Over the course of the past few years, I’ve worked on and perfected a berliner weisse recipe that is pretty delicious. I can definitely share the recipe if anyone is interested.
My issue is this: I’ve never yet been able to get a sour mash to run successfully. Instead, I’ve taken the shortcut to add lactic acid at packaging to the tune of exactly 3.75 fl oz (at 88% dilution).
Knowing this, I want to reattempt a sour mash, so that my BW can be “truer.” But as I have another go, I want to try and reach this ~3.3 oz of acid to keep the recipe intact. How does one control the sour mash fermentation, and is it possible to gauge the amount of acid produced?
My friend has brewed many sour mash berliners (I hope to try it next summer with his guidance). He sparges the wort into a spare igloo cooler, cools it to 110 F, adds 1lb of dry grain, puts the top on and lets it sit for 24-48 hours. He adds boiling water during the souring to keep the temperature up - he also wraps the cooler in an electric blanket. I think generally the temperature doesn’t drop much. 24 hours is enough for plenty of acidity. Keeping it warm is key!!