tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post5992414015612437445..comments2024-02-23T15:34:32.816-05:00Comments on The Mad Fermentationist - Homebrewing Blog: American Lambic - Spontaneous FermentationThe Mad Fermentationist (Mike)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-47412412876994734952017-07-11T20:26:16.771-04:002017-07-11T20:26:16.771-04:00Sounds good, especially if you keep the IBUs low a...Sounds good, especially if you keep the IBUs low and get some acidity. Last weekend I opened the last bottle of my Mulberry DCambic and it had aged gracefully. A few months in primary won't be an issue with the Brett, but I wouldn't keep it saison-warm.The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-16878012684300307292017-07-06T17:22:53.321-04:002017-07-06T17:22:53.321-04:00The beer I'm actually going to use the berries...The beer I'm actually going to use the berries in now is sitting on your "Bootleg blend" 3rd generation. (The first two American Bretts' I made with this yeast got rave reviews!). This beer has been in primary now for three weeks. I was going to add the mulberries and leave for a month or two without racking to secondary, I figured the Brett and all the other players could benefit from this. What do you think?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10057874654507416692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-36330856264614030822017-06-27T18:52:26.754-04:002017-06-27T18:52:26.754-04:00I just freeze them, defrost, and add. Especially i...I just freeze them, defrost, and add. Especially in a beer with Brett and lactic acid bacteria there aren't many microbes that concern me. I have a fresh harvest of mulberries vacuum-bagged in my freezer for a batch later this fall (thinking lambic-ish with the four berries that grow on our property).The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-952968768347294642017-06-26T17:35:54.866-04:002017-06-26T17:35:54.866-04:00Hi Mike,
I'm adding some Mulberries from my tr...Hi Mike,<br />I'm adding some Mulberries from my tree in the side yard to a barrel-aged Saison. I was wondering if you treated your berries in any way before adding them to your Lambic (just freeze or mash and sterilize with camped tabs or just throw em right in there). Love your blog, the posts have always been very inspiring!<br />Thanks!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10057874654507416692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-77859958960256686542016-08-15T22:58:28.134-04:002016-08-15T22:58:28.134-04:00You certainly could split, personal choice. I didn...You certainly could split, personal choice. I didn't want to tie up two of my three 3 gallon fermentors for 12+ months!The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-15515181595708656762016-08-14T14:01:55.952-04:002016-08-14T14:01:55.952-04:00If I'm understanding you correctly, it sounds ...If I'm understanding you correctly, it sounds like you combined the two starters for the 5 gallon batch? Is there a particular reason you didn't split the batch for each starter?COhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04026486566306412000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-16811578762793495392016-07-25T18:09:15.194-04:002016-07-25T18:09:15.194-04:00Sure! Assuming the gravity is low (.001 drop in th...Sure! Assuming the gravity is low (.001 drop in the bottle will create .5 volumes of CO2) and the flavor is good no reason to wait. If you have flavors that need to blow-off (sulfur) or you think you might want to blend, fruit, or dry hop then waiting is a good idea.<br /><br />Let me know how it turns out!The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-25786379345668415582016-07-25T11:37:03.838-04:002016-07-25T11:37:03.838-04:00Very informative stuff! So far I have 3 different ...Very informative stuff! So far I have 3 different wild yeast strains that are really cranking. The ones harvested from peach skins, and another from backyard flowers taste/smell like they'll work best on a sour blonde ale that I plan on brewing up here soon, and splitting between 2 different 5-gal carboys. Both are very clean tasting, with some acidic lemon/vinegar aroma. Definite lacto and pedio in the mix, along with what seems to be a dominate sacch strain. I'm going for a very fermentable wort (1.040) and between 0-5 IBUs. <br /><br />It's good to know I can just keep them in primary for an extended period. Question is, have you fermented wilds before that are ready in a few months? My guess is the answers are very open-ended, but if the beer gets to an FG of let's say 1.002 and stays there for a few weeks, I'm guessing it's safe to bottle up? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15175423043631469374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-36205624640617359532013-04-29T19:34:44.635-04:002013-04-29T19:34:44.635-04:00It is actually traditional to age a lambic in the ...It is actually traditional to age a lambic in the primary fermentor (usually a barrel) until it is ready to blend or transfer onto fruit. As the Saccharomyces dies it releases sugars, nutrients, and fatty acids that the Brettanomyces uses to continue its fermentation. I find this results in a more rustic/complex character that you do not get when racking a sour after primary fermentation is complete. Not saying one or the other is better, just another tool you can use to create the character you want.The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-11474176572322552752013-04-29T09:55:46.763-04:002013-04-29T09:55:46.763-04:00Did it impart any off-flavors to let the beer in t...Did it impart any off-flavors to let the beer in the primary for that long? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-18365628336043402482013-01-04T22:56:27.463-05:002013-01-04T22:56:27.463-05:00Still waiting for carbonation. I'd usually add...Still waiting for carbonation. I'd usually add fresh yeast to a beer this old but I wanted to keep it "pure." Haven't loved it yet, but it is a fun one, herbal, mildly tart, dry, integrated funk etc.The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-51762187226691138282013-01-04T17:24:09.089-05:002013-01-04T17:24:09.089-05:00You need to write up a tasting of this asap!You need to write up a tasting of this asap!Jamiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04127851586688124241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-64329188975680887812012-05-02T15:21:57.450-04:002012-05-02T15:21:57.450-04:00Oh man, that sounds amazing. Thanks for the info. ...Oh man, that sounds amazing. Thanks for the info. Good luck! I'm thinking about trying an ambient fermentation soon. I'll definitely report back my results.Ben Helmshttp://www.benhelms.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-62034768553768110732012-05-02T08:32:03.452-04:002012-05-02T08:32:03.452-04:00It is coming along nicely. The acidity is still re...It is coming along nicely. The acidity is still relatively low, but the Brett character is getting there. The tropical fruit it had when it was young as been replaced by fresh pipe tobacco, and some classic earthy Brett funk. I’m planning to bottle half of it in a month or two, and put the rest onto a few pounds of mulberries (just waiting for the fruit on my tree to ripen).The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-7299769343590056122012-05-02T04:07:19.826-04:002012-05-02T04:07:19.826-04:00So it's been a year. Any updates or tastings o...So it's been a year. Any updates or tastings of your truly wild yeast strains?Ben Helmshttp://www.benhelms.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-67811217209319962572011-06-10T10:33:56.120-04:002011-06-10T10:33:56.120-04:00Looks excellent!, hopefully it turns out well.
