Raspberry Lambic
Well I started my version of the Clone Recipe...It is bubbling away fantasticly as I write this. I rounded out some of the measurements of malt and DME to make for easier purchacing, but the LHBS lady thought that it would be fine. I was not impressed by the effect of the elderberries...there was not much color added after the 15 min boil and now the wort is the color of baby poop. I am sure that the color will look a little more appetizing after adding all of the fruit in the next few steps.
I am curious about the secondary frementation...after I add the fruit puree and yeast, will I have to put the blowoff tube on and then rack again after it settles down? Or will it have a mild reaction and I can leave it sitting on the yeast for a few months. So the question is...Rack again 5-7 days after adding fruit puree and yeast or add fruit and yeast and leave it like it is for several months?
This my third batch and this is the ONLY time that my girlfriend has expressed ANY interest in what I am doing...I thing she is very excited.
Thanks for the help and I will keep posting my progress on this batch.
Daryl.
When I added my raspberry puree to secondary there was only a mild fermentation that did not need the blowoff tube I had added...and I added 3 cans. I would still recommend it for a day or so just in case yours is a little more vigorous than mine was.
Mine has been on the fruit for about six months now and I plan on racking it off when the pellicle falls. I know you are doing the expedited version, but apparently you can leave the beer on the fruit for a few weeks, months or even longer if you wish to extract as much of the flavor, aroma, and color as possible. When I thought I was going to do the quickie version I was advised to leave it on the fruit at least as long as it takes to leach the color from the berries and they turn light gray. This happened within a few weeks if I remember right.
I had the same reaction to the contribution of the elderberries...I had to buy a big pack and used only a few for very little effect up front. I guess they wanted to darken the pink a little once the berries are added.
Hope that helps!
I think I'm going to bottle my framboise this weekend or next. I brewed it last June, let it sit in plastic til late Sept, then racked to glass. It's been sitting there for over 4 months now and the pellicle fell a while ago. It still has some wierd white stuff floating around but nothing like what it had before.
I'll bottle it and maybe try one in the spring, when it's getting on towards its first birthday.
Now my quandry is how to bottle. I expect that the original yeast is long gone by now. I have a packet of champagne yeast that I was planning to use. Any advice from the experienced lambic brewers?
Lee wrote:
Any advice from the experienced lambic brewers?
I think as far as this board is concerned the expert is....you.
You one of the few people I can remember actually taking the time take a years time to make this happen.
I am looking forward to hearing how this one comes out.
Lee wrote:
I think I'm going to bottle my framboise this weekend or next. I brewed it last June, let it sit in plastic til late Sept, then racked to glass. It's been sitting there for over 4 months now and the pellicle fell a while ago. It still has some wierd white stuff floating around but nothing like what it had before.
I'll bottle it and maybe try one in the spring, when it's getting on towards its first birthday.
Now my quandry is how to bottle. I expect that the original yeast is long gone by now. I have a packet of champagne yeast that I was planning to use. Any advice from the experienced lambic brewers?
Now, I have no experience brewing lambics, but I did brew a braggot that's almost as old as your lambic. I brewed it in August, racked it to the secondary in September, and just bottled last week. It's gonna be sitting now till at least August 2009.
When I bottled I did end up pitching a pack of champagne yeast, for the same reason your thinking about it. I cracked open a bottle of it last night to see if it was carbing at all, and sure enough it is. I don't know if it is the champagne yeast, or the ale yeast that I originally pitched that's eating the priming sugar. But none the less it's carbing up fine.
I would say to go ahead and pitch the champagne yeast. I don't think it'll hurt anything even if it isn't the yeast carbing up your lambic. I'd cover your bases just to be sure.
Lee wrote:
Now my quandry is how to bottle. I expect that the original yeast is long gone by now. I have a packet of champagne yeast that I was planning to use. Any advice from the experienced lambic brewers?
My lambic is only about 8 months old so I have a while to go yet but I've been thinking about getting ready for bottling time recently. According to Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer in Brewing Classic Styles carbonation for fruit lambics should be high at about 4 volumes so that would be about 6 ounces of corn sugar in a 5 gallon batch. They also recommend the use of champagne-type bottles that can handle the high pressure. If you want to use regular beer bottles I suppose you could always back the carbonation down to between 3 to 3.5 volumes. They don't address repitching yeast at bottling time but I have heard several people say they pitched a small amount of champagne yeast either rehydrated or dry because they were worried about the lack of viable yeast in suspension with good results. Hope that helps a little...
Let us know how things go!
almost time, how is it tasting?
I'd like to know how it tastes as well.
I just started the Lindeman clone tonight so I'm excited to see how someone elses is coming along. On my 2nd fermentation I'm actually going to put it in a wooden barrel that I'm going to designate as the" Lambic barrel". Another experiment I'm doing is trying to get a "lambesk" taste without using the Lambic Yeast. How much lactic acid do you add and at what stage (it will not be an all grain)? Also, has anyone tried to backsweeten with Stevia, Xylitol, or luo han nonfermentable sweeters for lambics?
If I were to add lactic acid I would add it post fermentation. Draw some samples and add X amount of lactic acid to Y amount of beer. When you hit the right sourness just multiply the ratio for the full sized batch. I've never done this as I use Lactobacillus cultures but I hear it works alright but is kind of one dimensional.
As for backsweetening, is there a reason you want to sweeten this beer? I find the Lindeman beers to be overly sweet and not really to style but if you're shooting for a clone I hear Splenda works well. Its an unfermentable sweetener that people use for backsweetening ciders.
What kind of barrel are you getting?
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