Sour grain bill and mash

[cmoewes]

I was planing on brewing a Kriek (Cherry Lambic) and was looking at a couple recipes for lambics as well as Oud Bruin and was wondering how much does the grain bill effect these sour beers that ferment out for a long time and very dry? It seems like an odd question but since most if not all of the sugar is converted and surely over 12 months any hop bittering is gone is the grain bill so crucial?

Most of the recipes are fairly simple, base malt and maybe one other grain some crystal or special B. Do those grains flavors retain over time (the raisin from the special b for example)?

I was planing to brew a batch of my house pale ale (maris otter + carafoam) and then a kriek (2-row + flaked wheat) and I thought maybe I'd just mash a double batch of my pale and split it before I boil.

Any thoughts or exprience?

My plan is to brew a kriek and then have it ready to server next year at Christmas.

 

[ffaoe]

Where I learned how to make sours:
http://www.themadfermentationist.com
His blog is a great place to get some ideas and directions on how to do a sour right.

 

[PJoyce85]

The grain bill/mash is very important.

The goal of a mash aimed at producing a sour is to have plenty of residual, long chain sugars that brewers yeast are not able to consume, but bacteria and wild yeast are.

Depending on your preference for a PA, you would either wind up with an overly sweet PA with plenty of residual sugar for the souring organisms in the Kriek (high mash temp and high FG) or wind up with a drier PA and a sour without a lot of complexity (low mash temp and lower FG).

If you interested in making a good sour, take the time and do it right as a separate brew. There is nothing worse than waiting on a beer for a year or more and having it be lack luster because you were trying to save time.

The best home brewed Lambic I have ever had was from a guy here in Germany. I had attempted several sours before speaking with him hat didn't turn out the way I wanted and I will always use the method he gave me; mash high (156-158), sparge hot (190) and boil for at least 90 minutes.

Just an example of 1 method. You will find loads of great information over at The Mad Fermentationist. This is just the method I have had luck with.

Good luck

 

[Beer_Eugenics]

He has also written a book called American sour beers. I just finished reading it and would highly recommend it.

 

[Pete Grebus]

Where I learned how to make sours:
http://www.themadfermentationist.com
His blog is a great place to get some ideas and directions on how to do a sour right.

I had Sapwood's Flemish Gothic last night. Amazingly good beer.

 

[worlddivides]

One thing I often did was use a yeast with really low attenuation that was incapable of fermenting maltotriose such as Windsor, then also tried to increase more complex sugars, so the low-attenuation strain of Saccharomyces would ferment all the simple sugars, then the Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, and Brettanomyces would eat away at the more complex sugars. I also occasionally added things for them to munch on such as golden raisins. Bacteria and wild yeast tend to eat a lot more slowly than brewer's yeast does. Often months and months and months.

 

[HM-2]

IIRC for lambics and the like about 25% unmalted wheat is pretty typical?