Im bottling up a Lambic this weekend that I brewed with Wyeast Lambic blend, I added Cantillon Dregs (Gambrinus and Fou) last May. I tried the beer flat and it was fantastic. Really looking keeping the yeast alive and using it for my next Lambic. What Dregs did you use that came out really nice, for any style?
I was going to call a lambic-style ale but said F it.. Ill call it Slambic bc thats actually a Legit AF name
I dont blame you.. If someone else told me they brewed a lambic id refuse the notion as well. Were just picky beer bitches sometimes haha.
I'm doing my first dregs beer using clara dregs. HF lacto is bonkers. I am going to have to blend the shit out of this beer just to keep the pucker factor down...
I pitched the HF dregs starter at the same time I pitched my sacc. I bended it down 50/50 with a higher IBU saison already, and it looks like another blend will get me where I want. Once I get it blended where I would like it and FG is stable over a month I will be dryhopping and bottling. Hopefully I have it done for the local Belgians only comp this winter. Also, a portion will be hitting a barrel for some solera action.
A pre-kegging sample of a saison I brewed with some JK Atrial dregs was tasting great. Should know in a week or two how the final product tastes.
Iuse the pH meter in my jaw... if it makes my jaw muscles hurt it's too sour. Right now it's borderline.
I've got some sours right now that are about to get some fruit. One is in a barrel right now, and it's around 3.21 pH.. it's enamel removing sour. Hoping the fruit levels it out a bit, but doubtful. The other two are 3.55 and 3.41. The 3.41 is pleasantly sour, and way funky. The 3.55 is horses taint, and wet leather funky, and "Oh, thats slightly more than tart". I used ECY and Yeasty bay cultures to start, and then supplement them, Bruery, and Wicked Weed dregs. Both of which, are animals. I was able to sour a beer to 3.35 in 4.5 months. Gravity wasn't all the way down, but it got sour fast.
I've done one beer with dregs, and it was an on the fly situation. I had to make one stop on brew day to grab the hops I was going to use in my saison, and one of the nearest places I can get brewing ingredients is really close to a bottle shop as well, so I decided to stop in to see if they had anything new. While I was there, I remembered reading through the list posted on The Mad Fermentationist that listed out bottles with useable dregs. I opened it up on my phone and picked three bottles from the list: Crooked Stave Surette, Jolly Pumpkin La Roja, and Prarie Ale. I decided on the spot to dive in on sour brewing, bought a new fermentation bucket to be a dedicated sour fermerter along with my hops, then drank the beers during brew day and pitched the dregs along with my saison yeast starter. It sat in primary for about 8 months before bottling, and is drinking really amazingly right now. I have plans to do another batch soon.
I pitched Oro de Calabaza dregs for my barrel, but really I recommend any of their beers-- very highly. I used La Roja into a Flanders Red, too. Lovely results from those combined with a good initial pitch of Roselaire and/or Lambic Blend.
La Roja was the first sour beer I ever tried, and it was accidental. I was just getting into craft beer and had a Friday ritual to go to a little bottle shop by where I lived at the time and buy 2 or 3 bottles to drink over the weekend. I just grabbed LA Roja one day not realizing it was a sour beer and went home and cracked it open. The first half of the bottle I was really confused, not sure if something had gone bad with it, and not sure if I liked it. But by the end of the bottle, it had really grown on me. I've loved sour beers ever since, and that will always be one of my favorites.
La roja was also one of my first sours. It was love at first sip!! Had I not known it was supposed to be sour I don't know what I would have thought. Sour beer unfortunately is still highly misunderstood and when people are not warned or explained what they are about to experience with a sour beer, it's no wonder they don't like or enjoy it.
