Beer Forum

I am preparing to brew my first Berliner Weisse, motivated by tasting an example from The Bruery at BNA4. Anyone have success with the style? Want to share some ideas?

Brewing Classic Styles suggests about 60% pils and 40% wheat malts mashed at 149 with an OG in the low thirties, fermented at 67. There are several methods for introducing lactobacillus, but I'd like to start the most controllable way - using a lab culture from Wyeast.

Here are some questions:

I assume that a relatively soft water should be used, with chloride and sulfate pretty balanced. Correct?
Should the lactobacillus be pitched at the same time as the yeast, or is it better to wait until the tail end of fermentation?
Do you raise the fermentation temperature to help the lacto toward the end?
Do you use any special ingredients other than pils and wheat malt?

After having icky's homebrewed one with the pinacoloda flavoring in the hospitality suite at nhc. I want to brew one also.

Was the one a BNA4 from The Bruery? It was freaking good beer! And Icky's straight berliner gave me a beergasm.

timing of the yeast and lacto depends on how much lactic character you want. if you want the most sourness pitch the lacto first and then finish up with the yeast, or flip it and pitch the yeast first for a few days and then finish up with the lacto. you get the idea.

i've never done it myself so i can't say from experience, but i did just listen to the jamil berliner weisse show because i'm planning a festina peche ripoff.

Another question that I forgot to ask:

How do you feel about Jamil's suggestion of a 15 minute boil? What about problems with DMS?

Junket wrote:Another question that I forgot to ask:

How do you feel about Jamil's suggestion of a 15 minute boil? What about problems with DMS?

that's what almost all recipes out there call for so i wouldn't sweat it. i'd say brew the beer like jamil says and see how it turns out, then adjust from there.

ive never had DMS in any of the ones ive done. I'd like to know why though

Here's my BW progress so far. Several days ago, I boiled up a 1500ml starter and pitched a handful of grain into it. Covered the surface of the liquid with plastic wrap to block oxygen. After two days, the starter smelled like a mash tun left full of spent grains over several hot days. By the 5th day, the stank passed, the plastic wrap raised up over a layer of CO2, and the aroma was a pleasant lacto sour aroma like I had hoped for. The taste was strongly sour and (mostly) clean.

Yesterday, I mashed 5.5 gallons of wort for the BW, cooled to 120 F, and pitched the lacto starter. I let this sit in a stainless steel kettle with a heating belt (hoping to keep up the 120F), but the temperature slowly dropped into the 90 degree range. Will check the flavor in a day or two, then reboil and pitch my ale yeast when the sour level is to my liking.

I know some other brewers mentioned trying out a BW. Anyone else having success with this style?