ghpeel
Well-Known Member
So I made a Belgian Sour Dubbel on 3/15/11 using a pack of Wyeast Lambic Blend which I mistakenly made a starter of. I also added some Orval dregs in the secondary. Here's the grains:
8lb Pilsner
3lb Munich
.5lb Special B
.5lb Flaked Barley
2oz Carafa III Special
Mash was at 151F.
By 6/1/11 the beer was down to 1.005. Readings on 7/14 and 8/24 show virtually the same gravity (1.004 - could have been a slight over-reading on 6/1), and the beer has tasted basically the same since 6/1/11. It's tart, without a lot of funk (to me), with some bright cherry pie and fruit punch kind of flavors.
Given that the beer is 5 months old now, and hasn't changed gravity for a while, am I safe to bottle it now? I know it will continue to improve and I don't plan on starting to drink much if it until later in the year, but it would really help my pipeline to free up the carboy and use up some bottles.
This is my first sour, so I really want to get it put away into the books as a success.
8lb Pilsner
3lb Munich
.5lb Special B
.5lb Flaked Barley
2oz Carafa III Special
Mash was at 151F.
By 6/1/11 the beer was down to 1.005. Readings on 7/14 and 8/24 show virtually the same gravity (1.004 - could have been a slight over-reading on 6/1), and the beer has tasted basically the same since 6/1/11. It's tart, without a lot of funk (to me), with some bright cherry pie and fruit punch kind of flavors.
Given that the beer is 5 months old now, and hasn't changed gravity for a while, am I safe to bottle it now? I know it will continue to improve and I don't plan on starting to drink much if it until later in the year, but it would really help my pipeline to free up the carboy and use up some bottles.
This is my first sour, so I really want to get it put away into the books as a success.