I keep going back to the Mad Fermentationist for inspiration. A couple months ago I listened to Jay Goodwin of the Rare Barrel interview Mr. Tonsmiere himself about his new book (which I'm sorry to say I still haven't read) on the first episode of the Brewing Network's Sour Hour. It sent me to the MF blog archives, particularly to a post from a few years back on maintaining Brett and Lacto cultures. My sour brewing has gone all right so far, but I'm interested in doing more, so I decided to take some advice from that blog post and start a mixed microbe culture.
Since I'm looking to nurture the full range of tasty sour bugs available, I made a quart of starter wort from a mix of DME and preservative-free apple juice to an OG of about 1.030, along with a bit of yeast nutrient. This is hanging out in a growler in the back of our fridge to keep the bacteria from outcompeting the yeast. Every other month I'll decant off the old starter and add a new batch. I may add a few IBUs worth of hops to successive worts and sample the fermented starters to get a sense of the culture's evolving character (and make sure it hasn't gone south).
Now when I have a sour beer at home that I enjoy, I check this list of viable bottle dregs (once again from MF, natch). If it's on there--or I can find decently reliable information elsewhere that the bottle should contain living bugs and/or Brett--I flame the bottle lip and the dregs go into the growler. It's definitely influenced my beer-buying habits; I purchase sours more often now, but also spend time investigating them for possible culture viability.
As long as this culture continues to behave itself, I'll keep a record of its development here, including the list of dregs added and when I change out the starter wort. The initial donors are in the picture above, and I just picked up a few more bottles last week in Colorado that will make their way into the mix soon. I'm sure that eventually I'll acquire a few samples from the burgeoning northern California sour scene as well. Let me know if you recommend scouting out anything in particular!
Sour Culture No. 1
11 October 2014:
Added 1 qt starter wort @ ~1.030 (Light DME, Apple juice, Yeast nutrient)
2012 Goose Island Sofie
2012 Lindemanns Cuvée René
7 December 2014
Decanted off old starter wort
Added 1 qt starter wort
.5 qt Apple juice
2 oz DME
No hops this time
OG: 14.6P (1.059)! Way higher than desired. Added extra 1 qt water to bring it in line.
Old starter tasted pretty sweet. The cold is impeding the bugs from out competing the Sacch & Brett, but all microbial action may be near zero at this point. Considering giving the starter a warm stretch at some point in the process to ensure everything stays alive & working.
13 January 2015
2014 TRiNiTY Blow Up Your TV Blanche Saison Grisette
14 January 2015
2014 Crooked Stave St Bretta Autumn
18 February 2015
Warmed starter to ambient (high 50s) a few days ago; subdued but active fermentation in progress. Kicking out sour, buttery aromas presently.
30 March 2015
Decanted off old starter wort. Sat out at ambient (~65F) for a few weeks, then back into the fridge once active fermentation ceased.
Added 1L starter wort
1.1 L Filtered water
55 g Light DME
Pinch Yeast nutrient
No hops
100 mL went on to 2015 Russian River Damnation dregs; rest onto bugs. Both starters out on counter, ambient ~65F.
Old starter was tart, clean, and very tasty. Guess we'll see what develops in a full-size, long-term ferment.
13 January 2015
2014 TRiNiTY Blow Up Your TV Blanche Saison Grisette
14 January 2015
2014 Crooked Stave St Bretta Autumn
18 February 2015
Warmed starter to ambient (high 50s) a few days ago; subdued but active fermentation in progress. Kicking out sour, buttery aromas presently.
30 March 2015
Decanted off old starter wort. Sat out at ambient (~65F) for a few weeks, then back into the fridge once active fermentation ceased.
Added 1L starter wort
1.1 L Filtered water
55 g Light DME
Pinch Yeast nutrient
No hops
100 mL went on to 2015 Russian River Damnation dregs; rest onto bugs. Both starters out on counter, ambient ~65F.
Old starter was tart, clean, and very tasty. Guess we'll see what develops in a full-size, long-term ferment.
///
Sour Culture No. 2
21 October 2015
1 qt starter wort @ ~1.030 (light DME, yeast nutrient)
Kept on counter at ambient temp (~67F)
2015 Almanac Farm to Table Farmer's Reserve Pluot
- Hay/tart aroma; rounded fruity (pluot) taste
23 October 2015
2015 Bruery Terreux Sour in the Rye
- Firm lactic acidity
22 December 2015
2015 Crooked Stave Hop Savant Galaxy
- Musty funk, light citrus, hay
24 December 2015
2015 Crooked Stave Progenitor
- Barnyard, hay, tropical funk
3 January 2016
Dec 2014 Crooked Stave Cerveza Sin Frontera
- Drying sour, lots of cranberry
17 January 2016
Chilled in fridge for a week and a half, decanted beer. Beer was nicely tart, fruity, background saltine note (Crooked Stave character) with a surprisingly viscous mouthfeel.
Added .75 qt boiled down final runnings from IIPA.
///
Sour Culture No. 3
26 May 2016
10 g DME in 100 ml water, plus a pinch of yeast nutrient
Oct 2014 Logsdon Farmhouse Cerasus
- Complex tart (lactic & acetic), cherry, oak tannin, a little malt
31 May 2016
2015 Cascade Blackcap Raspberry
- Really nice dark berry, solidly sour
7 June 2016
100 g DME in 1 L water, plus a pinch of yeast nutrient
16 June 2016
Chilled in fridge for several days, decanted beer. Not fully attenuated--only left a few days for fermenting--but resulting beer was lightly tart and had a really nice strawberry flavor.
