Need Help With First Berliner Weisse

[LiquidFlame]

Hello,

I've been wanting to start brewing sours, and I read that Berliner Weisse is a good intro into brewing sours, so I've decide to try brewing one.

First the recipe and process I plan on using:
5.5 Gallons, Single Decoction, No Boil
3.25 lbs BEST Pilsen Malt
3.25 lbs BEST Wheat Malt
0.75 oz, Alpha: 4% Hallertauer
Safale US-05
Omega OYL-605

Process:
Mash @ 149F
Remove 3 quarts of the mash for the decoction and add the Hallertauer
Boil for 15-20mins while stirring frequently
Add entire decotion back into mash
After 60-90mins mash out at 170F
Chill to 90F and pitch OYL-605 starter
Let the beer ferment for 48hrs letting it naturally lower to 75F
Pitch US-05 starter

My Rig:
I have an all electric HERMs, three vessel single tier system. Plan on doing the decoction on either stove top or turkey fryer

Questions:

1. Do you add all the water that you plan on using right away during mash in?
2. When I mash in, do I wait a certain amount of time before doing the decoction?
3. While doing the decoction I plan on recirculating the liquid in the MLT to keep the temperature at 149F. Any issues with this?
4. When I do the decoction how long do I boil it for? Do I just bring the decotion up to boil and then kill the heat, or do I actually let it boil for 20-30mins?
5. Once I add the decoction back to the mash tun it's going to raise the temperature of the grain and liquid in the MLT. What temperature do I want to keep it at while it's mashing for the 60-90mins, 149F?

Any help on my recipe, process, and questions would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[Calder]

I don't know anything about decotion mashes. Sounds like a lot of effort for this beer.

Just a couple of notes based on my experience.

No need to boil. I usually take it up to boiling, thru the break and cool just to sanitize it as it will be sitting exposed for a while waiting for the Lacto to work.

I've never used that lacto, but I usually end up gong 5 to 7 days at 95 F before I pitch yeast.

Make sure it is sour where you want it (taste it) before you pitch the yeast. Once the yeast starts to create alcohol, the lacto will slow down.

No hops. Hops slow (and can halt) lacto activity. I usually just dry hop.

Berliners are usually around 1.030/1.035. Nothng says it can't be higher.

I don't boil after it has soured. Some people do. Some Lacto strains produce alcohol, so if you boil, you will be boiling off the alcohol.

Its your beer.

 

[chefchris]

Just wanted to chime in and say I agree with Calder.

 

[kingwood-kid]

I'm also largely with Calder.

I'm not saying you shouldn't decoct, only that I wouldn't, mostly due to laziness. For a beer with that little grain, I would just do a no-sparge single infusion around 150, and then boil without hops just until the hot break subsided. I'd add the lacto as soon as the temp was down to 110 and would keep the beer in the warmest place I had. I wouldn't boil before adding the yeast, but I would pasteurize by bringing the temp to 160. Lacto in the bottle is one heck of a nucleation point, so you can get some foam volcanoes even at standard carbonation levels. All that having been said, the procedure in the OP will still yield a fine beer, quite possibly finer than what I would produce

 

[LiquidFlame]

I appreciate the feedback, but does anyone have answers to the questions that I posted above.

Thanks.

 

[wxman73]

I appreciate the feedback, but does anyone have answers to the questions that I posted above.

Thanks.

Look at what he does here: http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2008/02/berliner-weiss.html

It should answer a few questions. But I'm a noob doing my first Berliner this weekend. So I don't know what the hell I'm talking about.

 

[LiquidFlame]

Look at what he does here: http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2008/02/berliner-weiss.html

It should answer a few questions. But I'm a noob doing my first Berliner this weekend. So I don't know what the hell I'm talking about.

Thanks for the link, was very helpful