Searched around but couldn't find much in the way of an answer for the question I have: how long can I expect to wait before the brett and wild bugs in my brew consume the maltodextrin I'm adding? I added maltodextrin a month ago to a few sours I have going that need a little more oomph and after a month, gravity (and taste) reflect that it hasn't been consumed yet. I know a month isn't a lot of time, but I'm wondering what others' experiences are.
Don't know how long, but if you are antsy and need to speed things up, off the top of my head, you could try increasing the temp, pitching an active brett starter, or possibly adding beano. I'm not sure how speeding things along affects the flavor outcome. If you want oomph fast, you could have just added sugar. Maltodextrin sounds like the slow path to oomph, and there may be good reason to take the slow path. Relevant discussion, but not a direct answer
Not in a real hurry - all three sours in question have been aging over a year and are experimental in nature and will be aging for a while yet. I've used sugar in the past successfully but thought I would try malto for something different. Thanks for the thread link and response - I picked up a few things!
I recently added some maltodextrin to an extract lambic. Haven't tested the gravity/flavor yet. I'd suggest treating it like any other sour, wait for the gravity to start dropping and then stabilize.
Beano?! That's the first time I've seen that product recommended for this application. Or is this a late April 1st joke?
Beano contains the enzyme amyloglucosidase which can help convert unfermentable sugars into fermentable ones.
I did this recently as well (only been 1 week). How much maltodextrin did you add? I only did 4 oz, hope that was enough.
Curiously, even the Wikipedia entry for Beano notes its application on homebrewing. Basically, it breaks down complex sugars into simple ones that can be fermented. Presumably, Brett is acting in a somewhat similar fashion, although there may be more enzymes in play. Beano would put more enzymes into play initially, which should help create simple sugars, which should stimulate the brett and bacteria present. I wouldn't try it in any beer that I didn't want to be dry.
Updating this thread with current results. I added 4oz of maltodextine to one of my sours at the end of March - now at the end of June the malto is definitely being fermented out and the beer is souring up very nicely. Just had to be patient - it's not like sugar that gets eaten up in 2-3 weeks, thats for sure.
I will second this... I added 4 oz of maltodextrin to my flanders red a couple months ago, and it definetly increased the level of sourness.
