I've had a lot of Berliners, and really love some of them, but my opinion almost always focuses on the aftertaste. I hate the bready/biscuity bite at the end... Now that I want to brew one, I'm wondering how to avoid that taste. Assuming it comes from the Pilsner/Wheat malt combination. Is there a ratio or different type of malt(s) that I should try? (Going with the sour mash method)
I am not sure but I think that taste is very difficult to avoid because it is due the low gravity of the beer.
I've only had a few and I'm only throwing out a suggestion here. Hit a FG as low as you can and make it a touch more sour than you think you should.
The 'funk' I think you are tasting is a result of a sour mash. Sat in on a presentation by a VLB (the Berlin Brewing School) and he was asked by different brewers why a sour mash couldn't be used. (Thick German accent reply) Because the results are simply not duplicable. Another brewer asked literally same question fifteen minutes later and I swear he said dumkopf or something similar. You want to create your wort and runoff to the kettle. I want to say the magic temp for the wort is 120*F but don't take my word. Inoculate with Lactobacillus Delbrukkei . Let this sit for about 8 hours and then bring kettle to boil and boil only for 5 minutes(basically killing the lacto)...proceed as normal fermenting with a neutral ale yeast.
That flavor oftentimes can be attributed to oxidization. Although it may be difficult for a homebrewer, many pro brewers will fill the head space of their fermentation vessel with CO2 to prevent oxidation. You can do this on a homebrew system too. A sour mash with a pitch of lacto is probably your best bet to achieve the results you want. Good luck!
I've been wondering about that taste too, but I have found it in beers brewed without a sour mash, many wheat saisons for example. I believe some people call it "burnt yeast," anyone ever heard this before? I first noticed the bready/capn crunch thing in weltmerz, and since have become EXTREMELY sensitive to it.
