Wyeast 3278 Lambic

[Sippin37]

Total sour newb here, so I apologize in advance. I brewed a typical straight lambic and pitched Wyeast 3278 blend. It's been 2 months now and still no sourness at all. Do I need to add some lacto? I was under the impression that this strain had everything needed already. I know it takes some time for the sourness to develop. Is 65F too cold for ambient air temp? Would pitching some dregs from commercial sours help speed up the process?

Thanks!

 

[davejanssen]

Hi Sippin37. I wouldn't worry about this beer yet. Keep in mind that most of the Belgian Lambic beers you may have tried spend 1-3 years in oak before being bottled, and then also have a long transit and time on the shelf in the US. The blend does have Saccharomyces, brett, lacto and pedio, so it does cover the bases of lambic organisms. But the complexity of organisms is way lower than you'd find in lambics. 65F is a totally fine temp for this blend.

At this point in a lambic-type fermentation, normal beer yeast would be dominant. Over the next 6-12 months brett and lactic acid bacteria should take over, producing more funk and acidity. I don't think it would hurt your beer to add dregs from some of your favorite sours but don't be concerned about no acidity at this point. You should expect to let the beer go for at least 6 months, but a year or more is very reasonable for aging time of a pitched yeast lambic-inspired beer.

 

[Sippin37]

Ok thanks, I appreciate it. I think I may also add some oak chips that have been sitting in red wine. Is it too early to do that? I believe I read that the bugs like the wood, gives them a place to live.

 

[venomfast]

wait 4 months and add your wood also i would re rack it to a secondary