Just wanted to say that your video has inspired a few of us here in Canada to brew sour beers. I ramped this up to a 3 gallon batch and converted a mini fridge into a fermentation chamber capable of reaching 120F. It's hard to believe you can make a great tasting Berliner Weisse in under 3 weeks, but this really is a solid brew. Thanks guys!
perfect timing, I was just reading about sour wort for a berliner Weisse that I am brewing this week in Michaels book, cheers guys, I'll be sure to mention you in my video ;)
When I was there back in the early 80's we also drank them through a straw. And thanks for this. Now I can work on making my own without paying a small fortune for it, or having my daughter bring it with her when she comes.
The syrup stuff was very interesting! So was the BW... I think your method of keeping out all of the air is what made that work so well. If you can't do that, you could use a cultured Lactobacillus instead of the grains. I want to give both of these things a try!
The syrup is very tasty, even in tea or other beverages, too. I like the idea of harvesting "wild" bacteria on the grain to do the job. Of course, there are many ways to skin a cat. - James
1. Rest at 66.6C - 5.6L of water @ 71C - 680g of 2-row - 450g of malted wheat - 113g of mated rye 2. Add 3.7L of water to get it at 49C and rest for 30min with - 226g of unmilled 2-row 3. Put it in two gallon jugs, with no air contact and leave it for 3 days at 49C (suggestion: use an electric smoker) 4. Add 7g of Hallertauer hops and boil it for 15min. 5. Cool it and ferment with Safale US-05 for one week 6. Serve with fruit syrup
You guys got me interested in brewing a sour beer! I always thought they'd be too difficult, but you two made it look easy. Maybe I'll wait for my attic to heat up in the summer! Thanks and cheers to you both!
For those wondering how to heat your wort to 120 deg for 3 days without spending $100s on a smoker, read on. I purchased a 10.5" x 20" hot plate @ Walmart ($29) then placed each 1-gal jug of wort in a hot water bath in a 12 qt stainless pot then put both pots on the hot plate. Turned the hot plate up to 300 deg for 3 days. The water bath stayed a constant 120 deg for 3 days. I had to add more water on the 2nd day. I was worried that the jugs might break if I put them directly on the hot plate. I boiled the wort today and it had a good sour odor. Looking forward to tasting it in 4-5 weeks and, as a bonus, I can cook some brats on the hot plate to go with it. It's very cloudy in the fermenter though. How did you all get yours so clear?
In Germany the syrup generally goes in first, and then they pour the beer relatively aggressively over the syrup. This blends the syrup thoroughly through the liquid without having to stir. Fortunately the Berliner Weisse isn't the foamiest / headiest of styles - minimizing gushing / overflow risk.
Fantastic video guys. This method looks a lot more practical and like you say controllable. I'll have to think about how I can keep the liquid at 49C for 3 days. I'm really tempted to give it a go. Thanks for another inspiring video. Cheers!
Excellent as always guys!! Brewing a sour beer has been a bit intimidating to me but now I'm inspired to give it a try. Quick question or possibly an episode idea; Have you brewed a hopped cider? I have a cider in ferment now and will dry hop at the secondary. If you have done this please let me know so I can view that show. I really should have done a search first :) Thanks again for the great vids!!
You refer to your grain as unmilled 2-row, has it been malted just not crushed or is it unmalted (raw if you will) and not crushed? Would it matter if it was milled? Thanks again for the information. Mike.
+AussieBattler Yeast wouldn't like that temperature very much. It is in the comfort zone for lactobacillus, which sours the wort. Boiling after would neutralize the lacto, and yeast would ferment. - James
Fun fact for the day: James and Steve are both left-handed. wha?!? Two questions gentlemen: If I was to scale this up to a 5 gallon batch would I proportionally increase the un-milled grains? Any suggestions on how to keep a ~8-10 gallon vessel at 120F? Thanks for the videos! You guys are awesome.
Love your videos on Berliner Weiss. Very informative and helpful. My question is, do you use RO water for the mash and make water corrections? And if so, what do you use? Thanks guys! Cheers!
I am a new home brewer and I am an absolute fan of your podcast and videos. I really like sour beers and now I am really tempted to try this out. I don't have an electric smoker and being in California the temp doesnt really get hot enough to leave the wort in an attic. Any other suggestions? Would a brew belt or ferm wrap get me there? I think they are suppose to only get about 10 degree above ambient though.....?Thanks and great work!
There are some who use light bulbs or other imaginative methods to achieve the desired temp. That's part of the beauty of homebrewing - you get to find the solution that fits your particular situation. Cheers! - James
I purchased a 10.5" x 20" hot plate @ Walmart then placed ea 1-gal wort in a hot water bath in a 12 qt stainless pot then put both pots on the hot plate. Turned the hot plate up to 300 deg for 3 days. The water bath stayed a constant 120 deg for 3 days. I had to add more water on the 2nd day. I was worried that the jugs might break if I put them directly on the hot plate. I boiled the wort today and it smelled sour. Looking forward to tasting it in 4-5 weeks. It's very cloudy in the fermenter though. How did you all get yours so clear?
