Another Sour Mash Question

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by TheGr8Sarcasmo, Apr 7, 2015.

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  1. TheGr8Sarcasmo

    TheGr8Sarcasmo Initiate (0) Apr 3, 2015 Indiana

    So I looked through several of the threads on Sour Mashing/Sour Worting but they all seemed to deal with Berliner Weisse or Gose. Has anyone tried doing this with a different malt bill? I am on a tear brewing every two weeks and I thought it might be interesting to pull a growler full of wort every batch and doing a lacto sour to see what happens with different grain bills.

    I think coming up I am going to do a pale ale, a scottish, a black IPA, and a belgian blond. I know the pale and belgian will probably do alright, but the other two will be interesting.
     
    #1 TheGr8Sarcasmo, Apr 7, 2015
  2. zimm421

    zimm421 Initiate (0) Jan 24, 2009 Ohio

    I decided to experiment with this on a brown ale of sorts. Built up a good lacto starter as discussed in American Sour beers and then pitched it into 5 gallons. Held it there for about three days to bring it down to a pH of about 3.3. Boiled it for a half hour and then fermented with 100% Brett Lambicus. Bottled a month ago today and it's actually quite nice. Along the lines of a Flanders Red. I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but I wasn't disappointed.
     
    #2 zimm421, Apr 8, 2015
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  3. Lukass

    Lukass Pooh-Bah (2,891) Dec 16, 2012 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah

    I've heard of this working for saisons as well. Sour worting for 1-2 days can give it some tartness from the lacto, but not so much that you'd call it sour. If that is your line up of brews for the next few weeks though, I'd shoot for souring the Belgian blonde. Let us know how it turns out if you think of it.
     
    #3 Lukass, Apr 8, 2015
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  4. MCDForm

    MCDForm Initiate (0) Oct 13, 2010 California

    Recently did this for a sour with about 20% rye and an OG of about 1.060. Sour worted for 3 days and it was delicious. It's a shame that it's for my homebrew club's competition because I had to add peaches to it. I also did this to some 2nd runnings from a strong dubbel. It soured up nicely but it didn't meld well with the base wort.
     
    #4 MCDForm, Apr 8, 2015
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  5. dmtaylor

    dmtaylor Savant (1,149) Dec 30, 2003 Wisconsin

    I haven't been keeping up with others' definitions of "sour mash". However in years past I have made this Kentucky Common recipe with a sour mash that turned out pretty darn good. Kentucky Common is most similar to like an ESB or something English like that. I decided that next time I would sour more like 40% of the mash as it wasn't anything to be afraid of. http://www.ipass.net/mpdixon/Homebrew/Kentucky Common.htm
     
    #5 dmtaylor, Apr 8, 2015
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  6. TheGr8Sarcasmo

    TheGr8Sarcasmo Initiate (0) Apr 3, 2015 Indiana

    I grew up in southern Indiana, close(ish) to Louisville, so I've heard of the style before. Though I have never had a true Kentucky Common, I thought I read somewhere that the "sour" aspect of it was a myth? I might be wrong though.
     
    #6 TheGr8Sarcasmo, Apr 8, 2015
  7. TheGr8Sarcasmo

    TheGr8Sarcasmo Initiate (0) Apr 3, 2015 Indiana

    I figured it would be good for a saison (in fact I have a recipe for a beer I'm calling a "SaiSourWeiss" I'm going to try soon). I plan on taking a bit of each batch and souring it the same way to see what happens. I'll make a post when its all said and done.
     
    #7 TheGr8Sarcasmo, Apr 8, 2015
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  8. dmtaylor

    dmtaylor Savant (1,149) Dec 30, 2003 Wisconsin

    The BJCP insists that historical descriptions must have been wrong and it was not intended to be a sour style. In truth, no one living might know anymore. So, make it sour, or not, it's your beer. Just don't make it sour if you enter it into a BJCP competition. Personally I think the sour mashing piece of the recipe is fun, and I like to have fun, so I'll brew it with a sour mash, thank you very much, and screw the new BJCP guideline.
     
    #8 dmtaylor, Apr 8, 2015
  9. TheGr8Sarcasmo

    TheGr8Sarcasmo Initiate (0) Apr 3, 2015 Indiana

    "screw the BJCP Guideline" should be on a T-shirt. A t-shirt I would wear every day.
     
    #9 TheGr8Sarcasmo, Apr 8, 2015
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