Hey all, White Labs has a vault release out now called Flemish Ale Blend - wlp665, so I thought I'd try to brew something new (to me) with it; a Flanders Red Ale. I plan to do this some time late next week. I've found a couple of recipes that look good, and I'll probably go with one of those for grain bill and hops. Still trying to figure out what I'm going to do for yeast and aging. For yeast, my thought was to ferment down to about 1.025-ish using something like Wyeast 3522--'cause I have it on hand--and then transfer to secondary and add the Flemish Ale Blend. Secondary vessel will be a Speidel 20L. I'm not tied to the 3522, so if anyone has a better suggestion for the primary yeast, I'm open to it. And I've read that some people recommend a plastic bucket for secondary, since micro-oxidation can occur, which will benefit this type of beer. I don't have buckets for fermenting, which is why I plan to use the Speidel. I think, however, the HDPE material is more resistant to micro-oxidation than the standard plastic bucket. I saw someone mention using a wooden dowel in place of the airlock during the long-term aging period, as it would allow micro-oxidation to occur. This seemed like a reasonable idea, but I wanted to see if anyone here had tried such a thing, or if there are better methods out there. I know an oak barrel is probably the best way to age a Flanders Red, but I just can't spend the money on one at the moment. Additionally, if anyone can offer any advice from experience with bugs/sours that might be applicable here, I'm all ears.
Intentionally trying to introduce oxygen to a sour is a risky game. Doing that will more than likely end up with vinegar or nail polish remover. It’s true a little can be beneficial, but it is VERY easy to get too much oxygen exposure. I wouldn’t recommend using a bucket for long term aging. I’ve always used a glass carboy. Can’t speak for the speidel, never used one. Also, I would advise in sticking with a standard airlock, not the wooden dowel. If you already have WY3522, just use that. Almost any yeast strain will work, especially a Belgian strain. I’ve had good luck co-pitching bugs at primary. My understanding is the earlier you add, the more sour/ funk in the end product. It’s up to you though. Good luck man.
I used the Roeselare sour blend several times. With that blend, the sourness seems highly dependent on hopping rate (high hops = low sour). This is true for many lacto strains, less sure about pedio. Check out the milk the funk wiki and facebook age for more. With the Roeselare, I have usually used a neutral alestrain in primary or else pitched the blend directly. I never used a Belgian strain. The phenolics produced by Belgian strains are supposed to amplify Brett flavors. There's a homebrewtalk thread on a previous release of the 665 blend: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/wlp-665-flemish-ale-blend.360864/ I think the advice to use plastic buckets is misguided. Works great for primary but long term aging could be too much oxygen. A better bottle would be better.
Thanks, guys! I think I'll pass on the wooden dowel thing. Since I'm going to be investing a lot of aging time in this, I'd rather have it be a bit less sour than end up with vinegar. I'll make adjustments after I get this one under my belt. I went with the 3522, and I'm fermenting on the low end of the range. I'd rather most of the character be from the 665. I am kind of thinking a little oak might not be a bad thing. Any advice on that? I was thinking medium toast oak spirals, at some point. I just want it to be a tad oaky, but not overpowering.
I agree. I have done complete sours in plastic buckets for months and I have not experienced rampant acetic production. I've use Roselare and other blends. Never experienced the bucket over oxidation thing. And that is also in comparison to similar process in glass or better bottles. And I'm talking about go start to finish for 9-18months in a bucket. I just don't think the oxidation issue is a concern.
