Krieky Cider
Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 7:52 pm
There is a recipe in the latest edition of BYO for a cider with cherry puree fermented with a Belgian ale yeast, brettanomyces, and lactobacillus - the idea is to imitate the flavours of Kriek in a cider. My girlfriend is interested (and I am too!) so I'd like to give it a try.
Does anyone have experience using souring bacteria in beverages with little to no complex sugars?
The recipe essentially says to put some apple juice and cherry puree in a fermenter, ferment to completion with a Belgian ale yeast, and then add brettanomyces and lactobacillus. I'm kind of surprised by this advice. While the brettanomyces and lactobacillus will certainly contribute some flavour at this point I have a hard time believing that a strong acidity/brett flavour will be attained as almost all of the sugar will be gone. All of the literature I have read about sour/wild beers suggests that you want a fairly unfermentable wort in order for the bacteria and brettanomyces to contribute significant flavour, as any saccharomyces present will usually be first to the simple sugars. I suppose if I went as the recipe suggested and didn't get enough acidity/brett flavour after a few months I could add some maltodextrin to give the bacteria something to eat?
Instead, I am leaning towards pitching lactobacillus first to give it a head start (at a high temperature, ~30C) and then following it up with a brett/saison blend after a few days (and after cooling to room temperature). This should lay down the underlying acidity and hopefully pitching the brett at the same time as the brewer's yeast will allow the brett to get a foothold as well. I am still unsure whether any significant funky brett flavour can be attained without any complex sugar present.
Any thoughts?
Does anyone have experience using souring bacteria in beverages with little to no complex sugars?
The recipe essentially says to put some apple juice and cherry puree in a fermenter, ferment to completion with a Belgian ale yeast, and then add brettanomyces and lactobacillus. I'm kind of surprised by this advice. While the brettanomyces and lactobacillus will certainly contribute some flavour at this point I have a hard time believing that a strong acidity/brett flavour will be attained as almost all of the sugar will be gone. All of the literature I have read about sour/wild beers suggests that you want a fairly unfermentable wort in order for the bacteria and brettanomyces to contribute significant flavour, as any saccharomyces present will usually be first to the simple sugars. I suppose if I went as the recipe suggested and didn't get enough acidity/brett flavour after a few months I could add some maltodextrin to give the bacteria something to eat?
Instead, I am leaning towards pitching lactobacillus first to give it a head start (at a high temperature, ~30C) and then following it up with a brett/saison blend after a few days (and after cooling to room temperature). This should lay down the underlying acidity and hopefully pitching the brett at the same time as the brewer's yeast will allow the brett to get a foothold as well. I am still unsure whether any significant funky brett flavour can be attained without any complex sugar present.
Any thoughts?