Lambic (BOS, 3rd BOS and Two Golds)

[Andrew Hodgson]

Back from the dead ye thread, I will be brewing this this weekend or next if my 3278 and aged dops don't get here in time. Will be doing a cut in half 5 gallon version for my first lambic. I love lambics it is about time I start brewing/blending them! Plus you can stove-top it instead of having to get all the gear out, love it.

 

[IslandLizard]

Will be doing a cut in half 5 gallon version for my first lambic.

Since it needs to ferment/age for a year or longer, I recommend to start with at least 10 gallons.
You could secondary/age it in kegs instead of carboys.

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

Got a batch of this in the can last night, yeast hasn't started kicking up yet but I imagine when I get back from work there will be activity. Smack pack swelled up pretty good.

The plan is to let it ferment in the bucket 2-3 weeks then transfer into a glass carboy (topped off to reduce headspace) for the winter, maybe add fruit later on or maybe keep some straight and put some on fruit. Now, the waiting game begins.

 

[TEWNCfarms]

This was my first sour ever, but it turned out so well that I figured I'd show everyone how easy it really is. This is based off the Steve Piatz method in BYO from a while back. When I started this recipe, I started with BCS and modified it - as it turns out one of the highest ranking judges had come up with the same thing previously, so I stuck with it!

RECIPE IS FOR 10 GALLONS but you'll want all of that as the years go by.

6 lb Briess Golden Light DME
6 lb Briess Wheat DME
8 oz Maltodextrin
----
4 oz. aged hops (I picked a pound up from freshhops.com ironically enough)
----
Wyeast Lambic Blend
Numerous bottle dregs, e.g. Cantillon, Avery Depuseluse, Jolly Pumpkin, etc

I put the 10 gallons in a large plastic food grade container (Vittles Vault with an airlock) for about a month at room temperature over the winter. I then transferred to two 5 gallon carboys and forgot about them for over a year. Bottled one of the carboys at 1.5 volumes of CO2 and it's been winning ever since.

Time table:
November 2010 - brewed
December 2010 - transferred to secondary in glass
February 2012 - bottled one carboy
March 2012 - Best of Show at the Drunk Monk Challenge, best of ~850 beers
April 2012 - Champion of the Pint Comp: Gold in Sours & 3rd Best of Show
May 2012 - NHC First Round - Chicago: Blue Ribbon in Sours
June 2012 - Went to the Mini-BOS in Sours at the final round of the NHC - Judges main critque: "Drinks a bit young, re-enter next year. Please."
November 2012 - 2nd in Sours at the Land of the Muddy Waters

It's really not that hard to make a GREAT lambic, so give it a go!

Cheers!

UPDATE NOVEMBER 2012
Notes on the aging process and recent tastings.

2010 version

• Brewed 10 gallons 11/10
• Began ferment in 10 gallon plastic container
• Transferred to two 5 gallon glass carboys one month later
• Bottled one carboy 2/12 - results were great. Only criticism was that it needed to be older.
• Tasted second carboy 11/12
  
  • Aroma/flavor has shifted from a bright acidity to a more funky leather/sweaty aroma and flavor
    
  • Color has darkened significantly from aging, light brown or copper
    
  • Really, really getting amazing at this point

2011 version

• Brewed 5 gallons
• Began ferment in 5 gallon glass carboy
• Never transferred or disturbed
• Tasted carboy 11/12
  
  • Aroma was slightly tart - mostly lactic, no acetic
    
  • Flavor was lifeless, some amount of tart, some funk
    
  • Color is still very light, light amber, mostly clear
    
  • Body was very thin - same gravity reading as the others, but with no interesting flavors/prickly acidity to help the mouthfeel

2012 version

• Brewed June 2012 - 10 gallons
• Fermented exactly as the 2010 version, 10 gallon in plastic then split to 5 gallon carboys
• Tasted carboys 11/12
  • Extremely bright acidity, nice mix of lactic/acetic
    
  • Some background notes of funk
    
  • Still very light in color - straw colored & brilliant

Based on yesterday's tastings, I will probably be blending the 2010 and 2012 and a 60/40 ratio for my gueuze and will definitely leave the 2011 out of the gueuze. I may transfer the 2011 to another carboy and add some maltodextrin to see what happens. I hope to also bottle some of the remaining 2010 for another straight lambic.

All that being said, I would like to propose a theory on why the 2011 is so boring and lifeless. I think it is my 10 gallon plastic fermenter that holds the key - and it is the only variable changed in the three trials. I think a small amount of O2 is important to achieve a wonderful lambic. So from now on, I will only brew these if my 10 gallon plastic fermenter is available.

View attachment 76259

Congratulations and thanks for the recipe! I really want to make these! How did you keep it at 60F for a year?

 

[Dfelix2918]

Vittles Vault

Drill a tiny hole in the top for an air lock with a grommet.

That link goes to the 25 pound size, just want to confirm that is the correct size to hold 10 gallons. Thanks

 

[RPh_Guy]

That link goes to the 25 pound size, just want to confirm that is the correct size to hold 10 gallons. Thanks

You need the 50lb size to hold 10 gal.

Instead, I would suggest using PET plastic fermenters (FerMonster, Better Bottle, etc) for the entirety of fermentation.

You could also use bucket fermenters instead of the vittles vault for primary.