I ...Looks excellent!, hopefully it turns out well.<br /><br />I did save some of my two starters, although at the moment they are still sitting in the same jugs. I’ll probably just end up tossing it out and using some of the batch to pass on the microbes if it turns out to be an experiment worth repeating. If you want to save them I would keep them cold and feed them every 4-6 weeks with some fresh yeast (it is hard to keep mixed cultures going without one microbe taking over).The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-21074622581768135352011-06-09T22:00:14.422-04:002011-06-09T22:00:14.422-04:00Mike - I'm gearing up to brew a batch with my ...Mike - I'm gearing up to brew a batch with my <a href="http://www.brewbybrew.com/2011/06/taming-wild-yeast.html" rel="nofollow">own locally caught yeast</a>. Just curious if you kept any of your yeast for future batches or if you pitched all of it into this batch. And if you saved any of it, how?Jim Lemirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-81224012952093902762011-05-06T19:33:54.048-04:002011-05-06T19:33:54.048-04:00The info. from this and your previous 4 attempts a...The info. from this and your previous 4 attempts at a Local Lambic are great. I'm getting ready to try my first in June when Los Angeles has pretty cool whether. Thanks for tons of tips...I'll be following your progress too!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01651537005095977497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-13723845879555948182011-05-04T09:23:59.314-04:002011-05-04T09:23:59.314-04:00Thanks.
I think moving oak cubes from batch to ba...Thanks.<br /><br />I think moving oak cubes from batch to batch is probably the best option for homebrewers to mimic the bug retaining properties of a barrel. I’ve had pretty good luck without worrying too much about micro-oxygenation (the oak chair leg trick never did much for me), but there is a certain character (and depth of sourness) you get from a barrel that I haven’t been able to get from my other fermenters.The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-88559133888711515762011-05-03T22:40:12.243-04:002011-05-03T22:40:12.243-04:00Truly amazing post. Great info as always, but eve...Truly amazing post. Great info as always, but even more inspiring than usual thanks to the more gutsy move of tackling a spontaneous fermentation. Cheers to you! Here's hoping that you do indeed establish a house lambic culture, and that many others follow suit. I for one really do think you ought to write a book oriented towards homebrewers and the new frontiers of American wild brewing practice. Still seems to me that the biggest challenge for barrel-less homebrewers is figuring out how to allow for the right levels of micro-oxygenation or whatever, and the porous surface material that encourages microbes to survive over the course of multiple batches. Anyway, just wanted to chime in that your blog is very inspirational, and keep up the good work!McGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17882913331309023293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-3585731108716025752011-05-03T15:21:02.237-04:002011-05-03T15:21:02.237-04:00You may have an issue with the solera down the roa...You may have an issue with the solera down the road. I know Will at CBC said in an article that after a few years he had to drain his barrels and clean them out because he started to taste autolysis byproducts. I’m not sure how we are going to deal with our solera barrels when that time comes.The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-31747121319513024432011-05-03T14:54:39.842-04:002011-05-03T14:54:39.842-04:00Do you think that autolysis can be a problem with ...Do you think that autolysis can be a problem with a solera? I ask because we are attempting a Flanders Red solera. We did primary fermentation with ale yeast in carboys and then racked to the 55 gallon barrel where we added the Wyeast Roselare starter. If we never completely drain the barrel, are we in trouble?C-4https://www.blogger.com/profile/17411048847543850830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-60692170511645457892011-05-03T13:53:34.061-04:002011-05-03T13:53:34.061-04:00Lambics are traditionally left in a single vessel ...Lambics are traditionally left in a single vessel to ferment/age. As the Saccharomyces breaks down it releases nutrients that allow the Brett to continue working. It leads to a more rustic character, but up to 18 months I’ve never had any autolysis issues (never gone past that).The Mad Fermentationist (Mike)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07379932734747507258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-47376185324933341742011-05-03T13:29:27.011-04:002011-05-03T13:29:27.011-04:00Why are you staying in primary so long? I would h...Why are you staying in primary so long? I would have thought that you would rack to secondary for aging. Are you not worried about autolysis? Is it different for Lambic beers?C-4https://www.blogger.com/profile/17411048847543850830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8066877917844499643.post-14883300830356996112011-05-03T08:55:07.754-04:002011-05-03T08:55:07.754-04:00Quite, thanks a ton! I had made the switch to bett...Quite, thanks a ton! I had made the switch to better bottles a while back but hadn't figured out a sour aging plan. Now I've got no reason to start...unholymesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14881656220593636147noreply@blogger.com