Rescue My Beer!

[Mainer]

Hi all,
I have a broken beer in need of a little creative problem solving. Last weekend, I brewed what was intended to be a Berliner Weiss. My souring method is generally to brew the following recipe, then leave it to sour on WYeast 5335:
4# Pale Wheat
3# German Pils
1# Acid malt.

I leave this to sour for 10 days at summer ambient temperature, ideally 90 degrees or so, as I have no temperature control. Then, when souring is complete, I brew a gallon of extract beer with an ounce of saaz and add it to the fermenter with a pack of Wyeast German Ale.

The problem is that immediately after I pitched, the weather here took an unexpected turn, and has been in the low 60s all week. As a result, the lacto never took off, and the yeast strain that so often contaminates 5335 has now taken over. Now I have on my hands a very bland, not particularly sour, pale, weak, slightly tart wheat beer. Fermenting on an unknown yeast strain. Any ideas for turning this into something pleasant?

 

[Mainer]

I could add salt and coriander to the extract beer, and make a gose...

 

[cactusgarrett]

If sacc fermentation has already taken off, there's probably nothing to do to "save" it to get back to the Berliner Weisse style. You're probably better off pitching a known sacc strain to properly finish fermentation, then pitch some bugs after sacc fermentation to make it a funky batch.

 

[crane]

Dump in some dregs from sour beers. I've used this method multiple times to save lack luster beers that didn't sour enough.

Speeking of which, I need to check on my failed Berliner Weisse I brewed earlier this summer. I used a Berliner blend, and the lacto never took off before the yeast fermented it out. I added some rare barrel and jolly pumpkin dregs.

Only problem with this method is that you need to let it sit for a couple of months or more to get it to sour up IME. So if you don't have space or don't want to tie up your fermenter that long this may not be helpful.

 

[Mainer]

If sacc fermentation has already taken off, there's probably nothing to do to "save" it to get back to the Berliner Weisse style. You're probably better off pitching a known sacc strain to properly finish fermentation, then pitch some bugs after sacc fermentation to make it a funky batch.

I mean, it's tart... it's just not sour sour. I can't make it a Berliner (shy of just dumping in some lactic acid when the sacc is done, which feels like cheating) but I feel like salt and coriander could make it a gose, or maybe adding some fruit could make it an interesting tart wheat beer.

 

[505-Brewer]

Add jolly pumpkin dregs. Problem solved.
Or find some Allagash brett beers.