Berliner Weisse Too Sour - Any Remedy?

[Tippsy-Turvy]

I brewed a Berliner weisse out of ignorance having never tried one before and read that it has a "nice malty tartness" to it. I always thought tart meant slightly sour when in fact it probably means "sharply sour". I tried a lambic before and spat it out!

Anyway, I just tasted my FG-reading sample and, boy, it's sour. Not a lemon juice or vinegar sourness as there's definitely a malty backbone to it but nonetheless too sour for my liking.

What can I do to salvage this batch? Add non-fermentables? Dump in flavor essence? Wait for another batch and mix the two to dilute it? I'm guessing that prolonged ageing won't reduce the sourness...

Next time I'll target a higher PH (say, 4.5) instead of the 3.6 I achieved with this batch.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Arrheinous]

What was your process? A sour mash for a few days? (I just put mine in the fermenter ~1hr ago)

Your best bet is to probably blend it with an unsoured version. Possibly adding fruit might help. It sounds like a good sour for mixing because you'll end up with appropriately sour beer of whatever you feel like later on.

 

[gmthomas_13]

I would definitely blend if you think it's too tart. Brew a base beer and blend and now you have 10gallons. How did you sour the batch? For me the sourer, the better!

 

[Tippsy-Turvy]

Yup, diluting it is probably the sensible option although that means i'll have to wait yet another brew cycle (I'm too old for this "delayed gratification" cr@p).

I soured the mash following Mike Karnowski's approach. After the saccharification mash, cool to ~120F (I threw in a block of frozen sterile water), add 1lb crushed base malt, quick mix and then put layers of cling film on the surface of the mash to seal out any air. After 40hours in the dark, the ph was 3.6.

When I opened the lid at the end, I thought some acid-bleeding alien was going to jump out. Damn ugliest and smelliest brew I've ever encountered!

Edit: Sorry, the amount of crushed base malt I used for souring was 0.5lb.

 

[Wahoo]

You may want to consider bottling it at saving it. At some point, you may come around on sour beers and will wish you had that batch back!

 

[Oldsock]

Everyone has overlooked the obvious answer: syrup! Either buy or make a sweet fruit syrup to add to the beer in the glass. It's the way Berliners are traditionally served in Germany, and it's an easy way to add some variety.

I like my Berliners 3.2-3.3, so 3.6 may grow on you.

 

[masonsjax]

I have done this before myself. I drank some of it with raspberry syrup or honey and ended up blending the rest with a Saison, which was delicious.

 

[Tippsy-Turvy]

Great idea - add fruit syrup/honey!!

Heck, so even the Germans can't stand the sourness of their own beer?!? Not much chance i'll let the ph drop to 3.2 in my next attempt!

To be fair, it was really great fun trying out an advanced brewing technique.
Couldn't wait to see the result after the 40hours.

Thanks guys.

 

[Arrheinous]

Woodruff or raspberry syrup ("schluss" sp?) is traditional. A local brewery out here had a pretty good mango/habanero syrup to go with their BW and it was great. The 750 mL Torani syrups have been suggested before.

If you'd ended up with a BW that isn't sour enough (like mine) then apple/lime/lemon syrup might help.

 

[Oldsock]

Heck, so even the Germans can't stand the sourness of their own beer?!?

My wife tried to order a Berliner weisse in Berlin without syrup. They refused. She had the German guide explain. They refused. Either they felt it "improper" or simply had it all pre-mixed. Either way, she ended up with a Pilsner.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I too was going to recommend syrup. But, if you are not a fan of Lambic (flavored being the most common) I am not sure you'd see any difference.

 

[Tippsy-Turvy]

How come my Berliner is so cloudy? I see from the photos of others' that it's crystal clear.

I decided to cold crash the beer and add finings but, from bottling today, there was no change - completely cloudy.

BTW, I tasted what was left in the bottling bucket and it was...... really quite nice! The sourness is toned down and the maltiness is still around. Granted there was sugar solution in there but that's ok since I bought some peach syrup to add to the beer when it's done conditioning.

However, the biggest surprise was a distinct champagne aroma!?! I know berliners are called the "champagne" of beer but I didn't think people were being literal.

 

[burninator]

How come my Berliner is so cloudy? I see from the photos of others' that it's crystal clear.

I decided to cold crash the beer and add finings but, from bottling today, there was no change - completely cloudy.

BTW, I tasted what was left in the bottling bucket and it was...... really quite nice! The sourness is toned down and the maltiness is still around. Granted there was sugar solution in there but that's ok since I bought some peach syrup to add to the beer when it's done conditioning.

However, the biggest surprise was a distinct champagne aroma!?! I know berliners are called the "champagne" of beer but I didn't think people were being literal.

I definitely get that grape-like flavor and aroma from BW.

What was your proportion of wheat?

 

[Tippsy-Turvy]

Pilsner 57%
Pale wheat 38%
Aromatic 5%

and 1oz hallertau at 25mins and 1oz at 7mins.

Are your BWs clear or cloudy?

 

[Calder]

You could add a gallon to the fermenter of your next Stout.

 

[Oldsock]

Pilsner 57%
Pale wheat 38%
Aromatic 5%

and 1oz hallertau at 25mins and 1oz at 7mins.

Are your BWs clear or cloudy?

Mine are clear, but they also take a few months. I do a decoction and don't boil, but generally assume the bugs/time are to credit for how clear my sours end up.

 

[Tippsy-Turvy]

Wow, that's one crystal clear beer you have (on the floor?). I boiled mine for an hour so perhaps that did it.

 

[Oldsock]

Wow, that's one crystal clear beer you have (on the floor?). I boiled mine for an hour so perhaps that did it.

I do my best to give each photo a unique character, sometimes that means taking a picture on the floor.

I boil most of my sours and they clear up eventually, just takes time.