Souring an already finished Irish Red.

[andy77]

I've an Irish Red that I've brewed, chilled and carbonated. It's overly sweet, and I didn't hop it enough to it back up.

Instead of dumping it (which I hate to do), I thought I'd give a try at souring it.

Question 1. Good/Bad Idea?

Question 2. What's my process. Do I just dump a tube of bugs in the keg and attach an airlock? Push into a carboy and pitch bugs? Something else?

Thanks!

[HopRunner]

I don't know what's "right" but you can check out what I did here - Adventures in Chaos Brewing - Sour Cherry Brown

I dumped my partial keg of Scottish 80 back in the carboy, added White Labs Belgian Mix and some other stuff and some cherries...

I tasted it this week and it is funky! Lots of horse blanket and a bit of sour beginning to develop. I can taste the hops coming through and that part isn't so good.

I say go for it!

[Quin]

I've an Irish Red that I've brewed, chilled and carbonated. It's overly sweet, and I didn't hop it enough to it back up.

Instead of dumping it (which I hate to do), I thought I'd give a try at souring it.

Question 1. Good/Bad Idea?

Question 2. What's my process. Do I just dump a tube of bugs in the keg and attach an airlock? Push into a carboy and pitch bugs? Something else?

Thanks!

One of the Vinnie shows mentioned adding a Brett strain to a kegged beer, but I don't remember which strain. It will take several months to a year to develop the sour and/or Brett character, so choose a vessel that you can afford to tie up for that long. If you use a keg I wouldn't use an airlock, just relieve the pressure every couple days (get a gauge if you want to maintain a steady pressure.)

[BigNastyBrew]

Hell, just add some lactic acid like they do in Berlin.

[chefchris]

Hell, just add some lactic acid like they do in Berlin.

Not a bad idea. Maybe pull a pint and add some to taste. I've heard there is an artificial taste to this, but if it tastes fine to you, then bump up the amount so you get the same percentage in your beer.

If you like the sourness but don't like the "fakeness" of it, then you could add your bugs. The lactic acid would at least give you a idea of how the beer would taste soured.

[andy77]

Hell, just add some lactic acid like they do in Berlin.

I soured on the idea of lactic (pun intended) after Jamil made his "microwaving a steak" analogy.

Also, I wanted the bugs and/or brett to dry the beer out a bit. Also, why take a short cut when you can do it the hard way.

I'll just pitch some brett or roselare blend into the keg and vent every so often.

Thanks.

[BigNastyBrew]

Sounds good to me, brotha! I just wouldn't have the patience to let the bugs work, myself.

I wouldn't necessarily call it a shortcut though. In Designing Great Beers under the wheat beer section, it looks as though historically, that was a very common way to get the sourness in the Berliner Weisse. Of course, that's a completely different beer altogether. He does give percentages on how much to use, though.

[brewerTristan]

Can you really make a bad beer, or at least one you don't like, better by souring it? It seems like the wisdom when it comes to fruit beer applies: if the beer isn't any good, adding fruit or other flavouring will just make it a bad fruit beer.