The Mixed Fermentation Thread

[geigercntr]

I've a good few mixed fermentation beers dotted about the house.

1. Last year I brewed a simple golden sour split into 2 X 5l DJs. One DJ got Wyeast #3278, the other got the same plus a load of bottle dregs. Got left for 12 months. Currently sat in bottles trying to get rid of a cereal flavour. I also split off a bottles worth to rest on apricots before bottling.

2. Jarg lambic brewed the Mad Fermentationist extract/maltodextrin lambic. Most of it in bottles, 5 litres sat on cherries. Yeast used: saison and loads of different lambic dregs

3. PseudoSolera brewed using the Great Brettanomyces megablend (a mix of various bugs). Brewed early 2018. Transferred quarter of it to bottles after 8 months, quarter went onto mango and the remaining 10litres topped up with fresh wort for generation #2

4. Brewed a dark saison with the Bootleg Biology saison blend. Currently still in the carboy resting on currants and red wine soaked oak chips

All fermentations under glass at room temperature

Sexxxxy pixxx below

 

[JFB]

Great thread.


I also have an evolving Solera project that has had its third addition recently. The original beer that went into it was fermenter with the WLP670 American Farmhouse blend, reputedly from Lost Abbey. I've since added dregs from Boon Gueuze and some yeast harvested from a spontaneous fermentation. I'm blogging this on our homebrew club website, if you're interested. https://macchomebrew.club/solera-project-part-1-the-setup/
.

Great blog @Sadfield

 

[JFB]

Would really like to brew something sour but already confused and don't know where to start. I have won the geterbrewed comp for free imperial yeast so was thinking sour batch kids yeast.

Just go for it @Leon103, I'd just go for a simple recipe(saison/Belgian pale) keep low on the IBU's. After three weeks of primary rack into something long term. Sit on your hands and try and have a separate fermenter to keep for all future bug beers.

 

[BeerCat]

I have a keg of raw wheat which i added some mango to that tastes of almost nothing. Was told its just tasteless but for me there is something unpleasant about it. Is it worth adding anything to it or should i just start again?

 

[Leon103]

Just go for it @Leon103, I'd just go for a simple recipe(saison/Belgian pale) keep low on the IBU's. After three weeks of primary rack into something long term. Sit on your hands and try and have a separate fermenter to keep for all future bug beers.

I think I am going to have to try it. Will start looking at possible recipes and post here when I start putting it together

 

[Leon103]

Stupid question. I get the whole separate fv thing but if I am bottling should I not reuse them?

 

[geigercntr]

Re FVs, if they're glass they can be reused, provided yr sanitation is up to the mark. The issue with mixed fermentation in plastic is the big loada scratches they get for bugs to loiter.

Glass is less prone to scuffing so less of a risk.

Re bottles, again provided yr sanitation is up to the mark, probably only a minor threat... Maybe use the oven method (see the How To page!)

 

[Sadfield]

I always defer to this advice from a from another forum.

 

[strange-steve]

Anyone know where to get a glass carboy for a decent price? They're £35 quid from GEB which I begrudge paying for a fermenter but I don't want to do another sour in plastic.

 

[geigercntr]

Black Friday at beerhawk did glass 6l (edit: actually 6 US gal, so 25litre or so...) BigMouth Bubbler for £25 IIRC...

 

[IainM]

I got two 11.4L Italian made ones for £13 each using by stacking the Beerhawk Black Friday deal with discount codes. The larger ones were even more economical per litre capacity. I may be able to point you towards some codes if you PM me.

 

[lancon]

Great thread.

Currently I have a heritage IPA (Chevallier malt) that's been aging on a bit of oak and Brettanomyces Claussenii for the last 11 months. Once bottled, I'll use the oak chunks in a heritage Porter to carry the Brett over.

I also have an evolving Solera project that has had its third addition recently. The original beer that went into it was fermenter with the WLP670 American Farmhouse blend, reputedly from Lost Abbey. I've since added dregs from Boon Gueuze and some yeast harvested from a spontaneous fermentation. I'm blogging this on our homebrew club website, if you're interested. https://macchomebrew.club/solera-project-part-1-the-setup/

I also intend to do more hoppy kettle sours using Lactobacillus Plantarum probiotics.

Another plan in the list is to make some beer vinegar using a vinegar mother, which I'll use to add Acetic sour notes by back blending in Flemish style beers.

According to an etymological dictionary that I was flicking through beer vinegar is called alegar, which makes sense really.

 

[Leon103]

Thanks for the replies about cleaning and reusing equipment. I am happy to save a fermenter as I can do With a new one but didn't want to use and through away a load of swing tops

 

[strange-steve]

I got two 11.4L Italian made ones for £13 each using by stacking the Beerhawk Black Friday deal with discount codes. The larger ones were even more economical per litre capacity. I may be able to point you towards some codes if you PM me.

Done, thanks.

 

[BeerCat]

25l glass demijohn's here for £27 inc postage http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...0001&campid=5338413729&icep_item=283062307807

 

[JFB]

A couple days in and "Spartacus the spontaneous" is bubbling away, Pulled the bung for a sniff and must say very pleasant, More so than a clean fermentation ?
Not sure if ill just age this small amount or use it as a starter for a larger beer? What do you think?
Ive a spare 16l glass carboy sat doing nothing..


.

 

[strange-steve]

25l glass demijohn's here for £27 inc postage http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...0001&campid=5338413729&icep_item=283062307807

Thanks for the link, I took a punt on one of these so I'll report back when it arrives

 

[Leon103]

So this is what I have come up with.

Grain bill and hop schedule is off an amazing Saison I had from @Hoddy

And just replaced the yeast.

 

[Zephyr259]

So this is what I have come up with.

Grain bill and hop schedule is off an amazing Saison I had from @Hoddy

And just replaced the yeast.

Malt bill looks great, more or less my pale ale grist with a touch of crystal and that was based on a saison recipe too. Should make a nice pale sour with a bit of character from the Vienna and wheat.

I'd probably drop the late hops, in the time it takes to sour I think they will have faded. Depending on how sour you want drop everything except bittering and up them to 20 IBU or reduce them to 5 or less for more lacto action. My Golden Sour has calculated IBUs of 2. :-)

 

[Leon103]

Malt bill looks great, more or less my pale ale grist with a touch of crystal and that was based on a saison recipe too. Should make a nice pale sour with a bit of character from the Vienna and wheat.

I'd probably drop the late hops, in the time it takes to sour I think they will have faded. Depending on how sour you want drop everything except bittering and up them to 20 IBU or reduce them to 5 or less for more lacto action. My Golden Sour has calculated IBUs of 2. :-)

Thanks for the input I will have a fiddle with the recipe now