starter for wyeast lambic blend

[MHBT]

Is there any need to make a starter for wyeast lambic blend? I made a 2 liter starter just out of habit but now im thinking i could have skipped the starter, is there a positive or negative affect using a starter with lambic blend?

 

[BrewSomeMore]

Not nessary for a 5 gallon batch. When you make a mixed starter sometimes the bug proportion get out of whack from what I've heard. Some other advice is to ferment hot like 80+ to bring out that lambic barnyardy funktasticness from the yeast if your into that. Got a lambic going now at 82F, smells like sweaty goat that is sure to be super funky sour with some age.

 

[Amadeo38]

I’ve heard the argument about proportions getting out of whack if doing a starter. Basically people say the sacch will reproduce more rapidly in a starter than the lacto, pedio, and brett, and then potentially be too aggressive in the fermentation, comparatively. My argument is that the right way to brew a lambic is to design your grain bill and mash temperature so that there are long chain dextrins and beta amylase (or is it alpha?) that only the brett will take on. In other words, regardless of how much sacch is in there, it’s gonna attenuate at 1.020-1.030, recipe and mash temp depending, leaving plenty for the brett to eat.

 

[BrewSomeMore]

The brett will eat anything that's there regardless, but if you want more brett character and more body, I would agree to mash higher or add maltodextrine. My first sours tasted great but got thin and that's with flaked wheat and 156F mash. This newest lambic I mashed at 160F so hopefully it will translate to more body. I did a sour saision over the summer and added a # of maltodextrine. Plenty sour/ funky and plenty of body.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Is there any need to make a starter for wyeast lambic blend? I made a 2 liter starter just out of habit but now im thinking i could have skipped the starter, is there a positive or negative affect using a starter with lambic blend?

"Propagation of this culture is not recommended and will result in a change of the proportions of the individual components."
http://www.wyeastlab.com/yeast-strain/belgian-lambic-blend

...It's still totally fine though don't worry about it too much.