Berliner Weisse Fail

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by machalel, Jul 16, 2013.

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  1. Keyes88

    Keyes88 Zealot (634) Jul 19, 2011 New Jersey

    I used it in a Berliner. Flavor wasnt that strong or maybe it blended well as quince are very acidic on their own. It maintained the basic berliner flavor profile of a tart lemonade but had a very subtle sweet melon/pear like flavor hidden at the end of the taste.
     
    #41 Keyes88, Jul 25, 2013
  2. machalel

    machalel Initiate (0) Jan 19, 2012 Australia

    Ah ok, that doesn't sound too bad. I'll have to head to the markets this weekend and see what I can find. Do you recall how much fruit you used?
     
    #42 machalel, Jul 29, 2013
  3. Keyes88

    Keyes88 Zealot (634) Jul 19, 2011 New Jersey

    I believe 5 pounds. Pitted but kept the skin.
     
    #43 Keyes88, Jul 29, 2013
  4. machalel

    machalel Initiate (0) Jan 19, 2012 Australia

    Realised today that I never posted results in this thread.

    I ended up racking onto some Tangelos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangelo) which are a hybrid mandarin/pomelo/grapefruit, and let it sit. Unfortunately, I must not have removed enough of the pith, as whilst it soured up really nicely (success!) it had an astringency and bitterness that wasn't pleasant.

    That was back late 2013, so fast forward until last night and it's much better. It has lost a lot of the pithy bitterness (although it is still present) but still retains the Tangelo flavour. It previously had quite a bit of an unpleasant sour 'burn' on the back of the throat when it was first bottled, which I thought may have been aceitic, but it has mellowed out a lot (although again, it is still present).


    [​IMG]



    Stats in the end were:
    Total Batch Size: 10L (2.6 gal)
    OG 1.045

    30% Wheat malt
    30% Munich
    30% pilsner DME
    5% Rolled Oats
    5% Invert Sugar
    15g (0.5 oz) Aged Hallertaur (minimal IBU)

    Primary for 4 weeks with Saflager
    SG 1.014

    Transfered to secondary with WhiteLabs WLP630 Berliner Weisse Blend
    Aged 12 months - SG 1.004

    Added 1kg (2.2 lbs) Tangelos for ~4 weeks then bottled.
     
    #44 machalel, Oct 24, 2014
  5. pweis909

    pweis909 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,250) Aug 13, 2005 Wisconsin
    Pooh-Bah

    I had a very similar experience with BW and apricot puree. It added some flavor to get it beyond boring, but I could stand to see it much tarter. This was WL Berliner strain. There are some fast acting sour strains out there that may have worked better for me.
     
    #45 pweis909, Oct 24, 2014
  6. jmarsh123

    jmarsh123 Initiate (0) Mar 31, 2010 Indiana
    Trader

    FWIW I've brewed Berliners with just about every available strand and I found the WL strain to be the worst of any. I ended up adding blackberries to mine to give it some more flavor. Currently experimenting with the Gigayeast fast souring lacto.
     
    #46 jmarsh123, Oct 28, 2014
  7. pweis909

    pweis909 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,250) Aug 13, 2005 Wisconsin
    Pooh-Bah

    Yes, I read this elsewhere too. I previously used WY's strain and it led me to a better beer (but still just OK, not great). When I ordered this time around, I misremembered which one was reputed to be more mediocre.
     
    #47 pweis909, Oct 28, 2014
  8. Biobrewer

    Biobrewer Initiate (0) Nov 14, 2009 California

    Definitely try some bottle dregs to get some more sourness and funkiness. I had a no-boil sorachi ace hopped berliner that I fermented for about 12 months with Wyeast 3191. It was very unimpressive... weird aromas and no tartness at all. One day I was drinking a Russian River Beatification and decided to prop the dregs up and toss them in. Oh my... 6 months later, I would rank it as one of the top 5 beers I've ever made. Definitely NHC material (see you in San Diego!). Definitely has a great Russian River-esque aromas and flavors.

    Definitely try the dregs from one of your favorite sours before dumping. What have ou got to loose except a little fermentor space for a few months!? Good luck with it.
     
    #48 Biobrewer, Oct 29, 2014
  9. pweis909

    pweis909 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,250) Aug 13, 2005 Wisconsin
    Pooh-Bah

    Is this normal for Berliners? I was under the impression that a considerably shorter time frame was expected.
     
    #49 pweis909, Oct 29, 2014
  10. Biobrewer

    Biobrewer Initiate (0) Nov 14, 2009 California

    Definitely a longer process than I expected. There was no real souring of any kind until I added the worked up Beatification dregs. Either way, I was very pleased with how it turned out in the end!
     
    #50 Biobrewer, Oct 30, 2014
  11. machalel

    machalel Initiate (0) Jan 19, 2012 Australia

    Will update this soon, but ~2 years on from the initial brew, it has turned out to be one of the best beers I've made! Who would have guessed...

    It's nothing like a berliner weisse, but it all works wonderfully!
     
    #51 machalel, Sep 3, 2015
    SFACRKnight likes this.
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