Sour Mash Berliner Weisse questions

[justindustrial]

I'm aiming for a sour mash Berliner Weisse (rather than full lacto fermentation) but a little off-style, as I'm bringing the ABV up to about 4.5%.

I was hoping for some feedback on technique / recipe for any of you experienced sour brewers.

My goal is to end up with a beer that is tart and refreshing, not an aggressive example of sour beers.

5 Gal Batch:

4 lbs. 2-Row
??lb. Uncrushed 2-row (for lacto)
4 lbs. Wheat Malt
0.3 oz. Northern Brewer (8.2%AA) (60mins)
Wyeast 1056 American Ale

Since Lacto wasn't available when I needed it, I plan to use uncrushed 2-row as my source of bugs. I also wanted to avoid souring the entire mash, so I plan to make a starter mash for which to sour, and add it back into my main wort. (need advice on whether DME will work for sour wort)

Schedule as follows:
Prepare starter wort (unsure of volume, probably half a gallon. is DME okay?) boil to sterilize, cool to 120F, add uncrushed 2-row, cover in plastic or CO2, and maintain at 120F for 2 days for turbo-charged lactic fermentation.

Mash remaining grain as normal

60-minute boil with single hop addition at 60 mins.

Boil soured wort to kill Lacto and sterilize

Add soured wort to main wort

Cool to 70F

Ferment on WY1056 at 70F until conversion is complete (how long approx?)


Thanks to anyone reading this long-ass indecisive post. I appreciate your help!

JDM

 

[TopherM]

You'll get more response to this one in the LAMBIC AND WILD BREWING forum. Not too many newbies brewing sours here in the beginners forum

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f127/

 

[Rudeboy]

I haven't done it but from what I've read I'd use 2 lbs of 2-Row. I'd crush it though it will make the starches and sugars more available.

Just curious why you wouldn't crush it. I realize the Lacto is on the outside of the malt kernel but all the more reasons to crush it and get the lacto mixed up. Sort of like hamburger. In a steak the bugs are on the outside so if you sear it on the outside you're good to go even if the middle is pink. But if it's all ground up the bugs are uniformly distributed so you need to cook it all the way through. Same here except that you want to bugs to take hold.

Just my .02.

Rudeboy

 

[justindustrial]

Because I was thinking of doing two separate mashes, I didn't want to crush the grain intended for souring. From what I'd read online, leaving it whole is the way to go, as crushing the grain introduces new starches and sugars into your mash. I'm also curious as to how holding I crushed grain at 120F doesn't extract tannins from the husks