Acetic acid in Flanders

[Bellmer]

I was planning on trying the oak dowel method instead of the airlock as well. What size dowel did you use (white oak, red oak)? I have located oak dowels at the Home Depot and they have a bunch of different sizes. How did you prep your dowel? I have read that Raj Apte bakes his in the oven at 375 degrees for 2 hours. Does your beer touch the dowel at all? Let us know how your's is coming along!!

I have also considered Jamil's suggested tactics which would be to blend a stopper/airlock carboy batch with a plastic bucket batch. I have also read that Apte will keep age some wort inoculated with Brett and Acetobacter (open container with cloth over to keep out fruit flies) just to tighten up the acetic acid character of his brews through slight blending. Interesting....

Jamil, does the plastic bucket batch finish quicker than the carboy batch (ie 6-8 mos)?

I have definitely heard and read not to just buy the dowels from stores like Home Depot, because they will most likely be treated with chemicals, varnish, etc. Make sure you're buying what you think you are buying. With the dowel method, the beer is supposed to touch the dowel and wick up it. I've seen some people just dip it into the beer, but most use like a chair leg or something and run it from the bottom of the carboy out the top. Lots of people have exploding problems/cracking carboy problems. Michael Tonsmeire invented a stopper contraption with a dowel and an airlock both in order to get the best of both worlds.

[TapItGood]

That sounds like a carboy explosion waiting to happen.

It's a plastic better bottle, but the wood dowel allows it to breath, I can actually smell the funkyness of it through the end of the dowel.

Where did you get the dowel?

I got the dowel from Home Depot and sprayed it with starsan. I'm not sure of the size but it was a bit bigger than the hole and I really forced it into the stopper. The dowel goes into the beer about and inch.

At JZ's advice I tasted it at about 3 months and dam it tasted good, the sourness was there and needs more time, but the overall flavor was nice. I was surprised. The thing is I'm afraid when I opened it I exposed it to more oxygen. I'm thinking of racking it into a keg and adding some cherries.

[HopRunner]

Oh, OK, thanks. I think I am going to go with the cubes unless I can find an actual barrel stave.

[brewinhard]

By using the smackpack of Roselare in primary for an oud bruin, will that put it completely out of its BJCP judging category? Just wondering, in case I might want to enter it 1-2 yrs. from now. The only reason I ask is because Janet's Brown seems to place for a lot of people in the American Brown Ale category even though it seems to push the style envelope. Is this one of those scenarios, where an oud bruin with Roselare in primary could still be judged and do well in competition?

[jamilz]

The wyeast blend is fine, it is just that it is going to sour much too far for an oud bruin. They should be slightly sour and funky and the best way to do that is with a bit more alcohol to slow down the bugs and help keep the beer from getting too sour. A higher gravity beer also tends to have a bit more residual sweetness.

[TapItGood]

Jamil, Do you ever do any experimental beers (other than "Can You Brew It" beers) or do you stay tried and true to your BCS recipe's? Not trying to hijack this thread...Just wondering...Cheers!

And Also, what are the characteristics of Acetic acid, How do you know when your starting to get to much of it?

[BrewChemistinCO]

Carboy and airlock it is! Look out Oud Bruin and Mr. Flanders I am coming to make ya! BTW, anyone try 1 smackpack in primary when making a medium strength oud bruin (1060), instead of fermenting with a neutral ale yeast first? Just wondering, cuz I prefer more sour beers than not...

What about using the carboy/airlock but just letting it dry up? That way initial fermentation goes on without other crap in there and when it slows down you have oxygen coming in and with the three piece airlock you have a minimal amount of airborne contaminants.

Or maybe I'm just being an ?

[HopRunner]

Well heck, if this thread is still going I have a question for Jamil or anyone else who might know.

If you DID use the Roeselare for your primary fermentation, would you still rack to a secondary? Would you rack at the same point in fermentation as you would if you used a different yeast for primary fermentation. Wouldn't you be loosing a lot of your bacterial culture?

I have four Roeselare packages that I need to use fairly quick. I am going to do two browns and two reds. For one of the browns I am going to ferment 100% with Roeselare. I am going to follow Jamil's recipes and fermentation schedules for all the batches with the exception of that one extra sour Flanders Brown.