Souring part of a batch?

[robdamanii]

I've got a 5 gallon batch of belgian pale ale that I brewed about 3 weeks ago. OG was 1.046, now sitting at 1.010. It's sitting on oak chips right now, and I was considering bottling half the batch and dumping the dregs from a couple of Petrus bottles that I've cultured. The starter from the Petrus bottle smells brutally sour and horsey, which is what I'm looking for for the other half of this BPA.

My question is, do I need to add any further munchies for the bugs or will they be able to take the gravity down a bit more? If I need to add something, what should I be adding? I considered blackberries, but I'm not sure how to sterilize the berries, and I haven't seen blackberry puree around.

Thoughts?

 

[ryane]

why sterilize? your making a "wild" beer, once the starter you have is working in the beer I wouldnt worry about anything "contaminating" it

As far as the fruit choice, I think if you want a musty/horsey beer that something like blood orange, roasted agave, or black cherries would work better, IMO blackberries meld really well with a soft citrusy sour

If your interested here are my thoughts on fruiting sours

 

[robdamanii]

Interesting reading, thanks for the link.

I'm guessing this would mean that yes, some more sugars for the bugs to chew on would be helpful. Any other ways to do this easily without going the fruit route?

 

[robdamanii]

Any other suggestions for bug food besides fruit that won't change the body or mouthfeel much?

 

[ryane]

you could add some maltodextrin or lactose, both will feed bacteria