hirschb
Well-Known Member
I've had some weird fermentation activity using the Wyeast oud bruin blend:
I brewed up an oud bruin wort (recipe from pg 312 Tonsemeire). I did miss my OG by a bit (I hit 1.059, and should have hit 1.069), but figured I'd proceed as is. I brewed 11gal of wort, split into 2 BB's, and used ECY03 Bugfarm in one, and Wyeast 3209 in the other:
pitched 80F
Placed in temp controller at 68F for 16 days, small krausen on both within 2 days, stopped bubbling by 16days (I was out of town).
Moved out of temp controller, and into house (78F).
Both BB's started airlock bubbling activity for 2-3 days.
BUT, one week later, the oud bruin BB started airlock activity/bubbling again. This slow airlock activity has continued for >2 months!!!!!
Yesterday (almost 3 months after brew day), I opened up both BB's for the first time to sample. The Bugfarm sample was nice, complex, with some vinous characteristics, but little sourness. The oud bruin was sour, but not complex, and really one-note (reminded me of a Kentucky common). Both samples were very thin on my palate! SG on each was 1.008-1.009.
So two questions:
1) WTF was the deal with the oud bruin? It's at 1.008 now, I can't imagine how it's still bubbling. The only explanation I can come up with is that it got infected with some brett. Still, it's at a slightly lower SG than the bugfarm , so what the hell are the bugs eating?
2) How to get some body back into the beer? I'm planning to throw 10gal of this beer into a used 10gal bourbon barrel (mostly stripped of the bourbon flavor). I'm thinking of using one of two options:
a) brew in bag 7 pounds of Marris Otter around 158-160F-> boil down 2.5gal water to 1gal, getting some nice maillard reactions, which should add body/maltiness/color to the beer. Ferment this one gal with ale yeast, then add this one gal to the barrel with 6gal bugfarm, and 3 gal oud bruin. I can bottle the remaining 3 gal oud bruin for a light sour brown beer similar to a Kentucky common.
b) throw 3.3 pds of Marris Otter malt extract into the fermenters now (1/2 can in each fermenter). Let the extract ferment, then in a month or two, throw 6gal bugfarm and 4gal oud bruin into the barrel.
Any thoughts/suggestions are much appreciated!
I brewed up an oud bruin wort (recipe from pg 312 Tonsemeire). I did miss my OG by a bit (I hit 1.059, and should have hit 1.069), but figured I'd proceed as is. I brewed 11gal of wort, split into 2 BB's, and used ECY03 Bugfarm in one, and Wyeast 3209 in the other:
pitched 80F
Placed in temp controller at 68F for 16 days, small krausen on both within 2 days, stopped bubbling by 16days (I was out of town).
Moved out of temp controller, and into house (78F).
Both BB's started airlock bubbling activity for 2-3 days.
BUT, one week later, the oud bruin BB started airlock activity/bubbling again. This slow airlock activity has continued for >2 months!!!!!
Yesterday (almost 3 months after brew day), I opened up both BB's for the first time to sample. The Bugfarm sample was nice, complex, with some vinous characteristics, but little sourness. The oud bruin was sour, but not complex, and really one-note (reminded me of a Kentucky common). Both samples were very thin on my palate! SG on each was 1.008-1.009.
So two questions:
1) WTF was the deal with the oud bruin? It's at 1.008 now, I can't imagine how it's still bubbling. The only explanation I can come up with is that it got infected with some brett. Still, it's at a slightly lower SG than the bugfarm , so what the hell are the bugs eating?
2) How to get some body back into the beer? I'm planning to throw 10gal of this beer into a used 10gal bourbon barrel (mostly stripped of the bourbon flavor). I'm thinking of using one of two options:
a) brew in bag 7 pounds of Marris Otter around 158-160F-> boil down 2.5gal water to 1gal, getting some nice maillard reactions, which should add body/maltiness/color to the beer. Ferment this one gal with ale yeast, then add this one gal to the barrel with 6gal bugfarm, and 3 gal oud bruin. I can bottle the remaining 3 gal oud bruin for a light sour brown beer similar to a Kentucky common.
b) throw 3.3 pds of Marris Otter malt extract into the fermenters now (1/2 can in each fermenter). Let the extract ferment, then in a month or two, throw 6gal bugfarm and 4gal oud bruin into the barrel.
Any thoughts/suggestions are much appreciated!
