Sour Stout questions- yeast?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by FATC1TY, Sep 29, 2014.

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  1. FATC1TY

    FATC1TY Pooh-Bah (2,564) Feb 12, 2012 Georgia
    Pooh-Bah

    I ordered a bunch of random things from MoreBeer this weekend, and in my whole several hundred dollar spending spree, tossed in a beer kit. I haven't bought kits in a long, long while.

    It was a Bruery Tart of Darkness clone kit. It's a pretty darn good beer, and the kit comes with it all, except the yeast. I even have a barrel I can age it in, and might actually do so before I keg it.

    However.. yeast wise, I bought it to use up some of the stores of yeast I have sitting around.

    I've got a couple vials of Yeast Bay's Melange, and I have a vial of ECY Flemish.. Wonder which one might work the best.

    My instinct says use the melange blend and see what happens. They offer Wyeast Roselare as the yeast to use, but with no background with those yeasts, I'm looking for suggestions.
     
    #1 FATC1TY, Sep 29, 2014
  2. dbrese

    dbrese Initiate (0) Jan 4, 2011 Vermont

    I've got 50L of the same recipe in a barrel aging right now. I used Wyeast 1056 American Ale before transferring to the barrel (third use Hungarian oak) and adding Wyeast 3763 Roeselare plus bottle dregs of Allagash FV13 and Hill Farmstead Norma. I think the commercial yeast lab cultures are a good starting point for microbial diversity, but the best results come from bottle dregs from great sour beer brewers. The Roeselare takes its time souring the beer but provides a very satisfying end product without too much acetic character if you can keep the barrel topped up and don't disturb the pellicle. Better than the lambic blend IMO. ECY Flemish is supposed to be the bomb, too.
     
    #2 dbrese, Sep 29, 2014
    skivtjerry likes this.
  3. FATC1TY

    FATC1TY Pooh-Bah (2,564) Feb 12, 2012 Georgia
    Pooh-Bah

    I have what I would consider a "house funk" that I could pitch along side one of the vials. I have some Bugfarm going as well with some dregs of wicked weed stuff, and some allagash and stillwater as well.

    Have you used the YB melange? It sounds like it's their combo pack similar to bugfarm, or roselare.

    Do you think the recipe kit was worth the money? It wasn't expensive, which is why I figured, why not!
     
    #3 FATC1TY, Sep 29, 2014
  4. JohnSnowNW

    JohnSnowNW Initiate (0) Feb 6, 2013 Minnesota

    I don't have any experience with brewing sours. So, forgive me if this suggestion/tidbit isn't already a consideration with one of the yeast blends mentioned...

    I had a BBA porter that was infected, but was absolutely delicious. Might have been one of my favorite sours I've ever had. Anyway, the sour component was very similar to a Lambic...and it was wonderful. So, my suggestion would be to maybe consider a Lambic sour blend for this brew.
     
    #4 JohnSnowNW, Sep 29, 2014
  5. bevoduz

    bevoduz Initiate (0) Oct 29, 2007 Illinois

    @MrShake has one going with roselare, chime in Adam!
     
    #5 bevoduz, Sep 29, 2014
  6. dbrese

    dbrese Initiate (0) Jan 4, 2011 Vermont

    The few samples I have tasted over the last six months certainly suggest that the kit is worth it. It is apparently the same recipe as TOD, which is cool. Whether or not it is worth to you will come down to how the fermentation goes. Bugs can be variable, so if you have a house culture that you like the chances are probably higher. I don't have access to much ECY here in Vermont, but I have had a few commercial beers made with their cultures. All good and balanced funk/acidity.
     
    #6 dbrese, Sep 30, 2014
  7. FATC1TY

    FATC1TY Pooh-Bah (2,564) Feb 12, 2012 Georgia
    Pooh-Bah

    I"m thinking about giving the melange a shot the more I think about it.

    I'll blame @Biobrewer if it sucks.

    Will probably let it ferment, and then run it through my bourbon barrel.. Let it get a little oak, and some bourbon. Maybe split the batch with the other half on some tart cherries. Similar to Wicked Weed's Black Angel.

    Has me drooling actually.
     
    #7 FATC1TY, Sep 30, 2014
    cfrobrew likes this.
  8. Biobrewer

    Biobrewer Initiate (0) Nov 14, 2009 California

    Ha! Now that's going to be an interesting beer. I think that could actually turn out well. I've made dark beers with both the Sacch strains and they were both very interesting and delicious. Don't forget to save a bottle for me!
     
    #8 Biobrewer, Oct 29, 2014
  9. FATC1TY

    FATC1TY Pooh-Bah (2,564) Feb 12, 2012 Georgia
    Pooh-Bah


    It's been brewed, and is done fermenting, but is now aging and souring away. Haven't checked it.

    I'd be happy to send you a bottle of it. Will have a couple extra bugs, but perhaps that could assist you. Hint Hint.
     
    #9 FATC1TY, Oct 29, 2014
  10. FATC1TY

    FATC1TY Pooh-Bah (2,564) Feb 12, 2012 Georgia
    Pooh-Bah

    Well, the beer isn't but a month and a half in, and..it's getting pretty sour.

    Used YB Melange, and ECY Flemish, along with dregs of a Bruery Tart of Darkness, and a Wicked Weed Black Angel.

    It's got no acetic acid, has a pleasant subtle roast, and it's got this amazing cherry pie aroma. It's gonna be a really nice sour I think. Working faster than I thought it would. I has a little pellicle on it, some tiny bubbles in it. Pretty tame compared to the sour farmhouse I have. It has so much brett and bugs, the beer somehow taste like I have it aged in white wine barrels.

    Curious how the beer will age this summer. I have 3 sours right now that I'm really excited with, and could pretty much carb up and drink and enjoy them as is.. but what fun would that be?
     
    #10 FATC1TY, Nov 13, 2014
    JohnSnowNW and psnydez86 like this.
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