 

[TEWNCfarms]

This was my first sour ever, but it turned out so well that I figured I'd show everyone how easy it really is. This is based off the Steve Piatz method in BYO from a while back. When I started this recipe, I started with BCS and modified it - as it turns out one of the highest ranking judges had come up with the same thing previously, so I stuck with it!

RECIPE IS FOR 10 GALLONS but you'll want all of that as the years go by.

6 lb Briess Golden Light DME
6 lb Briess Wheat DME
8 oz Maltodextrin
----
4 oz. aged hops (I picked a pound up from freshhops.com ironically enough)
----
Wyeast Lambic Blend
Numerous bottle dregs, e.g. Cantillon, Avery Depuseluse, Jolly Pumpkin, etc

I put the 10 gallons in a large plastic food grade container (Vittles Vault with an airlock) for about a month at room temperature over the winter. I then transferred to two 5 gallon carboys and forgot about them for over a year. Bottled one of the carboys at 1.5 volumes of CO2 and it's been winning ever since.

Time table:
November 2010 - brewed
December 2010 - transferred to secondary in glass
February 2012 - bottled one carboy
March 2012 - Best of Show at the Drunk Monk Challenge, best of ~850 beers
April 2012 - Champion of the Pint Comp: Gold in Sours & 3rd Best of Show
May 2012 - NHC First Round - Chicago: Blue Ribbon in Sours
June 2012 - Went to the Mini-BOS in Sours at the final round of the NHC - Judges main critque: "Drinks a bit young, re-enter next year. Please."
November 2012 - 2nd in Sours at the Land of the Muddy Waters

It's really not that hard to make a GREAT lambic, so give it a go!

Cheers!

UPDATE NOVEMBER 2012
Notes on the aging process and recent tastings.

2010 version

• Brewed 10 gallons 11/10
• Began ferment in 10 gallon plastic container
• Transferred to two 5 gallon glass carboys one month later
• Bottled one carboy 2/12 - results were great. Only criticism was that it needed to be older.
• Tasted second carboy 11/12
  
  • Aroma/flavor has shifted from a bright acidity to a more funky leather/sweaty aroma and flavor
    
  • Color has darkened significantly from aging, light brown or copper
    
  • Really, really getting amazing at this point

2011 version

• Brewed 5 gallons
• Began ferment in 5 gallon glass carboy
• Never transferred or disturbed
• Tasted carboy 11/12
  
  • Aroma was slightly tart - mostly lactic, no acetic
    
  • Flavor was lifeless, some amount of tart, some funk
    
  • Color is still very light, light amber, mostly clear
    
  • Body was very thin - same gravity reading as the others, but with no interesting flavors/prickly acidity to help the mouthfeel

2012 version

• Brewed June 2012 - 10 gallons
• Fermented exactly as the 2010 version, 10 gallon in plastic then split to 5 gallon carboys
• Tasted carboys 11/12
  • Extremely bright acidity, nice mix of lactic/acetic
    
  • Some background notes of funk
    
  • Still very light in color - straw colored & brilliant

Based on yesterday's tastings, I will probably be blending the 2010 and 2012 and a 60/40 ratio for my gueuze and will definitely leave the 2011 out of the gueuze. I may transfer the 2011 to another carboy and add some maltodextrin to see what happens. I hope to also bottle some of the remaining 2010 for another straight lambic.

All that being said, I would like to propose a theory on why the 2011 is so boring and lifeless. I think it is my 10 gallon plastic fermenter that holds the key - and it is the only variable changed in the three trials. I think a small amount of O2 is important to achieve a wonderful lambic. So from now on, I will only brew these if my 10 gallon plastic fermenter is available.

View attachment 76259

How long did you boil this? I was reading American Sour Beers and his recipe says 330 Minutes!!!

 

[RPh_Guy]

Tap/click on her name to see her profile, and when she was last active on here ... Probably not going to get a response.
Recipe says: Boiling Time (Minutes): 60

Extract brewing is different than all grain brewing. The extract has already been boiled/heated a lot.
Whether a long boil is beneficial for all grain brewing is debated.

 

[TEWNCfarms]

Tap/click on her name to see her profile, and when she was last active on here ... Probably not going to get a response.
Recipe says: Boiling Time (Minutes): 60

Extract brewing is different than all grain brewing. The extract has already been boiled/heated a lot.
Whether a long boil is beneficial for all grain brewing is debated.

Haha oh...

Well I’m talking about AG Lambic style... like turbin(right) mash? And that makes sense on the Extract part, thanks

 

[RPh_Guy]

This is an extract recipe so let's not take the thread too far off course

Turbid means cloudy.
http://www.milkthefunk.com/wiki/Turbid_Mash
This article also lists alternative techniques.

 

[deere322]

My 2016 Lambic
Stellar

 

[Yeroc]

My 2016 Lambic
Stellar

@deere322, bottled flat or is this a sample pull? What are you thoughts on the beer?

 

[deere322]

@deere322, bottled flat or is this a sample pull? What are you thoughts on the beer?

My post in November 2016 -
"I'm about ready in an hour or so to pitch a slurry of Cascade Blueberry dregs, 2010 Mariage Parfait dregs and Wyeast 3278 on a 5 gallon batch started with US-05, then wait a year."

Bottled to be still or flat in the spring of 2018.
The combo of Cascade, Mariage and Wyeast proved to be an excellent choice.
Very tasty.

 

[Steven Barrett]

Just brewed this with Omega Yeast OYL-212 Brett Blend. Thanks for the inspiration!