On a recent trip to Michigan my wife brought back a bottle of Bam Biere with a healthy dose of live cultures living at the bottom. After waiting a few agonizing months I finally found some time to brew with the dregs. That also meant we finally got to drink it! It was a good day. So here's my first attempt at a Bam Biere-like sour.
Recipe Notes
Style: Belgian Sour
Style: Belgian Sour
Batch Volume: 5 gal.
Color: 6 SRM
Target Bitterness: 23 IBU
Target OG: 1.039
Color: 6 SRM
Target Bitterness: 23 IBU
Target OG: 1.039
Grist
4 lb. Pilsner
2 lb. Pale Malt
1 lb. White Wheat
9 oz. Flaked Barley
4 oz. Crystal 80
0.8 oz. Crystal (60 min.)
0.8 oz. Crystal (30 min.)
1 tsp. Irish Most (15 min.)
0.5 oz. Crystal (0 min.)
WLP 550 Belgian Ale Yeast
Bam Biere Dregs
4 lb. Pilsner
2 lb. Pale Malt
1 lb. White Wheat
9 oz. Flaked Barley
4 oz. Crystal 80
0.8 oz. Crystal (60 min.)
0.8 oz. Crystal (30 min.)
1 tsp. Irish Most (15 min.)
0.5 oz. Crystal (0 min.)
WLP 550 Belgian Ale Yeast
Bam Biere Dregs
Brew Notes
Brew Date: 9/6/15
Mash Temp: 153F
Mash Time: 60 min.
Boil Time: 60 min.
Fermenter Volume: 4.5 gal
Measured OG: 1.048
Raised mash water to 156F. After dough in temp dropped to 153F and held steady there for the hour long mash. Pretty uneventful brew day; everything went great. Could only chill the wort to 80F because our ground water was pretty warm so I put the wort in my keezer overnight to chill. Temp was 60F in the morning. Pitched the vial of WLP 550 and the bottom inch or so of a Bam Biere we drank last night. Dregs were saved in the refrigerator.
After one day of fermentation my air lock blew off because, of course, I was brewing with wheat. EVERY brew I do with 1 lb or more of wheat has air lock problems. I could have fermented in my larger bucket but I didn't want to contaminate it with the Bam Biere bugs. I'm sure the beer will be fine but was very inconvenient nonetheless.
9/13/15 - Took a sample after one week and it smelled and tasted like nasty cheese. I wasn't too deterred though, assuming this was just one of several phases a sour ale transitions through on its way to being tasty. Gravity is 1.006.
One week before racking I re-swelled my oak barrel by filling with tap water and then slowly refilling as the water leaked out. After a few hours in the kitchen sink it was holding water pretty well. Topped it off and left it in the basement utility sink for a week to be sure it would hold. Performed like a champ.
9/25/15 - Before racking I drained and refilled the barrel with 180F water and left for 1 hour to kill a lot of the acetobacter that had collected in the unused barrel. The water I drained smelled and tasted a bit like vinegar and I didn't want much of that in the final beer. Drained the water and immediately racked the beer. In hind sight I probably should have let the barrel cool before racking but it'll probably be fine.
There was still some head space in the barrel so I decided to fill with water instead of letting oxygen hang out in the barrel and feed any acetobacter. Had to add over a gallon of water to fill the barrel, diluting to an effective OG of about 1.038. A little lower than I'd like but we'll do better next time. Sample smelled and tasted great. Just like Bam Biere. Excited to see how it ages.
Brew Date: 9/6/15
Mash Temp: 153F
Mash Time: 60 min.
Boil Time: 60 min.
Fermenter Volume: 4.5 gal
Measured OG: 1.048
Raised mash water to 156F. After dough in temp dropped to 153F and held steady there for the hour long mash. Pretty uneventful brew day; everything went great. Could only chill the wort to 80F because our ground water was pretty warm so I put the wort in my keezer overnight to chill. Temp was 60F in the morning. Pitched the vial of WLP 550 and the bottom inch or so of a Bam Biere we drank last night. Dregs were saved in the refrigerator.
After one day of fermentation my air lock blew off because, of course, I was brewing with wheat. EVERY brew I do with 1 lb or more of wheat has air lock problems. I could have fermented in my larger bucket but I didn't want to contaminate it with the Bam Biere bugs. I'm sure the beer will be fine but was very inconvenient nonetheless.
9/13/15 - Took a sample after one week and it smelled and tasted like nasty cheese. I wasn't too deterred though, assuming this was just one of several phases a sour ale transitions through on its way to being tasty. Gravity is 1.006.
One week before racking I re-swelled my oak barrel by filling with tap water and then slowly refilling as the water leaked out. After a few hours in the kitchen sink it was holding water pretty well. Topped it off and left it in the basement utility sink for a week to be sure it would hold. Performed like a champ.
9/25/15 - Before racking I drained and refilled the barrel with 180F water and left for 1 hour to kill a lot of the acetobacter that had collected in the unused barrel. The water I drained smelled and tasted a bit like vinegar and I didn't want much of that in the final beer. Drained the water and immediately racked the beer. In hind sight I probably should have let the barrel cool before racking but it'll probably be fine.
There was still some head space in the barrel so I decided to fill with water instead of letting oxygen hang out in the barrel and feed any acetobacter. Had to add over a gallon of water to fill the barrel, diluting to an effective OG of about 1.038. A little lower than I'd like but we'll do better next time. Sample smelled and tasted great. Just like Bam Biere. Excited to see how it ages.
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