Fresh³ Sour Batch Kids - Sour Ale Recipe
A New World Berliner Weisse that packs a puckering punch at 5.1%.
Last updated
A New World Berliner Weisse that packs a puckering punch at 5.1%.
Last updated
This Fresh Wort Kit as a New World Berliner Weisse that packs a puckering punch at 5.1%.
Berliner Weisses were generally low alcohol by volume due to the traditional technique of souring using a cocktail of Lactobacillus Strains. The main two reasons were:
Souring Bacteria like Lactobacillus don't like strong starting gravity beers. So the beers were generally 3% a good hot summer day kind of beer, but not quite punchy.
Any addition of hops usually over 10 IBU would inhibit and sometimes kill the souring bacteria, so you could never have a balanced hoppy sour.
But nowerdays, with Sour IPA's coming out left and right, Flavoured Sour Milkshake something-er-others, Sour anything, we can make anything that we want with less effort and stress on infecting equipment with a bacteria that has been known to be hard to get out of fermenters / brewing equipment when using Philly Sour Yeast. There are of course other ways to sour, like mash souring. But as this is a versatile FWK we want it to be up to you how strong/sour it is. So use the Dextrose or Not! We like the extra sourness it creates. Or if you have extra hops floating about that, chuck them in to make a Hopped Sour Bright Ale...or whatever you want to call it!
Because we want it sour we kit this recipe with 2 x Packets of Lallemand Philly Sour Yeast. If you don't want it as sour you can either ommit the Dextrose, or ferment at the lower temperature ranges. The ideal 18°C and 30°C.
Ideally, the temperature of the wort should be at pitching temp before adding the yeast. If the liquid is too hot then sit the fermenter in an ice bath or fermentation fridge until the temperature of the liquid has cooled down to below the target pitching temperature.
20°c- 25°c
Ensure that the lid remains on the fermenter as much as possible and the thermometer is sanitised prior to each measurement to avoid contamination of your beer. Add the entire contents of the yeast sachets to your fermenter by gently sprinkling the yeast across the top of the wort.
This step is the most important to get great tasting finished beer. Half fill your airlock or blow-off jar with no-rinse sanitiser at the correct dilution.
Raising the temperature at the end of fermentation is known as a diacetyl rest, and is important to ensure full attenuation and to allow the yeast to clean up the off flavours that can be produced as a result of fermentation.
1.046-1.007 or Until FG Stablises
Day 0-7 or Until FG Stablises
23°c
Try to maintain the fermentation within the yeasts ideal temperature range until fermentation is nearly complete, at which stage the fermenter can be moved somewhere warmer for the diacetyl rest.
20°c
25°c
This recipe does not involve a dry hop stage, however, if you wanted to make a hoppy sour you could add dry hops afer the Specfi c Gravity (measured using a hydrometer) has dropped to below 1.017.
Once fermentation is done, it is time to transfer your fnished beer! Ideally, cold crashing -1°C for 3 days will give the best results before transferring. To determine that fermentation has finished, check the gravity over three consecutive days. If it is stable across three consecutive days then fermentation is done and the beer can be safely transferred to your bottles, cans or keg. Do not transfer until fermentation is complete.
During the packaging process the most important rule is to keep air (well Oxygen) out of the beer. Check out the links for best practice of how to do this depending on method used.
Fermenter: OR
Cleaning Chemicals: OR
Non-Rinse Sanitiser:
Temperature Control: OR
Instant Sanitising Spray:
Packaging: , , or
Clean and sanitise all brewing equipment that will come into contact with your beer (including fermenter, fermenter lid, mixing paddle/spoon, thermometer, air lock etc.) with a quality no-rinse sanitiser, such as .
Unscrew the cap and sanitise the neck of your Fresh Wort Kit to prevent any wild yeast or bacteria which may be on the bag itself from being transferred into your brew. is ideal for this.
Use the schedule below as your target temperatures throughout fermention (follow SG Steps over Time Steps if possible, a is a great way to make this easy).
The absolute best way to ensure you get consistently great beer is to get a small cheap/free fridge from Gumtree and make a fermentation chamber paired with a and controlled by a or buy a ready to go Note that if you are using a pressure capable fermenter you will get the best results at around 5-12psi. Allow pressure to build up with a spunding valve 24 hours after pitching.
Bottling your beer: Use KegLand Amber Glass Bottles with Swing/Flip Top Lids (KL20947) or KegLand Amber PET Bottles with Screw Caps (KL19866 or KL19859). Please refer to our detailed beginners guide for bottling from a fermenter .
Kegging: We would suggest, carbonating and dispensing at 10-12 psi at 2°C for best results. Refer to our detailed beginners guide for kegging from a fermenter .
Canning: To transfer your finished beer into cans we would suggest kegging and carbonating at 11psi at 2°C then transferring to cans. Refer to our detailed beginners guide for canning .
