My first Belgian Sour

[Dunerunner]

12 gallons went into the fermenter last night. Started at 11am, finished brewing and a quickie clean-up at 8pm.

6# White Wheat
10.5# Continental Pilsner
1.5# Munich
5# Pale 2 row

Recirculating infusion mash

113 15 min Dough in
122 15 min Protein
149 45 min Intermediate
158 30 min Saccharification
168 Mash out
190 Sparge

OG 1.064 measured
90 min boil

Pitched 2 reconstituted packets of Fermentis Safale US-05 at 80 degrees

1 week into fermentation I plan to rack to 5 gallon carboys for secondary and pitch Wyeast 5278 Belgian Blend to each. One carboy (6 gallon) will get 10# of crushed tart pie cherries.

This is my first shot at this and looking at a 12 - 18 month secondary.

Any advise? Criticism? Warnings?

 

[wonderbread23]

I'd mash more on the dextrin end of things to give the bugs more food that the US-05 won't eat. I'd also wouldn't add the fruit until the bugs work for several months and use the sugar in the fruit to inspire another secondary fermentation.

 

[SumnerH]

+1 on the advice to mash higher next time, and on giving the bugs a chance to get established before fruiting.

If you want much sourness, I'd go ahead and pitch the lambic blend now. From what I can gather, most of the people who ferment out with a clean strain first (e.g. Jamil) are people who are aiming for a pretty sedate, low-level sourness. Maybe others with more experience can chime in on this.

 

[avidhomebrewer]

Or, you could also make a starter of lacto or pedio (have seen it other places on this site) and add that, to get additional sourness.

I've used 3278 to start the ferment and carry it through to the end, 2 years later, and have had good success. There was enough left in the yeast to bottle condition as well, with no additional yeast needed at bottling time.

 

[Dunerunner]

Great advise, I did forget to say I added 6 oz of maltodextrin to the boil the last 15 minutes. My bad.

I'll wait on the cherries addition for a couple of months. I am guessing it wouldn't hurt to freeze the fresh cherries.