Rhubarb Sour Beer

[user 23602]

You heard me right, I want to make a Rhubarb Sour Beer.

I'm a massive fan of sours and I want to give one a go. But there will be some conditions. I am still and will be using a beer kit, which one, I don't yet know. Which is why I'm here looking for some Jedi guidance from the folks that know.

 

[strange-steve]

@brewhaha is making one right now actually, have a look at this thread

 

[user 23602]

@brewhaha is making one right now actually, have a look at this thread

Just had a nose, thanks for that. A lot of what you two are talking about means nothing to me though lol.

I was simply going to grab something like this and then look to add rhubarb at some point.

 

[prog99]

Just had a nose, thanks for that. A lot of what you two are talking about means nothing to me though lol.

I was simply going to grab something like this and then look to add rhubarb at some point.

Looking at it suggests its a pre-soured wort supplied?

 

[user 23602]

Looking at it suggests its a pre-soured wort supplied?

I guess so? I've never purchased or used Mangrove Jacks before.

 

[prog99]

Well they are only providing yeast and nothing else to sour it.

 

[user 23602]

Well they are only providing yeast and nothing else to sour it.

So is it the type of yeast that is making that kit sour? Is there other ways of doing it?

 

[MmmBeer]

Most sour beers use a Brettanomyces strain of yeast, after the normal beer yeast has taken it's course. This creates the acids that make the beer sour. You do need to be anal about your cleaning and sanitising afterwards to kill every brett cell from your equipment, or everything you make will go sour.

 

[user 23602]

Most sour beers use a Brettanomyces strain of yeast, after the normal beer yeast has taken it's course. This creates the acids that make the beer sour. You do need to be anal about your cleaning and sanitising afterwards to kill every brett cell from your equipment, or everything you make will go sour.

Thanks for that! I tend to be quite anal when it comes to cleaning my brewing equipment, so should be fine.

 

[strange-steve]

Most sour beers use a Brettanomyces strain of yeast, after the normal beer yeast has taken it's course. This creates the acids that make the beer sour. You do need to be anal about your cleaning and sanitising afterwards to kill every brett cell from your equipment, or everything you make will go sour.

Most of this is inaccurate I'm afraid. Some sour beers do use brettanomyces but it isn't responsible for souring. Sour beers need a bacteria culture to produce lactic acid (amongst other things) which is where the sourness comes from. Also when it comes to cleaning I'm not convinced brett is any more resilient than sacch strains. As long as your usual cleaning regime is good you shouldn't have to do anything different.

 

[user 23602]

Most of this is inaccurate I'm afraid. Some sour beers do use brettanomyces but it isn't responsible for souring. Sour beers need a bacteria culture to produce lactic acid (amongst other things) which is where the sourness comes from. Also when it comes to cleaning I'm not convinced brett is any more resilient than sacch strains. As long as your usual cleaning regime is good you shouldn't have to do anything different.

So what can I expect from a sour beer kit if it's to do with bacteria culture as I'm guessing the bacteria in my kitchen, airing cupboard and shed differ from yours and Mangrove Jacks distribution centre?

 

[strange-steve]

So what can I expect from a sour beer kit if it's to do with bacteria culture as I'm guessing the bacteria in my kitchen, airing cupboard and shed differ from yours and Mangrove Jacks distribution centre?

As prog99 says, it's probably pre-soured wort so it just needs fermented as usual.

 

[user 23602]

As prog99 says, it's probably pre-soured wort so it just needs fermented as usual.

Fair enough. I'll give it a shot. Thank you.

 

[Leon103]

There is nothing on that l8nk that suggests it's pre soured. I would contact them. It says it's a 'style'beer which to me suggests it's not the real deal

 

[user 23602]

There is nothing on that l8nk that suggests it's pre soured. I would contact them. It says it's a 'style'beer which to me suggests it's not the real deal

Do you what I should be looking for in particular that would make it a pre-soured kit?

 

[strange-steve]

It's definitely pre-soured.
https://mangrovejacks.com/blogs/faq/introducing-mangrove-jacks-berliner-style-sour-ale

 

[user 23602]

Unless I went with something more like this?

 

[brewhaha]

Unless I went with something more like this?

That kit is all grain rather than extract.

I'd stick with the Mangrove Jack's Berliner kit or another simple kit & use some lactic acid to sour it. Saves faffing around with bacteria.

As for the fruit addition, I'm going with adding 1.5kg of rhubarb to 21 litres around 7 days after pitching yeast. The rhubarb is currently chopped & frozen but I'll defrost the night before. I'm not sure whether to add a bit of Starsan or vodka to sanitise it before adding as I've had some infection issues with adding fruit in the past.

 

[user 23602]

That kit is all grain rather than extract.

I'd stick with the Mangrove Jack's Berliner kit or another simple kit & use some lactic acid to sour it. Saves faffing around with bacteria.

As for the fruit addition, I'm going with adding 1.5kg of rhubarb to 21 litres around 7 days after pitching yeast. The rhubarb is currently chopped & frozen but I'll defrost the night before. I'm not sure whether to add a bit of Starsan or vodka to sanitise it before adding as I've had some infection issues with adding fruit in the past.

Thanks man. For the Rhubarb, I was going to boil it with a bit of sugar and add it in a bag about 5 days before bottling.

 

[brewhaha]

Thanks man. For the Rhubarb, I was going to boil it with a bit of sugar and add it in a bag about 5 days before bottling.

Just realised my previous comment wasn't very clear. The Mangrove Jack's kit is already soured so won't need lactic acid. An alternative is to buy a non-soured kit & use lactic acid to sour it to taste (a rough idea would be around 20ml in 20 odd litres). I'm sure you probably worked out what I meant but didn't want you ruining a perfectly good beer on my account!

I thought about cooking it but really want to keep the zingy tartness that fresh rhubarb has. I'll let you know what I end up doing.