Berliner Weisse Recipe

[phettebs]

I've brewed a lot of styles over the years but a Berliner Weisse is not one of them. I've been doing some research on the various souring processes one can use. Does anybody have a tried and true recipe or any experience brewing one?

 

[Skello]

I can’t help RE the recipe, just checked on the grainfather community and there are hundreds of recipes but nothing on the souring. Seems wheat and Pilsner malt are the fermentables. Going to watch this thread as I would like to have a stab at a Berliner weisse, I am quite partial to the style.

 

[phettebs]

I will update this thread as I decide on a recipe and process.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I made a 12 litres batch with 50/50 Pilsner and wheat malt the weights depends how strong you want it. I added 500g of frozen raspberries into the secondary and left for 4 days. I fermented with half a pack of Philly Sour. Mine turned out at 5% where the style says 3.6% ish. But I don't brew that low.
PS I also added 100g of Acid malt.

 

[Rochefort]

A presentation on the microbes used in a Berliner:

https://cdn.homedistil.ru/fs/1705/02/40322.118694.pdf

 

[Rochefort]

I made a 12 litres batch with 50/50 Pilsner and wheat malt the weights depends how strong you want it. I added 500g of frozen raspberries into the secondary and left for 4 days. I fermented with half a pack of Philly Sour. Mine turned out at 5% where the style says 3.6% ish. But I don't brew that low.
PS I also added 100g of Acid malt.

I am about to do the very same thing! Did you manage to get the pH down to ~3.5 with the Philly yeast?

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I never checked the ph although I do have a meter. Tasted nice and sour.

 

[MickDundee]

I did one last year.

50/50 wheat malt and Pilsner malt. Single infusion mash. After the sparge I added some Lallemand Sourpitch and left it at 30-something degrees(I can’t remember the actual temperature) for 36hrs. Then I boiled it for 15mins with a little bit of saaz and fermented as normal.

I added a kilo carton of raspberry coulis in secondary.

 

[phettebs]

I made a 12 litres batch with 50/50 Pilsner and wheat malt the weights depends how strong you want it. I added 500g of frozen raspberries into the secondary and left for 4 days. I fermented with half a pack of Philly Sour. Mine turned out at 5% where the style says 3.6% ish. But I don't brew that low.
PS I also added 100g of Acid malt.

I think I would prefer 5% myself. I'll adjust accordingly. I'm leaning towards adding lacto first and letting it sour to taste. Then I'll do a 15 min boil just to kill everything off. Not sure how many days it will take to sour first.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

With my packet of Philly I made Berliner Weiss and Sour in the Rye both turned out well. I would recommend it.

 

[MickDundee]

With my packet of Philly I made Berliner Weiss and Sour in the Rye both turned out well. I would recommend it.

I might try that next time I do one - leaving it for almost 2 days in my utility room with my Brewdevil set at 30-something degrees was fine last year during lockdown but not ideal when you actually have some sort of life again.