Sourdough / Herman the German

[fubofo]

Hey guys,

Haven't been here in a month or 2 (been moving to an apartment) and can't wait to get another brew going. Might be tough as I'm now in an apartment on 3rd floor lol (might have to build a balcony box or something).

Anyways, a work colleague gave me a 'starter' batch of the Herman the German 'friendship' cake stuff to look after. I was kind of wondering if anybody had any experience making a sourdough homebrew, or how I would go about it? Would I just use DME and this sourdough starter and dry-hop or something? :wha:

 

[graysalchemy]

I don't think I would like to make beer or wine out of it sourdough is not just yeast it is a whole host of microbes including lactobacillus I think. Funnily I have just started last week a sourdough starter, it is very sour. :sick:

I would make some bread out of it :thumb: :thumb:

 

[fubofo]

Cheers graysalchemy,

As the thing almost quadruples it's size, I was thinking about making a nice cake and using a portion as a starter for an experimental homebrew.
So you reckon it wouldn't be healthy?

Would it e practical to do like a 1ltr experimental batch? What sort of ingredients would I need (don't have a grain mill or anything [yet] ) ?

 

[PD]

wife did one of these " friendship " cakes/bread earlier this year. All I can say is I don't wish to have friends like that anymore. after 10 days it went out to the birds 2 days later it went into the bin even the starlings wouldn't touch it.

 

[graysalchemy]

The wild yeast in sour dough is Saccharomyces exiguus and not Saccharomyces cerevisiae which is the cultivated yeast used for baking and brewing. But it also contains actobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus brevis which gives it a sour taste and smell.

I always use a yeast designed for the brew ie ale yeast for ales lager yeast for lager and wine yeast for wine.

However Saccharomyces exiguus is the wild white yeast found growing on grapes. :hmm: :hmm:

I still wouldn't use it.

 

[Ukulele Kris]

I have a Herman in the freezer... and it can bloody stay there.

What a weird tasting cake

 

[jonnymorris]

I had some recently. It looked odd but, contrary to other experiences here, tasted really good.

Not sure I'd feel the same about a Herman the German beer.

 

[fubofo]

Apparently someone has done it:

http://www.betterbeerblog.com/index.php ... dough-ale/

...though there is a mention of how the lactobacillae turn alcohol into vinegar - which I don't want lol.
Can I kill the lacobacillae before I pitch it? Penicillin lol, or would that kill the yeasties too?

 

[Charlotte]

My mum joked that she was offended that she hadn't been given a part of the Herman cake going around her school (she's a teacher), so someone gave her some of theirs, then so did someone else, then someone else...etc. and she got so inundated with cake that she just baked all of it into one big cake and made my sister and me eat lots - not that I'm complaining :whistle:

 

[graysalchemy]

Apparently someone has done it:

http://www.betterbeerblog.com/index.php ... dough-ale/

...though there is a mention of how the lactobacillae turn alcohol into vinegar - which I don't want lol.
Can I kill the lacobacillae before I pitch it? Penicillin lol, or would that kill the yeasties too?

I think you are braver man than me :lol:

 

[lambert]

I think the instructions that comes with Herman specify that milk, sugar and baking yeast must be added to it during the growing process - not sure that would be suitable for beer. The boss baked a Herman (using banana instead of apple) and it came out rather nice - for me at least - the boss and kids did not like it that much.

My sourdough starter is 5 months old and I bake a bread for the house every 3-4 days. I reckon it's the most fun a homebrewer can have with wheat & grains when not brewing.

 

[borischarlton]

Our household, and every other we could convince had a herman going for months and I am sure it was that bastards fault I put on a half stone. We had it with raisens, chock chips, bannana, apple, fig and just about every concoction thinkable. We loved it. Funny, we even went on holiday and the starter dried out but the wife still managed to give it the kiss of life and it just kept giving ( :whistle: ) For the time being Herman is no more, all good things come to an end.

Rob

 

[dennisdk2000]

I do believe that some Belgian beers are brewed with wild yeast, but don't ask me about the details - I haven't got a clue.

Dennis

 

[zgoda]

I do believe that some Belgian beers are brewed with wild yeast, but don't ask me about the details - I haven't got a clue.

Right, but these are very local specific. That's why Wyeast sells packaged cultures, they're exact bugs from Belgium, not the critters from their local air.

 

[dennisdk2000]

I do believe that some Belgian beers are brewed with wild yeast, but don't ask me about the details - I haven't got a clue.

Right, but these are very local specific. That's why Wyeast sells packaged cultures, they're exact bugs from Belgium, not the critters from their local air.

Thought as much - like I said, haven't got a clue!

Dennis