I gather that Berliner Weisses are commercially or traditionally made by decoction and without boiling. What rests would be done or are necessary? I’m thinking of doing a single decoction for ease. Also I’m specifically concerned about saccharification. Don’t I risk pasteurizing and killing off the lactobacilli by doing a saccharification rest?
I’ve had success (i.e. it tastes good) with the following (almost no boil):
Lactobacillus:
I use a pure lactobacillus culture (one smack pack) to make a 800 ml starter (1.050) (stir plate, 100F) 2 days prior to fermentation.
The Mash:
Single decoction, 150F with hops in the mash. After thirty minutes I pull enough (enough to reach mash out) thick mash and bring to a boil. Main mash gets a total of 60 minutes. Add thick mash to main mash to reach mash out. Collect wort. I cool to 115F and pitch lacto. I give it a day head start and then pitch the yeast.
Cheers,
Mike
Do you make a starter for the yeast too or are you just letting pack swell. Thanks for your help.
No starter for the yeast. I like an aggressive BW. It is has been well received at my homebrew club.
Cheers,
Michael
I used the no-boil method, with single infusion mash at 154, and used the wyeast berliner blend. I would suggest pitching some extra lacto culture, I didn’t get quite the sourness that i wanted. It did end up as one of my favorite beers however, very refreshing, with a lil brett character. In a comp one judge noted some phenols ( clove) but I haven’t been able to pick that up or anybody else that has tried it.
Cheers,
After years of trying to keep bacteria out of my brauhaus you’ve talked me into making a Berliner Weisse. I finally broke down and purchased some bacteria-only equiptment and I plan on using the no boil method stated above.
My questions for the Berliner aficionados are, does it really matter what yeast I use? Other than attenuation levels, would the yeast matter? Can you taste any yeast character beyond the sour. I have fresh harvested WHP 515 Antwerp Ale available and it is very neutral even at high temps. I thought that would be my best choice. I have WY1007 ready as well. What about a weizen yeast like WB06 or WLP380? Would citrus zest in a hop bag after kegging come through. Thanks for you input!
I don’t think the yeast really matters too much, its a small beer and will ferment out quickly. The tart flavor is out front, and if you drink it with the woodruff or raspberry syrup that is even more out front. Character from yeast is going to be subtle.
You really don’t need bacteria-only equipment, its quite possible to sanitize things adequately.
I have a related question - how do I calculate the IBUs for the hop addition with no boil?
I’ve seen where people boil a portion of the wort with hops to get some bitterness, I think thats what I did on my last Berlinner (its been a year). It isn’t a real hoppy style anyway.
zymurgy a month or 2 ago had an article on “sour starters”. Kind of like doing a sour mash, just smaller. I added that along with the lacto and bacteria.
If you do a decoction as in decocting to get to mash out, you can add the hops to the part decocted and calculate the IBUs.
For those doing single infusions are you using pale ale malts or well-modified pilsener malts?
That makes sense. Do i work out total IBUs based on the volume of what I extract in the decocted and boiled portion, or for the total volume (i.e. do I calculate for more IBUs from the decoction on the basis of dilution later?)
Sorry if I’m confusing things.
So where does one get woodruff syrup (in the US)?
The volume in the IBU calculation should be the boiled portion at least that’s what I would do.
I got some at Jungle Jim’s in Cincinnati. Look for a place that specializes in German foods. It might be labeled ‘Waldmeister’, which is sort of a cool name (Forest Master). Or grow your own and infuse it in a simple syrup, like making mojitos or mint juleps.
Northern Brewer sells dried woodruff, I suppose this could be used to infuse a syrup although you’d probably need to add some green food coloring. Its supposed to give a pleasant vanilla aroma. I thinkI have some but only ever used it once in an attempt at a grozet that didn’t turn out.
The wife has been using DaVinci syrups in her weizens, they have many flavors including raspberry but no woodruff.
I’m just reporting back my first Berliner Weiss results. I was pleased overall and this is the easiest, quickest and most refreshing beer I’ve brewed. I didn’t get quite the sourness I was expecting and that’s probably due to only giving the lacto a 24 hour head start. I’ve already kegged it and was wondering if I could add another tube of lacto, take it off carb and warm it up to get a little more sourness. I could brew another one I guess and let it go a little longer. I actually pitched WB-06 at 75 degrees and none of the normal clove/banana came through. This is is a very interesting style and I will be brewing this often.
You’ve brewed “the easiest, quickest and most refreshing beer” you’ve ever made. I say don’t mess with it, take notes and enjoy what you’ve produced. Play with the next batch.
I’m ready to brew another Berliner Weisse and wanted to make sure I understood your procedure. You are making a lacto-only starter and then pitching that a day in advance of the yeast correct?. I’d pitched the lacto and let it go for day on my last attempt but I didn’t make a starter. I’d hoped for a little more sourness on my previous attempt but nonetheless, it was very tasty. Am I correct in assuming the lacto starter will markedly increase the sourness?