[redbeerman]

I going to be making my first sour beer soon, a Flanders Red.  Just looking for some advice for recipe and process advise.  Looked at Jamil's and it looks pretty good. 

[bluesman]

Flanders tasting notes and info.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/641/1745

[dmtaylor]

DO give it plenty of time to get sour.

DON'T reuse any plastic or rubber equipment on later batches unless you want it to turn out sour.  After I made my first sour beer a few years ago, several subsequent batches also turned out unintentionally sour because it is NOT POSSIBLE to sanitize plastic equipment, until I got fed up and just threw it all away and bought new stuff.

[bluesman]

DO give it plenty of time to get sour.

DON'T reuse any plastic or rubber equipment on later batches unless you want it to turn out sour.  After I made my first sour beer a few years ago, several subsequent batches also turned out unintentionally sour because it is NOT POSSIBLE to sanitize plastic equipment, until I got fed up and just threw it all away and bought new stuff.

This has been my understanding as well.

The bacteria is harbored in the micropores of the plastic walls of the fermenter. 

[babalu87]

Is not bacteria bacteria?

If the hose/buckets are in good shape you should be able to sanitize them regardless if the bugs were introduced on purpose or not.

[dmtaylor]

I couldn't believe it either.  But after about the fourth unintentional sour batch, I got fed up with it and replaced all my soft equipment, and haven't had any problems since.  Those buggers hide out in there, I swear.  I tried Starsan, chlorine, soaked for a week -- nothing worked.  And it was relatively new equipment too.

[1vertical]

Is not bacteria bacteria?

If the hose/buckets are in good shape you should be able to sanitize them regardless if the bugs were introduced on purpose or not.

+1

My flanders project was in a glass carboy for 18 months. It never grew a pellicle UNTIL I bottled the beer,
then each bottle grew a little pellicle. Indicating to me that some oxygen is needed for pellicle formation.
So as was already said, give it plenty of time and you should be rewarded.

[redbeerman]

OK.  I transferred the Flanders red into a glass carboy and pitched the brett and lactobacillus.  There was a bit of the primary yeast still in suspension.  Will this be a problem as time goes by (autolysis?)?

Thanks,

Jim

[enso]

Hey Jim,

I/ve got my first sour, also a Flanders red style fermenting (about 1 month now).  I pitched the roseleare blend straight no starter.  It is chugging away nicely.

  In my experience autolysis is not as big a risk as everyone makes it out to be.  I almost exclusively leave my standard ales on the initial (primary) yeast cake 3-4 weeks before directly kegging.

Racking a small amount in suspension is not a problem at all.  In fact, my understanding is that the bugs actually will eat the dead yeast.  Perhaps someone with more experience can comment on that.  Regardless, it does not sound like you transfered enough to even be concerned about.

Here's to the waiting!