Beer Forum

As soon as I receive a new copy of BCS (my fiancee picked up after me and now we can't find it ), I'm going to brew an Oud Bruin. I recently listened to the Mike Millemm show and remeber JP saying to not use the oak dowell trick. I agreed with the reasoning behind it, so I'm using toasted oak chips from my LHBS. I'm going to primary with Cal ale, then pitch the bugs. one five gal batch will get Rosalare blend, the other will get the Belgian Sour Mix I.

Being the cheap bastard I am, I like to reuse yeast many times. So, my question here is: what's the best way to reuse the sour culture? Rosalare only comes out once a year, and I might want to do this again before next Spring. I know Jamil says to not make a starter because it changes the balance of organisms. Could I just reuse some of the oak chips to introduce the bugs into future batches? How long would that keep? Or, should I keep a jar of sediment from the fermenter?

I just cuaght up with the Midfyns Bryghus show and got the answer: re-use the chips.

Brandt wrote:As soon as I receive a new copy of BCS (my fiancee picked up after me and now we can't find it ), I'm going to brew an Oud Bruin. I recently listened to the Mike Millemm show and remeber JP saying to not use the oak dowell trick. I agreed with the reasoning behind it, so I'm using toasted oak chips from my LHBS. I'm going to primary with Cal ale, then pitch the bugs. one five gal batch will get Rosalare blend, the other will get the Belgian Sour Mix I.

Being the cheap bastard I am, I like to reuse yeast many times. So, my question here is: what's the best way to reuse the sour culture? Rosalare only comes out once a year, and I might want to do this again before next Spring. I know Jamil says to not make a starter because it changes the balance of organisms. Could I just reuse some of the oak chips to introduce the bugs into future batches? How long would that keep? Or, should I keep a jar of sediment from the fermenter?

That's Mike Milem, 4-8-08 show...

Brandt wrote:I just cuaght up with the Midfyns Bryghus show and got the answer: re-use the chips.

Brant,

Reusing the chips has the same problem as making a starter with the bugs. Those bugs that grow and build up their popuation the fastest will outsurvive the other strains....as a result, the population distribution will shift to the fast growers. The more your reuse them, the more you will shift the population.

-Okt

That is true, but it will start to develop its own house character. As long as you like the results still you can keep reusing until you think it not creating the funk profile that you desired.

Good point, Oktober. I hadn't considered that. I gues I will continue to innoculate my sours with the oak cubes (I went with Hungarian medium toast) until I stop liking the flavor profile. Thanks.
Of course they will be in the fermenter for a few months so, not sure how many sour beers I'll actually be brewing this year... Maybe it's a moot point.

I am planning on throwing another beer onto the yeast cake after I rack this to a keg to age.

I am pretty sure that Wild Brews said that reusing the Roselare Blend innoculated chips will progressively give you a more and more intesnsely sour ale that they claim will become undrinkable.

yikes. thanks for the heads up, Mills. reuse few times. got it.