Sour Beer Question

[nealf]

Back when I started my lambic I didn't know a whole lot about the way Brett acted unfortunately. I had listened to some podcasts that suggested fermenting the beginning stages with a neutral ale yeast, which I did. However, that neutral ale yeast got my beer down to 1.004. In order to fix this I have came up with a few options:

1) Boil up some malto-dextrin solution and dump that in to give the bugs some "unfermentables" to eat.

2) Make a small batch and mash really high (~162) to get some unfermentables.

3) Just add some DME and carry on.

4) Something cool I don't even know about... elaborate please.

Thanks for any input dudes!

 

[CBBaron]

Wow, I've never had a beer get any where close to 1.004.

My first choice would be just to leave it alone and see what happens. After all a lambic is usually exceptionally dry.

My second choice would be to boil up a small amount of DME. This will probably kick the ale yeast back in but the Brett will also get a chance.

Craig

 

[davefleck]

if you've got a 1 gal jug you could mix up some new DME or some mash from another brew session and pitch the brett in the 1gal and blend it with the rest of the batch after it gets a chance to work it's magic.

 

[Shonuff]

Is fruit an option?

 

[nealf]

One is already "fruiting", and I wanted the other to be a straight lambic. Let me go check the gravity again, I could be mistaken.

The gravity is indeed sitting at 1.004 on the straight lambic. It does taste very slightly funky so the brett is trying to git er done.

 

[Edcculus]

Do a small mash with some regular 2 row and mostly unmalted wheat. That should add some unfermentables for the brett to work on.

You also might try leaving it alone for a while. Brett is a superattenuative yeast. It should get the beer down to 1.00 or even slightly lower. Lactobacillus plays a bigger role in producing the sourness in a Lambic anyways.

 

[sause]

Do a small mash with some regular 2 row and mostly unmalted wheat.

Exactly what I was going to say. Since most lambics are made from a turbid mash that create a bunch of unfermentables from mostly unmalted wheat.

 

[nealf]

Great news, thanks guys. There is actually a local homebrewer that is planning on doing a turbid mash and is going to run off a gallon of wort for me. I'm hoping that will get me up to around the gravity I'm looking for.