DJP00829
Ice Cold Brewer
Long story short: I inadvertently brewed a sour fruit beer that my family loves and wants me to make more. I believe the sourness came from lack of fermentation control. I have since moved to a new apartment and the ambient temperature is (guestimating) 25-30 degrees colder than when I brewed the last batch. So how do I replicate the ""off flavor"" from the original beer?
Long story:
Last year I brewed up a simple fruit (strawberry and blueberry) beer, and was convinced I screwed it up. When I first tasted it I got a nose and mouth full of sour and was not happy, especially because this was the 4th beer in a row with this sour note. But the more I drank it, the more I liked it. And my family loved it, so much so that they've been requesting more for a family reunion this summer.
After the 2nd batch of sour beer, I cleaned everything top to bottom, thinking it was infected or wild yeasts were afoot. But I still got those sour flavors on the next 2 brews. Reading a bit more, I think the cause was ultimately uncontrolled fermentation temperatures. Fortunately I moved out shortly thereafter and assembled a swamp cooler... lo and behold, no more sour beer!
So simple to replicate, right? Just brew it again and dont control the fermentation, makes sense. However, I have since moved to a less temperature controlled apartment [read: old]. And the weather outside is 25-30 degrees colder than when I brewed the beer before.
So now my question becomes, how do I reliably replicate the sour notes? Should I just brew it up, put it in the primary, and RDWHAHB? Should I try to aquarium-heater warm it, and to what temps? Should I add some lactobacillus?
I'm definitely leaning towards the RDWHAHB method, but I'd like other people's input as well!
Long story:
Last year I brewed up a simple fruit (strawberry and blueberry) beer, and was convinced I screwed it up. When I first tasted it I got a nose and mouth full of sour and was not happy, especially because this was the 4th beer in a row with this sour note. But the more I drank it, the more I liked it. And my family loved it, so much so that they've been requesting more for a family reunion this summer.
After the 2nd batch of sour beer, I cleaned everything top to bottom, thinking it was infected or wild yeasts were afoot. But I still got those sour flavors on the next 2 brews. Reading a bit more, I think the cause was ultimately uncontrolled fermentation temperatures. Fortunately I moved out shortly thereafter and assembled a swamp cooler... lo and behold, no more sour beer!
So simple to replicate, right? Just brew it again and dont control the fermentation, makes sense. However, I have since moved to a less temperature controlled apartment [read: old]. And the weather outside is 25-30 degrees colder than when I brewed the beer before.
So now my question becomes, how do I reliably replicate the sour notes? Should I just brew it up, put it in the primary, and RDWHAHB? Should I try to aquarium-heater warm it, and to what temps? Should I add some lactobacillus?
I'm definitely leaning towards the RDWHAHB method, but I'd like other people's input as well!
