28B Foeder Wild Sour
Foeder Pale Sour I — Cube 1 for 115L Lark barrel
Grain bill
| Weyermann Barke Pilsner Malt | 7.3 kg | 66.4% |
| Weyermann Wheat Malt Pale | 2.7 kg | 24.5% |
| Harraways Rolled Oats | 1 kg | 9.1% |
Adjuncts
| Whirlfloc | 1 tablet @ 10 min |
| Yeast Nutrient | per label @ 10 min |
| Lactic Acid (80%) | 8–10 mL, adjusted by measurement |
Hop schedule
| Hop | 60 min |
|---|---|
| Pacific Jade | 27g |
Yeast
| Wild Mixed Culture | Pitch cold at barrel transfer after pre-acidification |
Water additions
| Calcium Chloride | 3 g |
| Lactic Acid | Mash water to pH 5.3; sparge water to pH 5.5 |
About This Beer
Foeder Pale Sour I is Batch 1 of 2 brewed to fill a 90L ex-whiskey barrel acquired from Garage Project’s Wild Workshop programme in Wellington. The goal is a clean, neutral foeder pale sour in the spirit of Wild Workshop Rua — a long-aged mixed-fermentation ale where the culture and lactic character lead, supported by a full-bodied but unobtrusive grain base.
Both batches were no-chilled into HDPE cubes to hold until the barrel arrives. At barrel transfer, the combined wort will be pre-acidified, pitched with a wild mixed culture (Saccharomyces, Brettanomyces, and LAB blend), and sealed into the barrel for a minimum 12-month conditioning period.
Option 2 is to pre ferment using a Saison yeast strain before conditioning in the barrel with the mixed wild culture.
Update — 2026-05-17: One cube diverted
The barrel from Dave is still inbound. To put the wort to use in the meantime, cube 2 (~20L) has been diverted from the foeder plan and pitched onto Paul Fantham’s 5 Magics + muscat grape mixed culture — see Foeder Pale Sour Cube 2 / 5 Magics + Muscat. Cube 1 (~22L) remains sealed for the barrel. A re-brew of this recipe is planned to replace the diverted ~20L when the barrel timeline is confirmed — Jamie Rickard and Paul Fantham have offered to help brew the re-fill.
This batch will be followed by a second 46L brew (Batch 2) timed closer to the barrel handover, plus a small 15–20L reserve batch fermented separately for periodic top-ups.
The Grain Bill
The 66/25/9 Barke Pilsner, Wheat Malt Pale, and rolled oats split is chosen deliberately over a 50/50 pilsner/wheat build. Weyermann Barke Pilsner provides a full-bodied, flavourful clean base from heritage Barke barley — more malt character than a standard Pilsner while remaining neutral. The 25% wheat contributes head retention and the traditional substrate for mixed fermentation without pushing a grainy or bready wheat character that would compete with lactic sourness. Harraways rolled oats at 9% add silky body and beta-glucans that persist through the long attenuation curve of a Sach/Brett/LAB culture — preferable to higher wheat percentages for a cleaner, culture-forward result.
The hop bill is minimal by design: 27g Pacific Jade at 60 minutes for clean bittering only (~18 IBU Tinseth). Aged or stale hops are preferred if available at the same weight, targeting 15–20 IBU. No late additions — nothing to compete with the barrel and culture character over 12–18 months.
Brew Day
Brewed on the BrewZilla 65L Gen 4.1. Mash water treated with 3g Calcium Chloride and lactic acid to pH 5.3; sparge water acidified to pH 5.5. Strike water 30L to 68°C, mash in to confirm 65°C — 1°C below default, favouring fermentability and giving the Brett and LAB more to work with over a long fermentation. Recirculation pump on throughout the 75-minute saccharification rest. Mash-out: ramped to 76°C and held 10 minutes before lautering. Sparge 28L at 76°C poured gently over the raised malt pipe. Pre-boil target ~50L at ~1.046.
60-minute boil, lid fully off. Pacific Jade (27g, 13% AA) at the start of the boil. Whirlfloc (1 tablet) and yeast nutrient (per label) at 10 minutes to end of boil.
Hot wort transferred directly into 2x sealed HDPE food-grade cubes at >90°C. The sealed hot cube is sterile — no lactic acid is added at this stage. Each cube was labelled with date, batch ID, and estimated volume.
Water Profile
Low mineral profile on a soft/RO water base: Ca 50–75 ppm, Mg ≤10 ppm, SO₄ 30–50 ppm, Cl 30–50 ppm. Mash water treated with 3g Calcium Chloride and lactic acid to pH 5.3; sparge water acidified to pH 5.5. Mineral additions kept minimal — avoiding sulfate sharpness or chloride sweetness that would compete with lactic character over the long aging period.
Barrel Transfer and Fermentation
To be executed when the barrel arrives from Dave (Garage Project Wild Workshop).
Cubes cooled to 20°C before transfer. Barrel purged with CO₂ before filling. Wort pH measured (expect 5.2–5.5). Pre-acidified with 80% lactic acid added in 2 mL increments, measuring with a calibrated probe meter between additions, targeting pH 4.0–4.2 before pitching. Wild mixed culture pitched. Wort transferred from the bottom upwards into the barrel. Barrel bunged after pitching.
Fermentation in the 90L ex-whiskey barrel (previously used — minimal wood absorption expected) at ambient cellar temp 16–22°C. Target fill volume 85–89L across both batches after trub losses, with 3–5L headspace. CO₂ produced by active fermentation purges remaining headspace naturally.
Minimum conditioning 12 months, target 18 months. Sampled every 3–4 months by barrel thief with pH and tasting notes recorded. Target final pH 3.2–3.5, titratable acidity 0.6–0.9%.
What’s Next
Batch 2 (a second 46L brew of the same recipe) will be brewed close to the barrel arrival date to minimise the cube hold window. A 15–20L reserve batch of the same recipe will also be brewed around that time, fermented separately with the same culture, to provide a top-up reserve for the 12–18 months of aging. Barrel project updates will be recorded as fermentation progresses.