Beer Forum

I'd like to hear about your mash profile for sour beers. Most of my sour recipes have been based on Northern Brewers Kriek. But last year I tried a single infusion mash at 154. The 154 beer, possibly by coincidence, is a lot more sour.

Here's the mash schedule from Northern Brewer and my recpie.

Glucan Rest: 112° F for 20 minutes
Protein Rest: 122° F for 20 minutes
Beta Sacch’ Rest: 149° F for 45 minutes
Alpha Sacch’ Rest: 160 F for 30 minutes
Mashout: 170° F for 10 minutes

38% flaked wheat
61% German Pils
1% Rice Hulls

I'd have to dig up the recipe, but I think I'm mashing my Flanders at 154 or 156, single infusion. You don't want to break down those chains too much or aim for an overly dry profile with that style.

Ozwald wrote:I'd have to dig up the recipe, but I think I'm mashing my Flanders at 154 or 156, single infusion. You don't want to break down those chains too much or aim for an overly dry profile with that style.

I think the Northern Brewer's mash schedule gives a much more fermentable wort for the saccharomyces, leaving less food for the brett and other critters. Thats probably why my single infustion beer is more sour.

That could be. The style is typically pretty sweet. I like to brew mine more dry & sour. As with all of my sour beers, if it doesn't make one eye twitch on the first sip, it's not sour enough.

I think it also depends on how attenuative the saccharomyces strain you might be using as well as your grain bill. I typically mash around 154-156F, but have mashed higher with simpler grain bills and more attenuative strains (i.e. ECY Bugfarm).