I let the lacto sour the wort for three days before boiling and pitching US05. The sourness is achieved before the boil. If souring "bugs" are added in the fermenter, souring would take longer. - James
So, once you used those containers to sour in do they only get used for sours? Also, you missed a great title opportunity with your DVD set (love it BTW) your Stepping into All Grain Should have been called Steeping into all grain (fits your sense of humor;) Keep up the great work.
+basicbrewing quite sour had to leav it for 4-5 days due to not been able to boil it right away I ended up cold crashing it before I boiled it just so it didnt sour to much.ended up ditching that batch will try again once I have time still have faith
I've never tried sour beer, do you have any recommendations on a good brand that would sell some? I would hate to make a batch not knowing if I would like it our not. Cheers!
Awesome video! i never thought id attempt a sour beer but im thinking about it after this and the other video. just wondering if theres a reason your only doing a 15 min boil. can i boil for an hour or would the sour flavor get boiled off?
I boiled for fifteen minutes to sanitize the wort before pitching the yeast. Since we're not looking for a lot of bitterness in this style, that's all you need. - James
Thank you very much for your video. Excuse my bad english, I'm writing you from Spain. It seems you boil the wort for only 15 min. Is it Possible?. Thanks in advance. Antonio.
Awesome video fellas, and never new you where from washington, cty, AR. I'm in Columbia, AR and need to find a close grain store, Shreveport is the closest I could find, any idea's?
Your reactions to this version spoke volumes. I just saw the episode where you tasted the first attempt and started this one. Obviously this worked better than the funky version that almost gassed yous. My wife would kill me if I anything similar to that pre souring version, in our kitchen. Yea tho I am the only cook in the house, I would be homeless, begging on the street, forced to drink the dregs of commercial beer, all because of your evil influence.😅
Some brewers have used light bulbs near the wort (or mash) while others have used hot water baths, as in sous-vide. An attic in summer might not be a bad idea. - James
+ericmillerlite I think some electric ovens get down to that temperature (mine doesn't). I have talked to home brewers who have used incandescent light bulbs to regulate temperature. Time to get creative. :-) - James
I tried looking through comments and couldn't tell if this has been asked. What is the fermentation schedule after the boil? Did you do a secondary? How long between the boil and packaging total? Great video, thanks!
Just wanted to say that your video has inspired a few of us here in Canada to brew sour beers. I ramped this up to a 3 gallon batch and converted a mini fridge into a fermentation chamber capable of reaching 120F. It's hard to believe you can make a great tasting Berliner Weisse in under 3 weeks, but this really is a solid brew. Thanks guys!
Awesome! - James
perfect timing, I was just reading about sour wort for a berliner Weisse that I am brewing this week in Michaels book, cheers guys, I'll be sure to mention you in my video ;)
steves reaction to the beer just makes me want to brew it to perfection.
Instablaster
When I was there back in the early 80's we also drank them through a straw. And thanks for this. Now I can work on making my own without paying a small fortune for it, or having my daughter bring it with her when she comes.
Let us know how it compares to the "real" stuff. - James
Great video! Probably watched it three or four times in the past 4 years. Once again the out take sticks with me. Norma Rae! Strike!
I love this style! I'm going to do a small batch this weekend. Thanks for these videos.. They are certainly inspiring.
The syrup stuff was very interesting! So was the BW... I think your method of keeping out all of the air is what made that work so well. If you can't do that, you could use a cultured Lactobacillus instead of the grains. I want to give both of these things a try!
The syrup is very tasty, even in tea or other beverages, too. I like the idea of harvesting "wild" bacteria on the grain to do the job. Of course, there are many ways to skin a cat. - James
1. Rest at 66.6C
- 5.6L of water @ 71C
- 680g of 2-row
- 450g of malted wheat
- 113g of mated rye
2. Add 3.7L of water to get it at 49C and rest for 30min with
- 226g of unmilled 2-row
3. Put it in two gallon jugs, with no air contact and leave it for 3 days at 49C (suggestion: use an electric smoker)
4. Add 7g of Hallertauer hops and boil it for 15min.
5. Cool it and ferment with Safale US-05 for one week
6. Serve with fruit syrup
You guys got me interested in brewing a sour beer! I always thought they'd be too difficult, but you two made it look easy. Maybe I'll wait for my attic to heat up in the summer! Thanks and cheers to you both!
Let us know how it turns out! - James
Nice one fellas. Really enjoy your episodes. Cheers.
As usual, very inspiring. And with the small batches really simple to do. Thanks a lot, James & Steve!
Cheers!
