Ask any homebrewer with his salt what the key to good brewing is and you will often get three words in response:
Sanitize. Sanitize. Sanitize.And this is generally good advice. However, on occasion when the brewer throws caution to the wind and opens up his brew to allow whatever floating through the air might find its way in, something amazing happens. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the sour beer!
Ok, so this is not the way many modern sour beers are actually made, but it harkens back to a previous era and the true spirit of what a sour beer is. Wild yeast and bacteria are present in our air. If you don't believe me, take a nice juicy steak and leave it out on your counter for a few weeks. While there are plenty of wild microbes out there that we would have no interest in ingesting, a select few can produce wonderful, mind-blowing results when cultured in a beer fermentation. Here are some of the key players that go into making sour beer what it is:
Brettanomyces (Brett)
This wild yeast is often suggested to impart "horsey, barnyard tastes and aromas." While this might not sound all that appealing, it somehow manages to work in many beers when present in the proper proportions. Brett also provides a hint of sour flavor to beer. This is accomplished by some metabolic pathways utilized by Brett yeast strains which result in the production of acids.
Lactobacillus (Lacto)
Lacto ferments lactose to lactic acid. I haven't used it yet in a brew. It produces a very sour beer.
Pediococcus
Anyone who is not interested in making sour beers should avoid this bacteria like the plague. Once it takes roost in brewing equipment, it is almost impossible to eradicate. However, for some sour beers, Pediococcus is a key component. It is always used in conjunction with Brett. I have not used it yet.
Now that you have a bit of a primer, let me explain my most recent brew. I recently had a beer from Jester King, one of the boldest local breweries in Austin. This beer, called El Cedro, motivated me to try to brew with Brett. Since I have a stir plate and can make starters, I figured rather than going out and buying some, I would just culture it out of the bottom of the El Cedro bottle (it is a nonfiltered beer). I did this, brewed a saison, which I let run its course through primary fermentation, and then added the El Cedro starter and a couple of bananas. Results to come (but probably not for a few months). Here are some photos for you to enjoy and the recipe if you want to brew it yourself!
Oh and I almost forgot to mention, this was my first all grain brew!
Aldy preparing the mash
Egg drop soup?
Immediately after adding bananas and Brett
2 hours after adding bananas and Brett
Recipe Volume: 1 gallon
Yeast: White Labs WLP568 Saison Blend for primary fermentation
Brett cultured from El Cedro for secondary fermentation
| Malts: | Amount |
|---|---|
| 1. 2-row malt | 8 lbs. |
| 2. Vienna malt | 1 lb. |
| 3. Carapils | 0.5 lb. |
| 3. Honey malt | 0.5 lb. |
Brewhouse Efficiency 77%
Calculated Original Gravity 1.055
Caclulated Boil Gravity 1.044
Measured Original Gravity 1.056
| Hops: | Amount | Boil Time | IBUs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Nugget (13.5%) | 1 oz. | 60 | 49 |
| 2. Warrior (16.7%) | 0.5 oz. | 30 | 23 |
| 3. Saaz (2.4%) | 1 oz. | 1 | 0 |
Calculated IBUs 73
