Using 10 month old Wyeast 3278 cake

[Nemanach]

July 2018 I made a Lambic using Wyeast 3278, it's been in primary in a glass carboy the entire time. I took a sample and it is okay, not really all that complex or sour. I've heard that reusing this blend makes it more complex. I was thinking of moving this beer to a secondary (or bottling) and dumping 5.5 gallons of fresh wort on this cake with some belgian yeast.

Is this cake too old to reuse? Is this even a good idea or should I just let the lambic go for a while longer?

 

[Bassaholic]

It certainly wouldn’t hurt to let it go longer. Sometimes first pitches of commercial blends can take a year plus to develop. You could transfer the beer to another carboy with some fruit. That might help develop some more character and give the Brett/bugs something else to chew on. Maybe try raspberries or tart cherries. They make a flat sour taste a little more tart.

As for the cake, you probably don’t need to use the whole thing. Maybe use 1/4 or 1/3 of it. The Brett and bugs will definitely be ready to go, but you should pitch some fresh sacc to make sure fermentation kicks off quickly.

 

[RPh_Guy]

it's been in primary in a glass carboy the entire time.

I use a PET carboy (Fermonster), and this blend produced a really wonderful complex beer from the first pitch, after only about 5 months.

You could also use a HDPE bucket, for at least the first month or so.
Micro-oxygenation really helps Brett develop flavor.

I would pitch a fresh pack of 3278 along with part or all of the old cake. You need the fresh Saccharomyces.

 

[Nemanach]

How long would you feel comfortable leaving the beer in the fermonster?Or after 5 months would you say the beer is done and ready to be bottle? I have been careful not to get oxygen in with the sours I have been working on because I’m not huge on acetic flavors, maybe I’m being too careful.

Honestly I’d love to use plastic. I use glass for sours and wine because of the long aging periods but they make me all sorts of nervous.

 

[RPh_Guy]

How long would you feel comfortable leaving the beer in the fermonster?

Based on my experience and reading, I'd have no problem leaving in a PET vessel for years. There hasn't been any detectable acetic character so far (and I'm a super taster).

Many big names in sour beer homebrewing like Mike Tonsmeire use PET, and professionals basically all ferment in oak, which is oxygen-permeable.

Cheers

 

[Nemanach]

Well, I’m selling the glass and getting PET.

 

[brewingmeister]

Well poopy, I’m selling the glass and getting PET.

Whoop - a - de - do.

 

[mashpaddled]

I fermented a single vessel solera in a better bottle for six years using WY3278 with no issues with oxidation or lack of flavor/sourness.

You can definitely work off the cake but you should add fresh sacc. In times I did not add fresh sacc I felt the beer lacked complexity of the times I did.

 

[jfolks]

This beer is likely as sour/complex as it’s gonna get in its current form - no need to wait longer (time to package, fruit/dry hop/etc, or blend). That being said, you could put it in a co2 purged/sealed keg and hold onto it for blending stock.

As others have said, the slurry is good to reuse - but only pitch some of it, and add fresh brewers yeast. Since it didn’t get very sour, use less hops next time, or add some other bacteria (either lab cultures or commercial sour dregs) to the next batch.

I can also confirm PET carboys work great for aging sours - just don’t use plastic buckets!