Acidulated malt

[nickhorvath12]

I'm trying to throw together another experimental wheat batch (btw the last one I did with the t-58 yeast came out very tasty!) and I was wondering how sour/acidic does acidulated malt make a beer when used at rates of 5-8%? I have never had a berliner weisse but after reading about DFH's new summer seasonal, my interest was piqued. Here is my planned grain bill:

3.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 34.3 %
3.00 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 34.3 %
1.75 lb Munich (Dingemans) (5.5 SRM) Grain 20.0 %
0.50 lb Acid Malt (3.0 SRM) Grain 5.7 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 5.7 %

I'm thinking of using a noble hop and centennial or cascade mix to contribute some citrus notes. I also plan on going with S-33 yeast fermented warmer to hopefully generate some spicy/banana/estery goodness.

At 5.7 percent of the total grist, how much sourness should be expected? Are we talking old-school Warheads sour? Or only a slight pucker? Thanks for the help, this is an amazing community!

[markaberrant]

I don't think acid malt would work very well with S-33, but that's just my opinion. I do think it would be great with T-58. And yeah, 1/2lb is a good place to start.

I just did my first brew with acid malt - I used 1/2lb and 3724 (Saison). It's currently finishing up primary, so I can't really give you any first hand impressions... yet.

[nickhorvath12]

Originally posted by markaberrant
I don't think acid malt would work very well with S-33, but that's just my opinion. I do think it would be great with T-58.

I was debating between the two yeasts. Just out of curiosity though, what is it about the s-33 that would not work well with acid malt? After reading somewhere on here that s-33 has been known to generate some hefe-like flavors, I was thinking that this would be more along the lines of a Berliner Weisse, but I could be completely wrong.

[Mill Rat]

I'd be careful with the acidulated malt. I put 3% in dry stout to give a little bite and it bit a bit more than I wanted it to. That level might not be so bad in a weiss, though, I wouldn't double or quadruple that amount until you're a bit more familiar with its characteristics.

[markaberrant]

Originally posted by nickhorvath12
I was debating between the two yeasts. Just out of curiosity though, what is it about the s-33 that would not work well with acid malt? After reading somewhere on here that s-33 has been known to generate some hefe-like flavors, I was thinking that this would be more along the lines of a Berliner Weisse, but I could be completely wrong.

I'm not overly familiar with s-33, but if I was going to brew a wheat beer (fairly tame for the most part) with some tangy/sourness, I'd want to match it with a funky yeast, and I'm not so sure s-33 would cut it. That's just me.

However, if the goal is to see exactly what acid malt does to a beer, then I'd go with the most basic yeast and low hopping. I did this the first time I used rye malt, and the rye character jumped right out at me because there was nothing to hide behind. I can now pick out rye in most rye beers (like heavily hopped rye ipas), whereas I couldn't before.

[nickhorvath12]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I tasted one of my beers that used S-33 last night and noticed alot of bubblegum flavors but no real banana or clove. I'm still not sure which way to go with this one yet. Hell, after reading the last comment now I want to try my hand at a rye PA.

The thing that gets to me is that there are so many malts and adjuncts out there and descriptions only go so far. It's like looking at a list of ingredients for a great dish and having no idea what each of the individual components taste like. I have only been doing all-grain for a short period of time (6 batches) and I feel the need to "taste" as many ingredients as I can. Hopefully after I get all of these experimental batches out of my system I'll be able to settle down and start perfecting the better tasting recipes.

Did everybody else feel like this when they started out, or am I just nuts?

[BrewDog]

Nick-

I think most of us did.

Ray Daniels' book Designing Great Beers can really help if you haven't gotten it already.

[markaberrant]

Originally posted by nickhorvath12
Did everybody else feel like this when they started out, or am I just nuts?

It seems to be a common phase; everyone wants to get all "experimental" (myself included). Everything is so new and so cool... you want to try it all NOW!!!

Eventually that gets out of your system and you focus on making kick ass beer with the occassional controlled experimentation.