Okay, so better late than never on this post. We brewed another split batch back on 10/23/13. This batch was a no-boil Berliner Weisse. We split the batch into two 5.5 gal. fermentors. One is well on it’s way to being very drinkable, the other not so much. In fact, it’s definitely a drain pour due to the ‘wild’ aspects of fermentation.
We mashed at 150º for 90 min with 13.74 gallons of water. No sparge, and ran directly into the kettle for 11 gal total volume. We boiled the hops separately for 45 minutes to extract bitterness then added to kettle and recirculated for 20 minutes prior to running off the first 5.25 gallons (Dave’s batch below). We did not pitch anything onto this portion, and allowed it to ferment in an open-air bucket covered only by cheesecloth (oops).
We brought the remaining wort up to 170º to pasteurize it in the kettle. After pasteurizing, we ran it off into a carboy and allowed it to chill overnight before pitched commercial Berliner Weisse yeast/bacteria mix. This portion was fermented in an air locked environment (Juli’s batch below).
– Update 12/30/13: We ended up bottling this batch with enough corn sugar to get us up in the 4 volume range. We also added Champagne yeast to get that effervescent pop along with some lactic acid to kick up that tart/sourness just a bit.
No-Boil Berliner Weisse
Lead Brewer: Dave (Drain Pour)
- Mash: 150°F for 90 minutes (1.25 qt/lb)
- Final volume: 11 gallons
Grain Bill:
- 8 lb (47.1%) Belgian Pilsner
- 8 lb (47.1%) Wheat (Flaked)
- 1 lb (5.7%) Rice Hulls
Hop Schedule:
- 1 oz Hallertauer (3.9%AA) – 45 Min.
- .5 oz Saaz (5%AA) – 45 Min.
Fermentation:
- Juli’s Batch: WLP630
- Primary: fermented at 64°F for 1 month
Carbonation and bottling:
- 4 vol. with corn sugar and Lalvin EC-1118 Champagne yeast
- Corked and caged in 375ml Belgian bottles
Miscellaneous:
- 2 Whirfloc Tablets – 20 Min.
- 2 Servomyces – 20 Min.
- 2 tsp Yeast Nutrient – 20 Min.
- Aerated cooled wort for 1 minute with pure oxygen
- Added 200ml of lactic acid at time of bottling
Dave’s Batch: Down the drain!
5.25 gal: Wild fermentation
OG: 1.032
FG:
ABV:
- Open air fermentation with cheese cloth over bucket
- No wort chilling and the temp. at runoff was 120º
- Mold growth after 3 days, probably will dump this batch
Juli’s Batch:
5.25 gal: Pitched and controlled fermentation
OG: 1.032
FG: 1.006
ABV: 3.4%
IBU: 11
- WLP630, two expired vials from August ’13
- Heated up to 170º for 10 minutes then ran off from mash tun into better bottle at 170º
- We kept it in the cold box overnight to slow chill down to pitching temp of 73º
Bitter Barley 