TristanLowery
Member
Last January I brewed a Flanders sour brown with the intent to use it as a base for a Kriek, as Liefmans does. It's been on the Wyeast Lambic Blend and Calvados-soaked oak cubes for a year now. Everything's been going swimmingly - no complaints thus far. But about a month ago I racked it (three gallons - I brew smaller batches) onto six pounds of local sour cherries I froze last summer in cryovac bags. In order to allow for the displacement produced by all that fruit, and also to keep my mind at ease after reading about fruit-clogged carboy explosions, I've got it all in a 5-gallon Better Bottle now, which leaves more headspace than might be ideal.
It's only been like this for a month now. I'd like to keep this on the cherries for at least six months, but I wonder if I should worry about oxidation or acetic acid production with this much headspace. I could rack it back into a 3-gallon carboy prematurely if need be, but I'd prefer to keep it on the fruit if it doesn't seem like a concern. Has anyone else had experience with long-term aging of sour fruit beers with such generous headspace? This beer is tasting great after a year and I brewed a second batch last month to blend in another year. I have a lot invested in this and don't have any use for three gallons of cherry sherry vinegar.
Here's what I've got now. I don't have the gear to purge this carboy with CO2. On tghe other hand, I haven't and don't plan on opening this up for any reason. Will CO2 and the Brett pellicle - not to mention the cherryt minefield - be sufficient to keep the oxygen at bay?
It's only been like this for a month now. I'd like to keep this on the cherries for at least six months, but I wonder if I should worry about oxidation or acetic acid production with this much headspace. I could rack it back into a 3-gallon carboy prematurely if need be, but I'd prefer to keep it on the fruit if it doesn't seem like a concern. Has anyone else had experience with long-term aging of sour fruit beers with such generous headspace? This beer is tasting great after a year and I brewed a second batch last month to blend in another year. I have a lot invested in this and don't have any use for three gallons of cherry sherry vinegar.
Here's what I've got now. I don't have the gear to purge this carboy with CO2. On tghe other hand, I haven't and don't plan on opening this up for any reason. Will CO2 and the Brett pellicle - not to mention the cherryt minefield - be sufficient to keep the oxygen at bay?