[Mythguided Brewing]

Before embarking on my first Berliner Weisse, I thought I'd road-test (and rank) some different food-grade acids to see which I'd prefer as an addition, instead of relying on Lactobacillus or Brettanomyces.  I'd be curious to see what other folks think, and what their preferred "acid blend" might be...

1st Place - CITRIC: my favorite among the sour acids; nice candy-like tartness (think Sour Patch Kids), with apricot overtones.  Very similar in flavor to ascorbic and tartaric acid (almost identical); in fact, I'd probably be hard pressed to pick it from the other two in a blind test test.

2nd Place (Tie) - ASCORBIC & TARTARIC:  Tartaric acid has a clean tartness without the slightest hint of candy (unlike citric acid).  Almost identical in flavor with ascorbic acid, although tartaric is more of a "clean" sourness.  On the other hand, Ascorbic Acid has more of a "sour plum" tartness to me.

3rd Place - LACTIC:  Good, but sharply sour with far more of a puckering sensation than the other acids.  Flavor is very reminiscent of the very sour "dust" on the skins of sour grapes, crab apples, plums, etc.

Acid to avoid - MALIC:  To me, the flavor of Malic Acid is vaguely reminiscent of the sour flavor associated with acid reflux, or the sourness on your tongue after vomiting.  Not that it tastes like that, it just has that odd character to it.  For that reason, I typically avoid using it...

[Stepp2]

Just finishing my first Berliner. I used a sour starter(which was amazing) and strictly 88% lactic to adjust pH. Thank you for the flavor descriptions listed. I'd like to take some of the pucker out of the next Berliner. I'm not a big Brett fan and look forward to the results of whatever you choose.


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[coolman26]

I've never made any sour beers. I've bought a few over the last month. Didn't think I would dig them. It was a nice change of pace. Thanks for the notes. I bought a Kentucky Common Sour today. We will see....


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[mabrungard]

Analyses of some actual Berliners from Berlin showed that there are Brett notes in the good tasting versions. They aren't a single lactic note. In fact, that is one of the bigger flaws I find in homebrewed Berliners that were produced with a single lacto stain...they are too one-dimensional in flavor and aroma.

I've had good results by pitching a handful of malt into wort to create my own lacto culture. It is important to acidify the wort to around 4.5 to help the lacto bugs out compete any other spoilers. Its also imperative to seal off the vessel to prevent air contact since oxygen can promote acetobactor growth.

I'm glad to see brewers playing with other acids in their brews. This is something that I've advocated for years and I added the ability to use multiple acids in Bru'n Water for that reason. The secret is to moderate the dosing of any one acid to avoid it being too apparent. I don't know what the optimal or desirable acid combinations are, but you've got a start there.