///
Sour Culture No. 4
20 November 2016
4 oz DME in 500 ml water, plus a pinch of yeast nutrient
2015 Russian River Supplication
- Hay, barnyard, cherry, Pinot, damp funk, oak
23 November 2016
2016 Holy Mountain Grapefruit Table
- Clean lactic acidity (lemon), grapefruit juice
27 November 2016
2016 Holy Mountain Dark Retreat
- Strong, rounded tart (not just lactic), juicy red/dark berry, oak
4 December 2016
2015-16 Oude Gueze Tilquin A l'ancienne
- Wet hay, lemon peel, damp basement, tannic
25 December 2016
Chilled for a week, decanted & added 52 g DME in 500 ml water, plus a pinch of yeast nutrient. Spent starter was sweet-tart with a prominent Cheerios flavor that dominated the aftertaste (THP).
26 February 2017
Chilled for several days, decanted & added new starter (1.5 oz DME in .5 qt water plus yeast nutrient). THP was very prominent, the principal flavor of the spent starter, followed by a faint tartness.
16 April 2017
Chilled for several days, decanted & added final runnings from an IPA. Much less grainy/cheerios, now only faint; stronger tartness that grips the back of the throat a bit. Still a keeper.
6 May 2017
Holy Mountain The Gray Tower Blend #3
- Mandarin orange tart, deep damp funk
///
Sour Culture No. 5
25 December 2016
50 g DME in 500ml water, plus a pinch of yeast nutrient
2016 Cascade Blackcap Raspberry
- Strong lactic tartness, big dark berry, jammy, fantastic
30 December 2016
2016 Logsdon Farms Cerasus
- Tart cherry, woody, drying, very slight Cheerios at end
26 February 2017
Chilled for several days, decanted & added new starter (1.5 oz DME in .5 qt water plus yeast nutrient). Spent starter was clean, weakly lactic tart, watery, a touch cherry.
16 April 2017
Chilled for several days, decanted & added final runnings from an IPA. Clean, solid tartness, still a good bit of cherry/berry.
17 June 2017
Chilled, decanted & added new starter (2 oz DME in .5 qt water plut yeast nutrient). Still pretty cleanly tart with a fair berry note, maybe a hint of graininess/Cheerios sneaking in. Next week, while it's hopefully very active, it will go into sour beer that will eventually get a bunch of stone fruit.
- Firm lactic acidity
22 December 2015
2015 Crooked Stave Hop Savant Galaxy
- Musty funk, light citrus, hay
24 December 2015
2015 Crooked Stave Progenitor
- Barnyard, hay, tropical funk
3 January 2016
Dec 2014 Crooked Stave Cerveza Sin Frontera
- Drying sour, lots of cranberry
17 January 2016
Chilled in fridge for a week and a half, decanted beer. Beer was nicely tart, fruity, background saltine note (Crooked Stave character) with a surprisingly viscous mouthfeel.
Added .75 qt boiled down final runnings from IIPA.
///
Sour Culture No. 3
26 May 2016
10 g DME in 100 ml water, plus a pinch of yeast nutrient
Oct 2014 Logsdon Farmhouse Cerasus
- Complex tart (lactic & acetic), cherry, oak tannin, a little malt
31 May 2016
2015 Cascade Blackcap Raspberry
- Really nice dark berry, solidly sour
7 June 2016
100 g DME in 1 L water, plus a pinch of yeast nutrient
16 June 2016
Chilled in fridge for several days, decanted beer. Not fully attenuated--only left a few days for fermenting--but resulting beer was lightly tart and had a really nice strawberry flavor.
///
Sour Culture No. 4
20 November 2016
4 oz DME in 500 ml water, plus a pinch of yeast nutrient
2015 Russian River Supplication
- Hay, barnyard, cherry, Pinot, damp funk, oak
23 November 2016
2016 Holy Mountain Grapefruit Table
- Clean lactic acidity (lemon), grapefruit juice
27 November 2016
2016 Holy Mountain Dark Retreat
- Strong, rounded tart (not just lactic), juicy red/dark berry, oak
4 December 2016
2015-16 Oude Gueze Tilquin A l'ancienne
- Wet hay, lemon peel, damp basement, tannic
25 December 2016
Chilled for a week, decanted & added 52 g DME in 500 ml water, plus a pinch of yeast nutrient. Spent starter was sweet-tart with a prominent Cheerios flavor that dominated the aftertaste (THP).
26 February 2017
Chilled for several days, decanted & added new starter (1.5 oz DME in .5 qt water plus yeast nutrient). THP was very prominent, the principal flavor of the spent starter, followed by a faint tartness.
16 April 2017
Chilled for several days, decanted & added final runnings from an IPA. Much less grainy/cheerios, now only faint; stronger tartness that grips the back of the throat a bit. Still a keeper.
6 May 2017
Holy Mountain The Gray Tower Blend #3
- Mandarin orange tart, deep damp funk
///
Sour Culture No. 5
25 December 2016
50 g DME in 500ml water, plus a pinch of yeast nutrient
2016 Cascade Blackcap Raspberry
- Strong lactic tartness, big dark berry, jammy, fantastic
30 December 2016
2016 Logsdon Farms Cerasus
- Tart cherry, woody, drying, very slight Cheerios at end
26 February 2017
Chilled for several days, decanted & added new starter (1.5 oz DME in .5 qt water plus yeast nutrient). Spent starter was clean, weakly lactic tart, watery, a touch cherry.
16 April 2017
Chilled for several days, decanted & added final runnings from an IPA. Clean, solid tartness, still a good bit of cherry/berry.
17 June 2017
Chilled, decanted & added new starter (2 oz DME in .5 qt water plut yeast nutrient). Still pretty cleanly tart with a fair berry note, maybe a hint of graininess/Cheerios sneaking in. Next week, while it's hopefully very active, it will go into sour beer that will eventually get a bunch of stone fruit.
