"Sour mash" wort - WY 3278

[BenCL]

I'm probably abusing terminology here but...

I was wondering what would happen if I made my wort, pitched Wyeast 3278 - Belgian Lambic Blend - into it and then let it sit in a clean environment for 3 to 4 days before boiling.

Would this impart any sourness or other interesting flavours?


Edit: WY3278 is " ...a Belgian style ale strain, a sherry strain, two Brettanomyces strains, a Lactobacillus culture, and a Pediococcus culture..."

 

[microbusbrewery]

It sounds like you're shooting for kettle souring...but that's not the way I'd do it. Usually people use lactic acid bacteria, but not yeast. Lactobacillus will sour without dropping the gravity much. 3278 contains lactobacillus and pediococcus plus a sherry yeast strain and two brett strains. The yeast strains could drop the gravity a fair amount in four days. That means if you boiled after the gravity dropped, you're boiling off alcohol produced by the yeast up to that point. There could also be autolysis issues from boiling the yeast (I don't have any personal experience but I would assume boiling could rupture the cells). You'd also have to re-pitch yeast after boiling. I'd recommend kettle souring with a lactobacillus strain or two. Do some research on kettle souring.

 

[BenCL]

It sounds like you're shooting for kettle souring...but that's not the way I'd do it.

Yep, i just have two smack packs of 3278 and thought, heck, ones getting a bit puffy, how would this rando idea turn out?

Ive made todays brew, chickened out on this idea, and probably for the best.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[oceanic_brew]

I've done a lot of sour mash but never considered the effects of adding any of the available blends out there post mash.

I've added the Wyeast lambic blend that has some yeasts in it to mash but I am keeping the temperature near 100 and pitching at 120.

I am assuming I am leading some of those delicious little yeasties to their death this way since I've never seen a difference in Gravity from pitching the blends opposed to pitching raw grains.