is a bit short, and you really shouldn't just rely on time I don't think. Following the boil, cool to 110F. Adjust ph down to 4.5, and pitch lacto (I don't use probiotics so I can't speak to that). Hold the temp at around 110 as possible.

Check ph daily. I shoot for 3.4, and it usually gets there on day 3. I boil for 15 minutes at that point, with the right amount of hallertau to get about 6 IBUs. At that point your pretty much just making a normal beer. Chico is fine. Anything neutral.

ph meter, define cheap? I use a Milwaukee MW101, it's on Amazon for 78$. The ones in the 20$ range are not accurate enough.

I've got nothing on fruit. I've never done that.

Thanks this is very helpful!