Time frame for souring

[blitz134]

I hate to even post such a newb question...haven't had much luck finding answers on my own on this one...

I brewed my first sour 6 weeks ago...Flanders Red. I had an "old" vial of WLP665 that was close to its 6mo "best by" date. I pitched it directly along with a vial of WLP001 (a couple of months old) since I was concerned about having nearly no sach yeast in the mix. It took a good while to form a krausen...but finally did.

I transferred the beer today for extended secondary (planning on a year), but I don't really get any type of sour/funky/acidic notes out of it. Gravity is at 1.013...

I'm a bit worried that my pitch of bugs wasn't good enough. Should I try to find another vial and pitch it...or do I just need to wait longer? I know it can take a while to develop the high levels of acidity...but I just figured I would be able to taste something by now.

Looking for any advice...

 

[badlee]

You are very early days indeed there lad.
I did the same as you,but pitched Windsor yeast with mine. I have the luck of being in Thailand, where the temperatures are high for most of the year. Mine went in about 6 months ago and I am getting plenty of sour,aided by the heat,which encourage the bugs.
So,heat it up and wait it out.
I would say forget about it for at least 6 months,well remember to top up the airlock every now and then,

 

[masonsjax]

No, you need to wait a lot longer, especially on the first pitch. You might start to notice some sourness at 6 months, maybe not. A year is a good start, 18 months should be about right.

I wouldn't rush it by heating it up, the flavors are much more delicate and interesting if you hold a steady 68-78 F, although it will take longer.

The secret is to make another on the yeast cake every 1-2 months so after the first is ready, you'll have mature batches ready on a regular basis, and you'll have multiple batches to blend for the ultimate sour beer.

 

[blitz134]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll let it sit. I'll plan to get another batch going in 6 months. I like sour beer...but only brew once a month or so...

 

[MileHighBrewer]

6 weeks to a sour is like 48 hours to a clean beer.... you're just getting started. Unless you are using very aggressive bugs or re-pitching a cake, it's going to take several months, especially when using roeselare

 

[ChugachBrewing]

I found the best results at 12-18 months depending on temperature. I have a flanders red that is 2 years old (bottled at 12 mo) which is phenomenal.