Questions and Advice for my Solera

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MichaelsBrewing

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Dear fellow funky beer lovers,

4th of July 2012, I brewed up an all grain 5 gallon batch of American wheat beer that consisted of 50% 2-row and 50% White wheat that I fermented with WB-06. (I do not have my entire specific recipe as I have recently moved and my computer with Beer Smith is in storage.) After primary fermentation, I transferred to a glass carboy on top of about 5 lbs of peaches and added the dregs of about 6 bottles of Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca, a few bottles of Orval, and a few other JP beers. This past June, I bottled 2.5 gallons of this wonderful, sour, funky goodness which is very nice!

This past week, I brewed up a 2.5 gallon extract batch of 50% pilsner and 50% wheat extract with a minimal amount of Saaz and racked it to the carboy of funky goodness to make it once again, a 5 gallon batch. Filled the airlock with some cheap Vodka and there it sits in my closet at about 66F – 70F.

My question, do you feel there are enough bugs to get this baby kicking again? I am not seeing any activity in the carboy but I also have not checked the gravity, which I will do in about a month… the extract batch was 1.040. The gravity of the funky good stuff was 1.000. So, pretty dry. In other words, is it common place to pitch new funky yeast such as Roeselare or more JP/Orval dregs? Perhaps a clean US-05 along with my existing buggies?

My goal is to keep a consistent and ongoing Solera –ish thing happening… but in one vessel :drunk: (Not a real Solera, I know)

Thoughts? Please share your experiences.....
 
Okay..... well

I will use this post to simply provide you all with an update. I emailed Michael Tonsmeire aka The Mad Fermentationist http://www.themadfermentationist.com/ and got a great response; if you have not done so check out his blog AMAZNG!!

I decided after my research and email conversation with Tonsmeire that I would pitch a full sachet of US-05. I am happy to report that this morning it is bubbling away happily. The sacc will eat the sugars that it can readily get to as normal and the left-overs will be taken care of by all the funky good stuff. (Brett/Lacto)

I hope my update provides insight for a future funky brewers. Do you have further insights? Please share!

Cheers!
 
His book is awesome. There's some info about solera style brewing in there. It's inspired me to give it a go that's for sure.

I'm a couple of months into my solera project but will be using a keg as my choosen vessel with De Bom. I'll transfer 1 gallon and 1 gallon into empty kegs. Then I'll brew a double batch and ferment out with ale yeast with a high mash temp. I'll then add 4 gallons and 4 gallons to the new kegs and 2 gallons of unfermented wort to top up the solera. Will see how she goes :)
 
To the OP, now that it's been a couple years (and you're still active on HBT), how is the solera doing? Any updates?
 
Yeah, I probably shouldn't actually but the fruit is full of bugs so in torn. What are your thoughts on leaving the fruit?
 
Wow, so 2 separate carboys, one with 3 year old fruit and one with 5 year fruit? You got me, but I'll bump it in case anyone else has thoughts.

What kind of flavors are you getting from the fruit after that much time? Both raspberries it looks like?
 
Hi. One is cherries and one blackberry. I am getting a lot of tart from the blackberry and a lot of horse blanket, barn yard-y, funk up front and a lot of mouth puckering sour at finish from the cherry. Honestly, both are sooo good!
 
Very cool! I'll be filling my sanke keg solera project in the next week and pitching ECY Bug County. I plan to pull 5 gallons and top back up once a year. I have a lot of other full sour fermentors so the patience shouldn't be a problem.

I have one carboy that I've been pitching dregs and small amounts of each blend I get into, sorta a full collection of every microbe I can find. If that turns out well I might pitch some of that into the solera or maybe start another one.
 
Very cool! I'll be filling my sanke keg solera project in the next week and pitching ECY Bug County. I plan to pull 5 gallons and top back up once a year. I have a lot of other full sour fermentors so the patience shouldn't be a problem.

I have one carboy that I've been pitching dregs and small amounts of each blend I get into, sorta a full collection of every microbe I can find. If that turns out well I might pitch some of that into the solera or maybe start another one.


Sounds like a solid plan. Do you mind posting some pcs? We'd love to see what you have going on. Cheers!
 
Very cool! I'll be filling my sanke keg solera project in the next week and pitching ECY Bug County. I plan to pull 5 gallons and top back up once a year. I have a lot of other full sour fermentors so the patience shouldn't be a problem.

I have one carboy that I've been pitching dregs and small amounts of each blend I get into, sorta a full collection of every microbe I can find. If that turns out well I might pitch some of that into the solera or maybe start another one.



Sounds like a solid plan. Do you mind posting some pcs? We'd love to see what you have going on. Cheers!
 
I can snap pics later if you like but theres not much to see. Just a table with 7 carboys with tee shirts on them and a sanke keg sitting on the floor. Not very exciting. I think one of my sours has a small pelicle.
 
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