I'm looking to make a sour beer for the first time. I'm open to any sort of all grain recipe, fruity, malty, whatever. All I request is that you've already made it, and really like it.
I'm also open to any mashing technique.
Anyone interested in brewing sour beers should keep an eye on Michael Tonsmeire's blog: the Mad Fermentationist.
I made a soured Peach and Plum Saison recently for a friends wedding. It was a huge hit and simple to make. Instead of using various bacteria for souring I did a sour mash. It's simple to do and a lot less time consuming. To top it all of, this was a damn good beer. It's light bodied, highly carbonated, fruit forward and nicely soured. Joie De Vivre - Soured Saison with Peaches and Plums
I hope you like it!
The real trick to the sour beers is the yeast selection. I like the Roselaire Blend from Wyeast, but you can pick any one of a dozen types of bugs.
You can mash as usual. You could try a sour mash instead of the bugged yeast, but I haven't tried that.
Keep the IBUs low, as they're not normally featured here.
You can either complete fermentation with a regular clean strain, then transfer to a long term secondary with the bugs, or add the bugs earlier. The earlier you add the bugs the more sour you'll get.
The extended aging is where the bugs really start to work. You'll need some additional oxygen, either by using a plastic bucket or a wooden bung. Once the pellicle drops it's ready, usually around 6 months.
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