help with berliner weiss

[jeffvineyard]

I'm making a berliner weiss but I'm not sure when or howmuch lactobacillis to pitch. Can anyone help?

[johnpepin]

I made one almost two years ago and used a vile of of the lacto delbrucki. I probably mis-spelled that.

I let the lacto sit in the secondary for about 9 months in a glass carboy, in my basement. I bottled it with corn sugar. It met my expectations in regards to sourness and acidity. It also has a teriffic fruity taste, maybe apple and pear like. I will brew another this fall but will make 10 gallons instead of just 5. I have a few left. Send me a reminder and I'll get one to the August meeting for you to sample.

John Pepin

[Jensen]

Hey John, how about bringing a couple, or three, or four....

[jeffvineyard]

Thanks for the info. What is the base beer you used? Heff?

[The lord of the mead]

It may be very usefull to add Brettanomyces bruxellensis this is a very slow (1-3 years) fermenting yeast strain with low alcohol tolerance. It adds a nice flavour to the "Berliner Weisse". It is recommended to leave it in the cellar for a few years after it is bottled.

Unfortunately the real Berliner Weisse is nowadays hard to get in Berlin anymore, it is only a mix of beer and lactic acid. Mostly flavoured.



Trivia:
Berliner Weisse was developed in the 16th century.
Napoleons troups called it the "Champagne of the north"
Though it contains approx. 2,8 % alc it is commonly known as "kids beer"...

[meisel]

It may be very usefull to add Brettanomyces bruxellensis this is a very slow (1-3 years) fermenting yeast strain with low alcohol tolerance. It adds a nice flavour to the "Berliner Weisse". It is recommended to leave it in the cellar for a few years after it is bottled.

Pepin brews a nice example of this style, not sure that he uses brett in his version. A couple months back, Chris S. brought a bottle of his BW and it was wonderfully tart. If there was a strain of brett in the original German versions, it would have been associated as a house flavour. BW has no real brett flavor, as brett itself does not make beer "sour" you can thank the lacto for the pleasant tartness that makes the style so drinkable. I have mixed feelings toward adding brett to BW. On one had, it continues to dry and soften the flavor over time (think leathery notes) and adds cherry-like fruity aromas due to ester production. On the other hand, the OG/FG are so low to begin with, the brett doesn't have enough sugars/dextrins etc to really grab a foot hold and do anything. For our purposes, a fruity wheat strain fermented clean and dry is all that is really necessary for the primary ferment. I plan to culture the dregs of a bottle of SN Kellerweiss for my BW. There are many techniques used to achieve lacto sourness fit to your personal tastes, you may just have to experiment and post your results.

FWIW, I wouldn't consider brett a low alcohol tolerant yeast. I've fermented all brett beers up to 7.5% ABV, and added brett to secondary up 9% ABV, not a wussy if you ask me. Also, brett is a marathon runner, but you can get great brett flavor within a month, Orval comes to mind.

[johnpepin]

I'll do my best to be at the meeting next week with a couple bottles. I've still got some of the Lacto in a mason jar that I've store at 40 degrees.Would anyone think it's still viable? I don't know how long Lacto might last compaired to Saccharomyces ? It's been 2 years.