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Sour Belgian Blonde | 5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit | Extract

Sour Belgian Blonde | 5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit | Extract

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Description

  • A classic lambic that is as mild or as wild as you make it. Requires a two-step fermentation process 
  • Includes Hallertau hops
  • Estimated ABV: 6.5%
  • Estimated IBUs: 7-10
  • Makes 5 gallons of finished beer

Brewed for the first time in 2010 in our parking lot at the annual July 15th Showroom Sale, we decided to experiment with another sour. This Belgian Style Blonde, destined for a Brettanomyces fermentation was born! On a whim, the boys decided to have fun with it and add 1lb of California Golden Raisins per 5 gallons with the second dose of Brettanomyces. The sugars in the raisins ferment out completely and seem to be an excellent source of food for our ‘lil wild buddy's. The end result: A classic lambic that is as mild or as wild as you make it!

This is a great base recipe for a Belgian Style Blonde Ale. Great body and mouthfeel balanced with a funky delicious sour edge. So have fun with this Lambic Recipe and make it your own!

Tip: Patience, patience, patience. If brewing All-Grain, try mashing higher for some added body. (We recommend 156F.) Brettanomyces loves oxygen just as much, or maybe more than Saccharomyces spread the love! Use restraint with these critters, don’t add the whole kitchen sink. Experiment with one to two cultures per batch, at intervals, and preferably with a small amount of a new food source. Patience. CA Golden Raisins are an excellent food source! (ahem, hint hint!) Don’t disturb the fermentation vessel while the pellicle is formed. The pellicle provides protection from excessive oxidation over the long aging time. Patience. Use excellent sanitary methods when working with our wild lil buddy’s to ensure a clean brewhouse. Try adding any local fruit as a food source for the bugs and wild yeasts. They love it! Patience!

  • Makes 5 gallons
  • Estimated Original Gravity: 1.060-65
  • SRM (Color Range): 4-6
  • IBUs: 7-10
  • Estimated Alcohol Percentage: 6.5%

Please Note: Kit does not include raisins. We recommend California Golden Raisins.

Our recipe kits DO NOT include grain bags, yeast or priming sugar. To find our yeast recommendations, choose your preferred kit option above and then select the drop-down menu under “Yeast Options”.  For more info, click on the recommended yeast(s) below in the “You Might Also Need” section below. All included steeping grains will come milled.

 

Liquid Malt Extract (LME) vs. Dried Malt Extract (DME)
MoreBeer! recipe kits are offered in both Liquid Malt Extract and Dry Malt Extract so that our customers can choose the format that best suits their needs and brewing style. LME is a viscous liquid, similar in consistency to maple syrup. In addition to being the more affordable option, many brewers find LME easier to handle than dry extract. DME is more condensed and comes in a powder format that is similar to baking flour. Although it’s a little more costly, DME is naturally lighter in color and stays fresher for longer. We highly recommend DME when brewing light colored beers.
 
 
Community Q&A

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Browse 6 questions Browse 6 questions and 8 answers
Why did you choose this?
MoreFlavor Store
love sour beer
Joseph S on Jun 17, 2022
Requested by family member
Valued C on Jan 25, 2022
love sour beer
Joseph S on Jun 17, 2022
Going to be my first sour... wish me luck
Brandon R on Feb 18, 2022
Requested by family member
Valued C on Jan 25, 2022
Want a light sour
Michael F on May 6, 2021
I love sours, and you're out of tart of darkness
Raymond M on Jul 16, 2020
Never brewed a spur before.
Greg G on Apr 3, 2020
base for lambic style brew
John C F on Mar 31, 2020
Trying sour first time
Scott L on Jun 20, 2019
I love sour beer and wanted to give this a try as my first.
Andrew W on Oct 31, 2018
Love da sours. Trying it first time.
Mike O on Sep 11, 2018
Never tried brewing a sour...
Mark on Apr 3, 2018
I'm interested in sours!
Knowles A on Jan 27, 2018
Going to be my first sour... wish me luck
Brandon R on Feb 18, 2022
Want a light sour
Michael F on May 6, 2021
Should I age this Belgian sour in bottles or a carboy?
Chris Torres on Jan 19, 2022
BEST ANSWER: Aging in a Carboy will allow for the beer to age on a larger surface area of yeast and bacteria and may lead to quicker souring process. Bottle conditioning could be done as well but it may lead to overcarbonation in the bottles if the hasn’t been aging for very long on the souring bugs.
Does this kit require all separate brewing equipment?
Jeff Haruska on Jan 7, 2021
BEST ANSWER: We recommend using a separate set of equipment for all sours after bacteria and wild yeast have been introduced, especially anything plastic, wood, or vinyl. This means you can brew and boil in the same equipment and primary fermenter if you plan to rack into a secondary fermenter for sour fermentation.
Basically keep separate all of the tools you use for sours until you boil them for sterilization. If you can't boil the tools then you need to get a second set of those tools.
There's a typo in my question. That last sentence should read: "And add more culture at that point or let the existing culture work?"
Jim Albea on Mar 27, 2022
BEST ANSWER: Add the more culture at that point. Good luck.
How many lambic yeast packets are needed for this kit?
Jeff Haruska on Jun 1, 2021
BEST ANSWER: For 5 gallons we typically recommend using just 1 packet of mixed culture yeast packages like the Lambic yeast. This helps ensure the appropriate cell count that makes certain the beer yeast doesn't eat all of the sugar before the wild yeasts get their fill. Using too much of a pitch at the beginning can net you a beer that's cleaner in flavor and has less of the lambic sour and funk that you're hoping for.
Don't CA Golden Raisins come treated with Sulphur Dioxide? Doesn't that kill the bugs and yeast? Do they ferment?
Mark Westmeyer on Oct 8, 2019
BEST ANSWER: Raisins are added when the primary fermentation is complete. You can user sun-dried if you are concerned with sulfur. The raisins ferment in a way as they supply sugar for the yeast bacteria. The Sulphur Dioxide will not affect your outcome at all.
I'm unsure about when and how to do the fruit stage. From reading the "Brewing Lambic at Home" article it says to implement fruit after 6+ months. The instructions on this kit say " When primary fermentation is complete, pitch your second dose of Brett or other sour blend along with 1 pound of raisins per 5 gallons." That would be after two weeks, and with more bugs, right? So I guess that's my main question.. 2 weeks or 6 months? And add more culture at that point or let the existing culture work?
Jim Albea on Mar 27, 2022
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Rated 5 out of 5
Great way to get into sours
Super refreshing great summer beer. I used a belgian sour mix in the primary and a mild fruitier brett in the secondary on 2 lbs of golden raisins. Everyone loved it
May 1, 2013