Wyeast 3203 - PC de Bom Sour Blend impressions

[Oophaga]

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[osito]

Checking on mine, it's been about a month and a half at 85-90F, only aerated once by swirling the fermenter. It's a bit acidic, but the strongest notes are of ethyl actetate and acetic acid which is surprising to me since exposure to oxygen was fairly limited. the base i brewed was dark and it kind of reminds me of st bon chien in a way.. but to me this is not a good thing since OG is only 1.054 yet tastes like a big harsh 11% beer. gravity is at 1.009 but i measured that with a refractometer and used the brewsmith tool to measure fermenting gravity with OG.

curious to see how this changes or if it gets more ethyl acetate. if so i might just end up dumping it.

 

[rburditt]

I used the Oud Bruin in a sour brown recipe about 6 weeks ago and checked the gravity yesterday. For the first several weeks, it was only mildly sour. Yesterday, the gravity has dropped to 1.010 (1.013 about 2 weeks ago). It has much more sourness to it now. Probably the perfect amount but I'd like the beer to continue to develop w/out adding more sourness. To save space, I moved it from 80-85 degree environment to a place in the house that is around 75, give or take a couple of degrees. When I brewed it, I also added dregs from a few different bottles, some with brett. Will this thing continue to build complexity w/out souring further?

 

[deuce13coop]

Not sure about increased sourness but for sure adding Brett means waiting if you're planning on bottling.


http://instagram.com/ranchobigelowbrew

 

[Oophaga]

De bom contains brett already, the attenuation of said brett is an unknown factor though.

 

[TrickyDick]

I racked mine today into carboys. Added more oak because I had forgotten I already added it DOH!! Anyways, tasted the oud bruin and it has progressed nicely. The pumpkin dregs were helpful in my opinion.
The de bomb smells awesome. I didn't taste it. I was a bit shy on volume. I might dilute one carboy to five gallons with about a half to 3/4 gallon water. Going to test pH and hydro samples tonight after work. I'll report back. Saved some dregs of the de bomb in case I want to use again. By all counts I probably will use again, but will reserve final judgement once I have a finished beer in the glass.

TD

 

[youreanimpulse]

De Bom rocks. I've been sampling my Oud Bruin for carb level (not carbed really at 1.5 weeks) and I'm really happy with the profile. Cascade-esque, clean lacto sour. Nice in the brown base. Second generation soured even faster in my Berliner. Haven't bottled that yet though.

 

[Mark_tries_brewing]

Does De Bom have much of a krausen? I think first post said he went through 3 in 7 days and then a pelicle formed but has there been much volume to the foam for other users?

 

[hirschb]

Does De Bom have much of a krausen? I think first post said he went through 3 in 7 days and then a pelicle formed but has there been much volume to the foam for other users?

I got a small by noticeable krausen on both batches I've used. This krausen has dissipated rapidly, then either did nothing (some white pellicle specs), or gotten a full on bubbly pellicle. Then again, I did get pellicles inside some of my bottles for the first batch. So anyway, to answer your question, I wouldn't expect a lot of krausen volume (especially if you follow instructions and don't aerate the wort at pitching).

 

[gometz]

I got a decently sized thick krausen on my second batch.

 

[Oophaga]

Took a sample at just over a month in the fermentor. I did not aerate as I am completely aging in plastic for 2 to three months. It went from 1.070-1.014 without a starter or aeration. It has a extremely mild funk, as expected at this point, and a nice tartness already. It is extremely oud bruin like already and this is super early. I am thinking of adding some plums or dried currants to half, but undecided at this point. Super impressed with this blend, it should be a year round. Super flavorful. I took the gravity of a brett saison which tasted fantastic, until I tasted the de bom. It just seemed so flavorless after the de bom beer. Although totally different beers.

 

[nofootbreak]

Don't have my notes nearby, but my gravity dropped from about 1.038 to 1.008 as of Friday. Should be within a few days of the two month mark.

The sample was fairly lactic, a little bit fruity and some citrus character, but with a slightly unpleasant phenolic Brett character.

Hoping that will change after packaging. Reminds me of Brett l. And the smokey/horse phenols it can produce.

Debating whether or not I'll repitch this. If i was getting fruitier Brett character, i wouldn't hesitate.

Anybody else pick up similar phenolics?

 

[youreanimpulse]

In my Berliner I've had some phenolics I'd call "plasticky" which I think may be from a slight under pitch. Nothing horsey. It's still going to bulk age for a bit so I'll report back.

 

[ChugachBrewing]

I've got a "bom" going in a hopppier beer (35IBU). A local brewpub pulled off 10G of their brewday's wort and let me ferment it with de bom for a Pro-Am in a month. I know, I know, the hops won't help anything at all. It's just an experiment (we have a backup beer if this one sucks). Been holding it at 80-85 the whole time. Haven't tasted. Hesitant to add O2, so just going to let it ride. Anyone have a "bom" that is bottled and finalized?

 

[youreanimpulse]

My Oud Bruin with De Bom is done, but I very slightly over oaked it so I'm letting it age a bit. Already better after a few weeks in bottles. Taste is quite sour but not much else going on at this point. I'm being patient. Sometime soon I'll be able to bottle my Berliner, which was very good at the last sample. Seems more suited to the blend style-wise.

 

[hirschb]

Anyone have a "bom" that is bottled and finalized?

Yep, this is great stuff. Some friends at brew club were stunned that I got such sour/funky flavors in ~ 3 months. I overhopped the wort a tad bit, but as the hop bitterness is gradually fading, the more subtle flavors are coming out (I used a very simple grist).