For those wondering how to heat your wort to 120 deg for 3 days without spending $100s on a smoker, read on.
I purchased a 10.5" x 20" hot plate @ Walmart ($29) then placed each 1-gal jug of wort in a hot water bath in a 12 qt stainless pot then put both pots on the hot plate. Turned the hot plate up to 300 deg for 3 days. The water bath stayed a constant 120 deg for 3 days. I had to add more water on the 2nd day. I was worried that the jugs might break if I put them directly on the hot plate.
I boiled the wort today and it had a good sour odor. Looking forward to tasting it in 4-5 weeks and, as a bonus, I can cook some brats on the hot plate to go with it.
It's very cloudy in the fermenter though. How did you all get yours so clear?
In Germany the syrup generally goes in first, and then they pour the beer relatively aggressively over the syrup. This blends the syrup thoroughly through the liquid without having to stir. Fortunately the Berliner Weisse isn't the foamiest / headiest of styles - minimizing gushing / overflow risk.
Great info. Cheers! - James
Another great video guy's. I will have to try this come summer.
Thanks! I'm looking to make a 1-2 gallon batch of Gose, and found your video helpful. I also have a blueberry lavender mead going :)
Fantastic video guys. This method looks a lot more practical and like you say controllable. I'll have to think about how I can keep the liquid at 49C for 3 days. I'm really tempted to give it a go. Thanks for another inspiring video. Cheers!
going to be doing one this week Dino, thinking about using my kettle on PID control at 27ºC
A splash of lemon-lime soda works also.
You guys are so funny. Now I've got to start making sour beers.
great video guys...thanks as always, cheers!
Excellent as always guys!! Brewing a sour beer has been a bit intimidating to me but now I'm inspired to give it a try. Quick question or possibly an episode idea; Have you brewed a hopped cider? I have a cider in ferment now and will dry hop at the secondary. If you have done this please let me know so I can view that show. I really should have done a search first :) Thanks again for the great vids!!
We haven't hopped a cider. We have dry hopped a white wine with tasty results. I'll bet cider with Amarillo as a dry hop would be fun. - James
I have been watching your videos and keep thinking the two of you are physicians who do this for fun rather than playing golf.
Even if the reference are ancient you're still both hilarious.
Wow, whatever about the beer I want to try that syrup. Looked lovely.
Any chance you guys would ever do a step by step lambic style series? Now that would be really interesting.
You refer to your grain as unmilled 2-row, has it been malted just not crushed or is it unmalted (raw if you will) and not crushed? Would it matter if it was milled? Thanks again for the information. Mike.
Another great video, keep them coming! Hope Steve is okay, not his normal self at all
There's a "normal" for Steve? :-) He's just fine. The sour knocked the words right out of his mouth. - James
lol That's good to hear! Thanks James :-) Regards Mark
Very entertaining video fellas. Do you have any other ways of fermenting at 47 degrees celsius? Thanks very much
+AussieBattler Yeast wouldn't like that temperature very much. It is in the comfort zone for lactobacillus, which sours the wort. Boiling after would neutralize the lacto, and yeast would ferment. - James
Fun fact for the day: James and Steve are both left-handed. wha?!? Two questions gentlemen: If I was to scale this up to a 5 gallon batch would I proportionally increase the un-milled grains? Any suggestions on how to keep a ~8-10 gallon vessel at 120F? Thanks for the videos! You guys are awesome.
Good questions. If it were me, I'd scale up the unmilled grains, too. An attic in summer might do the trick for larger batches? - James
U r right, to drink good beer u have to make it
I boiled my wort today and it's very cloudy in the fermenter. How did you all get your final product so clear?
that's the real craft! cheers guys !
Can you think of any home-made thing to keep this volume at 49c, for those who dont have a smoker. Cheers
Love your videos on Berliner Weiss. Very informative and helpful. My question is, do you use RO water for the mash and make water corrections? And if so, what do you use? Thanks guys! Cheers!
I am a new home brewer and I am an absolute fan of your podcast and videos. I really like sour beers and now I am really tempted to try this out. I don't have an electric smoker and being in California the temp doesnt really get hot enough to leave the wort in an attic. Any other suggestions? Would a brew belt or ferm wrap get me there? I think they are suppose to only get about 10 degree above ambient though.....?Thanks and great work!
There are some who use light bulbs or other imaginative methods to achieve the desired temp. That's part of the beauty of homebrewing - you get to find the solution that fits your particular situation. Cheers! - James
I purchased a 10.5" x 20" hot plate @ Walmart then placed ea 1-gal wort in a hot water bath in a 12 qt stainless pot then put both pots on the hot plate. Turned the hot plate up to 300 deg for 3 days. The water bath stayed a constant 120 deg for 3 days. I had to add more water on the 2nd day. I was worried that the jugs might break if I put them directly on the hot plate.
