My sour mash BW has developed a layer of white film over the top. Is this common for the sour mash technique? Can I skim the layer of film or does this need to be dumped? The wort is still not sour, its been approx 36 hours.
The white film is what you want, berliner weisse is technically an "infected" beer as it uses bacteria (lactobacillus) to sour it. Give it another day or two and see if it starts getting sour. When I'm making a lacto starter for a bw, the White film is what I look for.
Well I actually use the sour wort method, I make a sour starter in a flask and pitch it in the wort after the boil. No skimming I or anything. Typically the white film will reappear in the carboy, I just rack into the keg from underneath so I don't get the white floaters in the finished product..
I have an experiment going on by making starters with grain to culture sour bugs. 4 of 5 replicates formed a very thick pellicle during the 2nd 24 hours. After 1 week, I tested ph (using strips) in 2 replicates, the one without the pellicle and one with a pellicle (had to break up the pellicle). The readings were 4.0-4.2. It doesn't smell great. I plan to let it go and see if it sours more, when satisfied that it is finished, I'll try to step it up again with the hope that sour bugs will dominate and off odors and flavors will subside. If satisfied, I will make a Berliner with it, white labs strain, and something that I hope to step up from a commercial strain.
@homebrew311 seems to think the exact opposite. Before I put more time into it/resources or dump this brew I need to get my info right on this... Sour beers are technically infected beers but whats the deal here?
Yeah.. I'd say you should really look into what a berliner really is.. and what makes it sour.. @jae was just making a funny. Lacto is what makes the beer sour. It is indeed infected if you will, with lactobacillus @homebrew311 doesn't think the opposite, he thinks the same, based on what he's said. The film, is lacto making a pellicle on your mash. No need to dump. You made it this way and it's progressing along. It's could also be a sign of too much oxygen as well. Which can cause it to taste like a dirty diaper going forward. Read up on the berliner thread I have here on BA.. Might toss a little insight on what works and might not work based on the think tank that is BA.