 

[ChugachBrewing]

Yep, this is great stuff. Some friends at brew club were stunned that I got such sour/funky flavors in ~ 3 months. I overhopped the wort a tad bit, but as the hop bitterness is gradually fading, the more subtle flavors are coming out (I used a very simple grist).

glad to hear. I'll be finishing mine up in less than 2 mo due to time constraints.

 

[gometz]

Bottled my first (over-hopped) batch, it tasted alright, but not really sour. Batch two I just took a sample and while it has a nice sour taste, it is very funky.

 

[Oophaga]

Anyone fermenting 100% in plastic for the full 2 months? I was planning on it but a little wary of acetic acid production being high.

 

[joshrosborne]

Anyone fermenting 100% in plastic for the full 2 months? I was planning on it but a little wary of acetic acid production being high.

By plastic, do you mean a bucket or a Better Bottle? You won't have an issue with oxidation if you use a Better Bottle; they're all I used for sours that always go longer than a year. You might have a problem with a bucket, though.

 

[finsfan]

Ordered this yeast a few days ago and excited I could still find some! I think my plan is to pitch that smack pack into a one gallon jug of saison wort and then use that cake for a 5 gallon batch of something. Maybe a sour stout?

 

[dougdecinces]

My pumpkin beer on De Bom is only a month and a half old, but so far I am pretty underwhelmed. I oxygenated mine twice at 5 and 7 days, and right now it's pretty plain. Mild lacto sourness and minimal funk is all I get. I'm willing to give it another month to improve, but as of now it's been a disappointment.

 

[franzy]

I tried a friend's at a local HBS, it tasted amazing. Mine has sat officially a month with O2 added after 8 days. I based my grain bill off of his; a saison. Gonna sample tomorrow but I'm quite excited.

 

[bevoduz]

I brewed a blackberry sour with de bom about 3 months ago, just kegged half of it this weekend. Seriously, one of the best sours I've tried, and a friend ranks it #2 of everything he's tried.

Overall, I love it, every quality I was hoping for in a sour, and ready very quickly!

V2 was brewed Fri night and put on the cake from V1...

 

[wardens355]

I brewed 11 gal of Oud Bruin this past week and have it split into two carboys, one with Roeselare, the other with de Bom. I have the de Bom carboy in a keg tub, with a couple heating pads attached to the tub walls, and thermostat set to maintain ~80F. The de Bom fermentation was intense the first day and a half with no krausen. Yesterday a krausen developed and the off-gassing dropped a tiny bit. I will be applying a short burst of oxygen once the gravity reaches 80% of estimated final gravity, per Wyeast directions.

My pumpkin beer on De Bom is only a month and a half old, but so far I am pretty underwhelmed. I oxygenated mine twice at 5 and 7 days, and right now it's pretty plain. Mild lacto sourness and minimal funk is all I get. I'm willing to give it another month to improve, but as of now it's been a disappointment.

What temperature did you start fermentation at?

 

[joshrosborne]

I brewed a blackberry sour with de bom about 3 months ago, just kegged half of it this weekend. Seriously, one of the best sours I've tried, and a friend ranks it #2 of everything he's tried.

Overall, I love it, every quality I was hoping for in a sour, and ready very quickly!

V2 was brewed Fri night and put on the cake from V1...

How many pounds per gallon of blackberries did you use? How long did you leave it on the fruit?

I brewed a 50/50 wheat/pilsner 1.05 beer yesterday. I pitched it a little hot (90 or so), but it's being held at 83 now. No signs of fermentation yet, but I've heard it's a little slow to start. I'm going to put it on some tart cherry concentrate once it comes of age.

 

[dougdecinces]

I brewed 11 gal of Oud Bruin this past week and have it split into two carboys, one with Roeselare, the other with de Bom. I have the de Bom carboy in a keg tub, with a couple heating pads attached to the tub walls, and thermostat set to maintain ~80F. The de Bom fermentation was intense the first day and a half with no krausen. Yesterday a krausen developed and the off-gassing dropped a tiny bit. I will be applying a short burst of oxygen once the gravity reaches 80% of estimated final gravity, per Wyeast directions.



What temperature did you start fermentation at?

I had it at 85 for the first 3 days and then we had a cold snap for a while. It took me two days to get it on a heating pad, but since then it has been sitting between 76-82.

 

[finsfan]

I brewed a blackberry sour with de bom about 3 months ago, just kegged half of it this weekend. Seriously, one of the best sours I've tried, and a friend ranks it #2 of everything he's tried.

Overall, I love it, every quality I was hoping for in a sour, and ready very quickly!

V2 was brewed Fri night and put on the cake from V1...

Let us know how the second one comes out. Im very interested in hearing how the next gen does.

 

[joshrosborne]

Here is mine at about 24 hours at 83 degrees. Pretty good krausen even when using Fermcap.

 

[joshrosborne]

Here is mine at about 24 hours at 83 degrees. Pretty good krausen even when using Fermcap.

Just to follow up on this:

I was super skeptical about the Wyeast De Bom blend, but it is legit. Took a gravity sample today, which would put me at roughly a week since I pitched the blend (no starter). It is at 1.01 with a really good level of tartness. It is very citrus-y; no funk yet.

I'm going to give it a few more weeks to see how much more the gravity comes down, but frankly, I'm pretty ecstatic about this one already. I'm going to be hanging onto the cake and this is all I'm going to use for Berliners and quick sours now. Super impressive stuff from Wyeast.

Edit: I've been holding the temperature at 83 degrees ambient. I have not oxygentated and I don't count on doing so. I also did not hop the beer, because I wanted to ensure that the souring bacteria was not inhibited.