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TCJosh

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Hey guys. I found this recipe for a Cherry "Lambic." From my understanding, true lambics take a long time to condition-this one obviously doesn't. I'm not too worried about the true defenition of lambic, more worried that it will be tasty. What do you think of the recipe?

Dark Cherry Lambic

5 LB. Munton's plain light DME
2 LB. wheat malt extract
3-1/2 oz. malto dextrin
1 oz. Hallertau hops
1 can Oregon Dark Sweet Cherry Puree
Wyeast #3278 Lambic Blend
Dissolve the light malt extract, wheat malt extract and malto dextrin in warm water. Bring to a boil and add hops. Boil for 45 minutes. Strain out hops. Add enough water to the fermenter to make 4.5 gallons and cool to 70 degrees. Pitch yeast, add fruit puree and ferment for 3 weeks Rack into secondary fermenter and condition for a week at 60-65 degrees. Bottle condition using corn sugar for priming.

Would you suggest adding the cherry into the secondary instead of the primary? I want to get a higher ABV out of this beer, would adding brown sugar be worth the try? Thanks for any advice!
 
I don't see the point in using a lambic blend if you're going to drink this after just 4 weeks.

Lambic blend is a mix of regular ale yeast, plus lactobacillus, pediococcus, and brettanomyces. The ale yeast will finish primary fermentation within a couple of weeks, but these other organisms take many months before they will have any flavor effect at all. And once they do kick in a couple of months after the ale yeast is done, they will make the beer look and taste pretty nasty while they are working on it! It takes a long time for them to calm down again and leave something tasty behind.

So if you're going to drink after one month, I question what is the point of adding these bugs at all. You'll just be drinking regular ale, which will have a tiny amount of these other bugs in it but they won't have affected the flavor at all. It'll taste good, but you could get the same result more predictably by using a regular ale yeast.

I also think this recipe would make good beer using the lambic blend. But if you're going to use that, you should wait at least a year for it to do its stuff.
 
I don't see the point in using a lambic blend if you're going to drink this after just 4 weeks.

Lambic blend is a mix of regular ale yeast, plus lactobacillus, pediococcus, and brettanomyces. The ale yeast will finish primary fermentation within a couple of weeks, but these other organisms take many months before they will have any flavor effect at all. And once they do kick in a couple of months after the ale yeast is done, they will make the beer look and taste pretty nasty while they are working on it! It takes a long time for them to calm down again and leave something tasty behind.

So if you're going to drink after one month, I question what is the point of adding these bugs at all. You'll just be drinking regular ale, which will have a tiny amount of these other bugs in it but they won't have affected the flavor at all. It'll taste good, but you could get the same result more predictably by using a regular ale yeast.

I also think this recipe would make good beer using the lambic blend. But if you're going to use that, you should wait at least a year for it to do its stuff.

Agreed, if you add the lambic blend and bottle it after 4 weeks, you're going to get 2 cases of bottle bombs. If you want a 4 week turnaround, I recommend doing a Cherry Wheat type beer.
 
Way :off:...

But when I see the letters L A M B I C all strung together. My mouth kind of waters. And not in a good way.

The kind of way it does when I see a watermelon jolly rancher. Hate the things...but it's an involuntary reaction.
 
That's great advice. I'm glad I checked. So If I use ale yeast, what about the fruit? Add to the secondary (as I've heard around here) or to the primary as suggested?
 
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