8.17.2012

Dank Funk Sour Beer Timeline Update and Assesment



I sampled all of my funk/sour beers recently and hear are my thoughts on those -
  • Crew Jonesen - Saison Brett C - (Bottled) This is the best Saison Brett that I've ever had in my life.  Honest to god.  Fruity Pineapple, dry, mouthwateringly refreshing.  Super fruity Saison brett.
  • Bart Taylored - Saison Brett L -  (Bottled) This is a close second IMO to the Brett C version.   Much more funky then the Brett C version and brett aroma's more like a Lambic.
  • Riviere Rouge - Flanders Style Red - (Bottled) After 4 months in the bottle this is tasting good.  Aroma is spot on like cherry pie.  Flavor could've used a little bit more Oak complexity, and more malt body but the brett and sour are in balance.   Need to be more patient and blend better next time!
  • Kripple Kriek - Kriek (3.5 gallons old | 2 gallons new) on 12 lbs of cherries.  Need to Blend this with a clean fermented wheat beer in a few months and bottle.   Whoa...the cherry aroma is amazing right now!  Worried about acetobactor as it's been in a plastic bucket for 6 months. (PH: 3.7) Bottled: Oct. 1st 2012  Tasting Notes HERE
  • pLambic - Lambic ECY01-9 months old - coming along very nice.  Definitely not ready to bottle yet, but it's getting nice and tart (green apple, and lemons) and the brett character and lactic acid are really coming along. (PH: 3.3)
  • (3.11.13_PH: 3.15)-updated tasting- 17 months young Wow, just like it tasted 6 months ago, and it is tasting amazing!  I think I'll definitely be blending this to add some complexity.
  • The Wedge - Saison Brett - ECY03 -(Bottled with champagne yeast) Lots of flavors going on right now.   The ECY Saison/Brett combo is great, but the oak is overpowering right now and muddling the flavors.  This will be fantastic in 6 months once it comes together!
  • Funky Bonga - Brown Porter -100% Brett (Brett L, Brett C, and Brett Drie).  (Bottled) Aged on oak for 10 days.   This has been in the bottle for a month now and probably needs another month for the oak to come together and mellow out.   
  • Great Divide -  ECY02 - Flemish Golden Sour Saison (American Wild Ale) - 8 months old, This is coming along nicely in the carboy.   Not quite there as far as sourness level that I want so I'll let it sit for another 3-6 months, then bottle!  This is going to be amazing!  Slight tartness of apples and lemons, brett and fruityness.  Little bit of oak that is very complimentary.(PH: 3.4)
  • (3.11.13_PH: 3.3)-updated tasting- 16 months young: Oak is the first thing I smell, a little musty in the nose, tart, not tons of brett character.  hmm...definitely less complex then last time I tasted it.
  • Ithaca Brute Clone - American Wild Ale - Open Fermented English yeast then dosed with a huge pitch of Brett Drie - Despite having 23% of the grist as Acidulated malt, the acidity isn't where I want it to be.  It's a brilliant golden, yellow color.  Fairly sweet,  and that may be the reason that the acid is hidden.   I'm considering adding Lactobacillus to this one to up the acidity.   Currently the oak flavor is too strong in the carboy and should mellow out over time.   Right now it's good and the fruityness of the Brett Drie is great, but with the oak mellowed a bit, and the acid level up (PH down) and this could be GREAT! (PH: 3.8) - Bottled: January, 2013
  • The Bullocks Sour Biere De Garde- 2nd Gen ECY02 - Still in the carboy at 6 months and coming along really nicely.  Not as sour as I thought it would be at this point despite being a 3rd pitch of East Coast Yeast.  I was shooting for something like Jolly Pumpkin Oro De Calabaza and I think I've almost acheived it!  AWESOME! (8.17.12_PH: 3.4)
  • (3.11.13_PH: 3.4)-updated tasting - 13 months young: Brett character has become much more complex.  Complex nose of toasty malt, and fruity and funky brett.  Taste is nice tart and refreshing.  Brett comes through in the front of the palate, oak, toasty malt in the mid palate, and then finish's with tart lemon's and apples.  Very nice.
  • The Runt - 100% Brett Biere De Garde - Brett Drie is extremely fruity and complements this beer great.   Too bad I only have 6-12 oz. bottles of this.   Way better then the clean version!
  • Pan the Goat God - American Wild Ale with 2nd Gen ECY20 - Still young at 3 months old.  This is a crazy, crazy blend of bugs in ECY20.   A weird beer that is tasting like a slightly sour Saison right now.   English yeast, plus crazy ECY blend of  dozens of different sour and funk yeast and bacteria, all mixed with a Saison base wort.   Needs another 6 months in the carboy.(PH: 3.65)
  • (3.11.13_PH: 3.5)-updated tasting- 10 months young:  Very light tasting, not a ton of sourness although it has came down in the past few months.  Tart lemons, and very thin.  Brett and Oak character are non existent currently.  Age longer!
  • Bandaloop Gypsy - Flemish Golden Sour Saison (American Wild Ale) - 3rd Gen ECY02  Still young, but seemed like it was at the same stage as it's cousin Pan the Goat God.  Let rest for another 6 months. (PH: 3.3)
  • (3.11.13_PH: 3.2)-updated tasting- 10 months young: kinda weird and musty tasting.  Very Light, very similar to it's cousin Pan the Goat God right now except for more tart.
  •  
    1 Gallons Dreg Series - haven't sampled these but will probably bottle all in a month or so
Potential Blends -1 Gallons old Lambic, 3 gallons Sour BdG, 1 gallon new clean BdG

5 comments:

  1. i read this post and thought 'he must have quite the basement to store all of that beer', and 'i really need to give sour beer brewing a go'. Great post!

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  2. Wow - How did your stomach feel after that tasting? It sounds like you have a great sour pipeline together. I'm jealous as I have had to slow down and do some more short term projects since I think we'll be moving soon.

    This also reminded me that we need to finish our homebrew swap. I still have the beers set aside, just need to package them.

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  3. @Ethan - yeah I have a nice little home in the city with a basement that has turned into my bar/fermentation chamber. Right now, I have Cider, Biere De Garde, DIPA, and Brett IPA in my kegerator on tap, and all of these carboys of funk in an old huge chest freezer that I use more for heating then cooling. I currently have some Saison Brett fermenting at 80 degrees!

    @jeffrey - I do have quite the supply in different stages now! It feels good to have a variety of Saison Brett on hand and not have to go out and buy a bottle for $16-$20 and feel guilty about buying it and then actually drinking it. I can't wait until more of my sours get in the bottle!

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  4. I have got to get over to your house soon...if nothing else, to try that damn barrel!!!

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  5. BTW, you're insane!!! I need to come over for a sour lesson as well.

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