This was my first fruit kettle sour/berliner weisse. I decided to go with pureed strawberries at the end of the boil and sour using IBS capsules. The wort was pre acidified with lactic acid and acidulated malt to aid the souring. Some citra hops were used to add a bit more depth and flavour and citrus backing to the beer. Next time I’d probably add the fruit in primary at the end of fermentation to get a fresher flavour, as boiling the strawberry made it taste slightly different and somewhat artificial.
Strawberry sour
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/931810/strawberry-sour
Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: Fruit Beer
Boil Time: 45 min
Batch Size: 21 liters (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 26 liters
STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.055
Final Gravity: 1.009
ABV (standard): 5%
IBU (tinseth): 4.75
SRM (morey): 3.63
Mash pH: 4.5
FERMENTABLES:
2.2 kg – Pilsner Malt (48.4%)
2.2 kg – Wheat Malt (48.4%)
0.15 kg – Acidulated Malt (3.3%)
HOPS:
25 g – Citra, Type: Pellet, AA: 11, Use: Whirlpool for 0 min at 90 °C, IBU: 4.75
MASH GUIDELINES:
- Strike, Temp: 66 C, Time: 60 min, Amount: 18.9 L
- Sparge, Temp: 24 C, Amount: 12.9 L
Starting Mash Thickness: 3.14 L/kg
OTHER INGREDIENTS:
15 ml – Lactic acid, Time: 0 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
4kg – Strawberry Puree, Time: 0 min, Type: Other, Use: Boil
1 each – Whirlfloc, Time: 10 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Boil
YEAST:
2x Fermentis / Safale – American Ale Yeast US-05
Starter: No
Form: Dry
Attenuation (avg): 81%
Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Temp: 12.22 – 25 C
Fermentation Temp: 18 C
Pitch Rate: 0.35 (M cells / ml / deg P)
PRIMING:
Method: co2
Amount: 2.12 bar
CO2 Level: 2.7 Volumes
TARGET WATER PROFILE:
Profile Name: Balanced Profile
Ca2: 80
Mg2: 5
Na: 25
Cl: 75
SO4: 80
HCO3: 100
Water Notes:
NOTES:
-Mash for 60 mins.
-Sparge.
-Boil for 15 minutes to sterilize.
-Pre-acidify wart with lactic acid to 4.5pH to aid souring, prevent spoilage and supposedly help head retention.
-Cool down to 32-33c.
-Add Lacto culture. (IBS support pills (7) 140 billion lactobacillus plantarum)
-Cover and let sit for ~12-90 hours at 31c until soured to your liking (3.2-3.4 pH).
-Re-boil for 45 minutes with hop additions and finings.
-Chill, pitch 2 packets yeast (With nutrient maybe), ferment.
-Pre-boil gravity was 1.055
-7 IBS pills were pitched (mistakingly without opening the caps) when the wort reached 35c.
-I’m aiming for a pH of 3.2-3.4.
-17 hours in, the pH was 4.5 (I pitched another 5 IBS pills, this time opening the capsules).
-29 hours in, the pH was 3.6.
-41 hours in, the pH was 3.5.
-52 hours in, the pH was 3.4.
-In fermenter on 23/01/2020. OG was a bit low at 1.040, possibly due to yeast contamination during souring and also the added water content of the strawberries. Pitched 2 packets of us05 at 18c.
-31/1/2020 – FG at 1.011
-Kegged the beer (first ever keg) on 7/2/2020 and set at 12psi at serving temperature. Tasted dry, fruity and sour, as hoped. Also made 2 bottles which are being left for bottle conditioning.
-Instead of continuing to use store bought RO water (which is expensive), I’m going to buy some campden tablets to remove the plastic flavour given off by chlorine/chloramine in the water supply. I’m going back to using the brisbane water supply but will continue to alter the water chemistry based on the beer being brewed.