I boiled the wort today and it smelled sour. Looking forward to tasting it in 4-5 weeks.
It's very cloudy in the fermenter though. How did you all get yours so clear?
question how long did you let that age? I heard Michael Tonsmeire state that Sour beers take year or more.
I let the lacto sour the wort for three days before boiling and pitching US05. The sourness is achieved before the boil. If souring "bugs" are added in the fermenter, souring would take longer. - James
ok thank you!
So, once you used those containers to sour in do they only get used for sours? Also, you missed a great title opportunity with your DVD set (love it BTW) your Stepping into All Grain Should have been called Steeping into all grain (fits your sense of humor;) Keep up the great work.
Ha! Nice one on the DVD title. I cleaned the glass jugs very well and have been able to make non-sour beer with them since (fingers crossed). - James
where do you guys find your beer glasses? I really love that Belgian - style iteration.
Hi, I was wondering how much of the US 05 was put in?
The whole packet. - James
Gave this a try, brew day went well how ever i cant seem to get any fermentaion, been 3 week in the fermenter and still no action any tip/ hints?
sigh rly Is it very sour? I'm wondering if the pH has dropped too low for the yeast. - James
+basicbrewing quite sour had to leav it for 4-5 days due to not been able to boil it right away I ended up cold crashing it before I boiled it just so it didnt sour to much.ended up ditching that batch will try again once I have time still have faith
sigh rly Ah, it may have been too acidic for the yeast. Give it another shot. You have proof the souring technique does work. :-) - James
I've never tried sour beer, do you have any recommendations on a good brand that would sell some? I would hate to make a batch not knowing if I would like it our not.
Cheers!
My first sour beer was New Belgium's La Folie. It's still pretty much the benchmark of great sour beers. - James
For a spot on traditional Berliner Weisse try the Professor Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse
Thanks. Great vid.
Awesome video! i never thought id attempt a sour beer but im thinking about it after this and the other video. just wondering if theres a reason your only doing a 15 min boil. can i boil for an hour or would the sour flavor get boiled off?
I boiled for fifteen minutes to sanitize the wort before pitching the yeast. Since we're not looking for a lot of bitterness in this style, that's all you need. - James
Thanks!
Thank you very much for your video. Excuse my bad english, I'm writing you from Spain. It seems you boil the wort for only 15 min. Is it Possible?. Thanks in advance.
Antonio.
+Antonio Martinez Your English is perfect, and you are correct. Only 15 minutes is needed to kill the souring organisms. Cheers! - James
So you're telling me that you don't have to let a berliner weisse sour for a year??
I'd love a recipe for this beer!
What a great video, guys. How much yeast did you pitch in? Thanks!
+Jason Lange Thanks. I think I used a whole packet of US05. Cheers! - James
Excellent video, gents. You are really getting me to see the many benefits of an electric smoker. Any brands in particular you would recommend?
The one I have is a Masterbuilt smoker. I've had good luck with it so far. - James
Awesome video fellas, and never new you where from washington, cty, AR. I'm in Columbia, AR and need to find a close grain store, Shreveport is the closest I could find, any idea's?
Your reactions to this version spoke volumes. I just saw the episode where you tasted the first attempt and started this one. Obviously this worked better than the funky version that almost gassed yous.
My wife would kill me if I anything similar to that pre souring version, in our kitchen. Yea tho I am the only cook in the house, I would be homeless, begging on the street, forced to drink the dregs of commercial beer, all because of your evil influence.😅
Any recommendations on keeping temp without a smoker?
Some brewers have used light bulbs near the wort (or mash) while others have used hot water baths, as in sous-vide. An attic in summer might not be a bad idea. - James
Hi from Buenos Aires, Argentina! HELP PLEASE: What do you mean by "Standard fermentation schedule"? GREAT RECIPE ! Thanks a lot! You guys are the best
Glad you like our stuff! I meant that the beer is fermented in the usual way that you would ferment a non-sour beer. - James
Thanks James! And what about the clarification process? Which is the method you use to get it SO clean?THANKS A LOT
I generally let time do my clarification for me. - James
suggestions for those without an electric smoker?
+ericmillerlite I think some electric ovens get down to that temperature (mine doesn't). I have talked to home brewers who have used incandescent light bulbs to regulate temperature. Time to get creative. :-) - James
How long did you let this beer ferment?
+AJ Olsen A week or so. Standard fermentation schedule. - James
Man I have to do this
I had to laugh.. The blueberries were "fresh from my freezer and fresh from the Arkansas orchard last year." That doesn't sound very fresh,.
So you guys are staying it taste like cat?
Steve has lost weight.
I tried looking through comments and couldn't tell if this has been asked. What is the fermentation schedule after the boil? Did you do a secondary? How long between the boil and packaging total? Great video, thanks!
***** Normal fermentation schedule for ales. - James