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lambic-digest Tuesday, 17 March 1998 Volume 01 : Number 050
Lambic Brewing
Re: Lambic Brewing
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Wayne_Kozun at otpp.com
Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 11:00:21 -0500
Subject: Lambic Brewing
To all of the learned lambic brewers out there I have a few questions as I
am about to embark on my first batch of lambic. I wonder if you would have
the time to answer a couple of questions for me.
What type of fermentor did you use for your lambic? Did you use a
primary (ie an HDPE bucket, stainless steel, etc.) or did you use a
carboy (glass or plastic)? If you use a carboy do you leave some
airspace in the top. If no then how do you top-up the carboy after the
initial active fermentation has slowed down ?
Did you keep the beer in the same vessel without racking for the entire
fermentation period?
I want to add some fruit to some of my lambic, but not all. Is it okay
to rack the beer out of the initial fermentor to a carboy with fruit in
it?
Did you sanitize the fruit? If so how - pasteurizing with heat,
sulphiting, etc?
The fruits I was going to add are raspberries and/or cherries. Given
that cherry and raspberry season here in Ontario is in July and I am
just starting my lambic in the next couple of weeks is it too early to
add the fruit in July when I can get fresh fruit? (the beer would be
about 4 months old at that time) Should I wait until July of 1999 or
should I freeze the fruit and add it later on this year?
How much fruit do you suggest in a kriek and framboise? Many recipes I
have seen call for about 2.5lb/gallon. Is this about right?
How did you prime your lambic prior to bottling? Most of the recipes I
have seen are rather unclear about priming and bottling.
How much hops should you use? I believe the Lambic FAQ says to use 3-5
oz / 5 gallons but 15 gallon recipes I have seen by Al K. and Mike S.
only use 3 Oz.?
------------------------------
From: Mike Sharp (Lambic Digest) <msharp>
Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 16:12:27 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Re: Lambic Brewing
Wayne Kozun (wayne_kozun at otpp.com) asks:
> To all of the learned lambic brewers out there I have a few questions as I
> am about to embark on my first batch of lambic. I wonder if you would have
> the time to answer a couple of questions for me.
>
> What type of fermentor did you use for your lambic?
Oak.
Not, this is probably not the place to start if you've
never done this before. It tends to be expensive, and
it can take you a while to get a neutral barrel if you
have to buy new.
> Did you use a primary (ie an HDPE bucket, stainless steel, etc.) or did you
> use a carboy (glass or plastic)?
My plambics start off in oak and only leave it to be bottled.
The primary happens in the oak and I don't rack ever.
(Why should I pretend to know more than the lambic brewers
by doing otherwise?)
> If you use a carboy do you leave some
> airspace in the top. If no then how do you top-up the carboy after the
> initial active fermentation has slowed down ?
I use to top up the oak after primary, but I haven't in a while.
(probably lazyness) If you want to top up you can take some
young lambic from another batch, or another barrel. You can
also make more wort than you'll need for whatever your target
batch size is and ferment in two containers. The second will
then be used to top up the first.
> Did you keep the beer in the same vessel without racking for the entire
> fermentation period?
Yup.
> I want to add some fruit to some of my lambic, but not all. Is it okay
> to rack the beer out of the initial fermentor to a carboy with fruit in
> it?
I don't see why not.
> Did you sanitize the fruit?
No, but I probably should have. After addition of raspberries
I had a batch become extremely acid. After a few years its mellowed,
but its still quite a hard lambic. Its unclear if the added sugars
start the pediococcus working again, or if there was something on
the berries. FWIW, the berries where flash frozen.
> If so how - pasteurizing with heat, sulphiting, etc?
A better(?) apporach may be to use fruit from Oregon Fruit Products
(I think I have the name right) They flash pasteurize the fruit
for stability.
> The fruits I was going to add are raspberries and/or cherries. Given
> that cherry and raspberry season here in Ontario is in July and I am
> just starting my lambic in the next couple of weeks is it too early to
> add the fruit in July when I can get fresh fruit? (the beer would be
> about 4 months old at that time) Should I wait until July of 1999 or
> should I freeze the fruit and add it later on this year?
I'd wait a year before adding the fruit.
> How much fruit do you suggest in a kriek and framboise? Many recipes I
> have seen call for about 2.5lb/gallon. Is this about right?
?? Gee, its been a while since I thought about this. I'll have to
check my notes at home...
> How did you prime your lambic prior to bottling?
I've gone the route of adding a little DME. Some bottles wind up ok,
some take forever (if ever) to carbonate. I suspect, but don't know,
that the bacteria gobbles up all the sugar before any significant
CO2 production takes place. You milage may vary.
> How much hops should you use? I believe the Lambic FAQ says to use 3-5
> oz / 5 gallons but 15 gallon recipes I have seen by Al K. and Mike S.
> only use 3 Oz.?
Well, I think you're refering to my using 3oz of perle in an all extract
batch. The hops weren't very well aged at the point and perle has a _LOT_
of flavor. I wound up at 3oz thought a completely scientifically based
wild-a--guess. Do what sees right. In the end you don't want any hops
flavor to speak of, but you do what the preservative abilities. How
much of your hops of choice do you think you can use before you start
to influence the flavor? (yeah, I know this isn't much of an answer)
--Mike
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End of lambic-digest V1 #50
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