23A Berliner Weisse
Berliner Weisse
Grain bill
| Gladfield Pilsner Malt | 3 kg | 50% |
| Gladfield Wheat Malt | 2.5 kg | 41.7% |
| Gladfield Vienna Malt | 0.5 kg | 8.3% |
Adjuncts
| Lactobacillus Plantarum (Inner Health tablets) | 10 tablets |
| Whirlfloc | half tablet @ 10 min |
| Yeast nutrient | half tsp @ 10 min |
Hop schedule
| Hop | 50 min | 10 min | WP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taiheke | 5g | 10g | 35g |
Yeast
| Safale US-05 | 2 packets |
Water additions
| Calcium Chloride | half tsp in mash |
| Calcium Sulphate | 1 tsp in mash |
| Lactic acid (88%) | to ~5 pH in mash and sparge; also to pH 4.5 before L.Plantarum inoculation |
Tasting notes
About This Beer
Owen’s first kettle sour — an approach he’d been considering after mixed results with Philly Sour yeast across several previous batches. The kettle sour method delivers predictable, controllable acidity via a separate souring rest before the main boil.
After mashing and sparging, the wort was brought to a short pre-boil (10–15 minutes) to eliminate unwanted bacteria, then chilled to 38–42°C. pH was adjusted to 4.5 with lactic acid before adding the souring culture — ten Inner Health tablets containing Lactobacillus plantarum. Starting the culture at a lower pH (4.5 vs the more common 5.0–5.4) favours L.Plantarum’s tolerance and drives faster, cleaner souring. The vessel was purged with CO2 and sealed, then held at 38°C.
24 hours in: pH 3.8. 46 hours: pH 3.6. Satisfied, the wort was brought back to a full boil for 50 minutes. Taiheke hops were added for flavour — 50g total, split across 50 minutes, 10 minutes, and a 75°C whirlpool — not for bittering, but to add gentle tropical-citrus character alongside the acidity.
Two packets of US-05 pitched to compensate for the lower-pH environment. Fermented at 18°C, rest at 21°C.
OG 1.045, FG 1.010, ABV 4.5%.