Will this kettle souring method work?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by ghostinthemachine, Sep 6, 2016.

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  1. ghostinthemachine

    ghostinthemachine Initiate (0) Aug 14, 2015 Louisiana

    I am brewing a sour raspberry blonde ale for an upcoming beer fest. It will be a 5 gallon batch at 1.050 OG. I have a few 2.5 gallon jugs that I kettle sour in. I normally do 2 gallon batches. My plan was to lauter from my mash tun directly into the jugs. This means that each of the jugs will have a different gravity for the souring process. (i use lacto plantarum pills). I figure this method will allow less oxygen than souring in my 15 gallon pot. I will be purging the tops with oxygen. The wort will then be blended for boiling and hopping after souring.

    Will this plan work or do I need to lauter into one vessel then put the wort into the different containers?
     
    #1 ghostinthemachine, Sep 6, 2016
  2. 1beerbaron

    1beerbaron Initiate (0) Mar 24, 2009 Ohio

    My worry would be the fact that you didn't do a quick boil or at least pasteurization after your mash. You're not just getting your lacto p. at that point.
     
    #2 1beerbaron, Sep 6, 2016
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  3. ghostinthemachine

    ghostinthemachine Initiate (0) Aug 14, 2015 Louisiana

    I've had good luck without a quick boil before souring. When i've done this with extract I just use 110 degree water from the sink. I add the lactic acid to drop the PH to ~4.4.
     
    #3 ghostinthemachine, Sep 6, 2016
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  4. 1beerbaron

    1beerbaron Initiate (0) Mar 24, 2009 Ohio

    #4 1beerbaron, Sep 6, 2016
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  5. minderbender

    minderbender Initiate (0) Jan 18, 2009 New York

    I assume you mean carbon dioxide?

    My hunch is that it is okay to have two vessels with two different gravities, but I am not basing that on any actual experience. It just stands to reason because there are lacto-soured beers at different gravities, and the lacto will have negligible effect on the gravity of either sample.
     
    #5 minderbender, Sep 6, 2016
  6. CarolusP

    CarolusP Zealot (590) Oct 22, 2015 Minnesota

    I agree. At least heat it up to 160 degrees for a few minute to pasteurize. It isn't too much more effort.

    I don't see any problem with souring in two different jugs if you are going to blend them together in the end anyway.
     
    #6 CarolusP, Sep 6, 2016
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  7. Markstr

    Markstr Initiate (0) Nov 30, 2015 New York

    Did you do it? I'm sure it will be fine. The only challenge is they may sour at different rates to different pH so you might want to just do a mini blend of the two as they sour to decide when to boil.

    Don't worry about pasteurizing pre-boil. If you sanitize your mash tun and don't leave it open, you'll be fine. Milk can be pasteurized by holding at 150 for 30 min, for example. You have to consider time and temp both. You don't even need to boil. I've had quite a few no-boil sours that were delicious - sourdough tasting - but you'll have live bugs in the beer if you do that.

    The one thing you don't want to do is a short boil, esp if there is pilsner malt in your grain bill. Once you heat to boiling, you're gonna get DMS and you need to boil long enough to boil that off.
     
    #7 Markstr, Sep 9, 2016
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  8. ghostinthemachine

    ghostinthemachine Initiate (0) Aug 14, 2015 Louisiana

    I ended up lautering all 7 gallons into a large bsg fermentation bucket. It's cooling now. I will pitch my lacto pills at 110 degrees. I am doing a full 1 hour boil so that I can hop it. I've done small gallon batches in this method (and all extract) but this is my first time doing the full 5 gallon batch.
     
    #8 ghostinthemachine, Sep 9, 2016
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  9. Markstr

    Markstr Initiate (0) Nov 30, 2015 New York

    Great! I hope it turns out great. Sounds like it will.
     
    #9 Markstr, Sep 9, 2016
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  10. ghostinthemachine

    ghostinthemachine Initiate (0) Aug 14, 2015 Louisiana

    I filled my bottling bucket to the brim. I woke up this morning and wort was bubbling out of the airlock and on to the driveway lol. At first I worried there was a sachh infection but there was no krausen. It tasted sour enough so i did a 45 minute boil with lemondrop and belma hops. The wort tastes like lemonade. No off aromas or flavors. 1.042 starting gravity.
     
    #10 ghostinthemachine, Sep 11, 2016
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  11. Markstr

    Markstr Initiate (0) Nov 30, 2015 New York

    Sounds like you'll have a winner!
     
    #11 Markstr, Sep 13, 2016
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