Beer Forum

This Saturday our club is making a Flemish Bruin that will eventually be transferred to a bourbon barrel. Here's the problem: The one gallon starter that I made on Monday and that will be pitched into 8-9 gallons of wort today is showing no signs of life on Wednesday. I activated the smack pack last Friday and it did swell a bit. Is it too early to panic? What, if any substitute, could I use? I'd appreciate any help or if someone has experience with Roeselaire Blend.

I would think that if the Saccromycees were not active you still may have some of the other bugs like pedio and some lacto that are active just not fast enough to be fermenting out the starter. I would probably pitch the starter along with some additional saccro that would mimic the variety that is supposed to be in the blend. I think they probably use a neutral ale yeast which would make Cal Ale a good bet. You could use Wyeast 1056 which would most closely resemble the Roeselaire or I would just throw in a sachet of S-05 from Fermentis. This would be a cheap and easy way to ensure that you gat a good strong primary Saccro fermentation and pitching the starter along with it should give you the other micro-organisms that you wanted to begin with. Alternately you could start with the S-05 and get yourself another Roeselaire just to be sure.

Hope this didn't confuse things more.

Chris

Many will ferment those flemish beers down to 1.020 or so with a neutral yeast and then add the bugs in the form of 2 or so packets of Roeslaire...this will allow plenty of sugar/starches for the bugs to feed on without being over dominant........

I actually just started a starter of Roselare since I forgot I had it in my fridge. It took 4 days to show any activity at all.

I've never used the blend before and I wasn't sure of the viability so I just made this 1/2 gal starter to really get the bugs growing on some oak so I can maybe use them eventually.

It's going to be a little while before I get around to making my sour beers

Where did you get the blend, I didnt think it was available yet. Isn't it a seasonal starin?

brewtoomuch wrote:Where did you get the blend, I didnt think it was available yet. Isn't it a seasonal starin?

It is a seasonal strain. It was left over from last year. The starter finally took off the next day, after lots of paniking. I think our club's Flemish Bruin in a barrel is going to be a big success.

Good luck with your flemish. You guys should make a stout and put it in the barrell first to soak up the bourbon and then turn it into a sour barrel.

Guido wrote:

brewtoomuch wrote:Where did you get the blend, I didnt think it was available yet. Isn't it a seasonal starin?

It is a seasonal strain. It was left over from last year. The starter finally took off the next day, after lots of paniking. I think our club's Flemish Bruin in a barrel is going to be a big success.

That was your problem. Good thing the starter took off.