Lambic | Extract Home Brewing

[@lacaval]

Those Lindemanns are pasteurized and backsweetened, doesn't have nothing to do with lambic. Try to find some proper lambic beers (even Lindemanns have some great one, just not those you bought), drink them and put the bottle dregs in the fermenting beer. This way you will get a great complex sour beer, Sacch and Brett alone won't make you a lambic.

[@aaronmarchand949]

Not to be the bearer of bad tidings but lambic is made with unmalted wheat. The turbid mash leaves lots of starch to feed the bugs over the long fermentation.

[@jkb111988]

The added maltodextrin will remain unfermented by the saccharomyces, but be broken down and fermented by the brettanomyces over time, which will leave plenty of long chain sugars for the bugs and compensate for the lack of a Turbid mash. Also if you were to do an all grain batch, and didn't want to go through the effort of a turbid mash, you could do a Step mash with a saccharification rest at 158 degrees to leave more sugars in the wort for the bugs to chew through.

[@aaronmarchand949]

@@jkb111988 True, though by definition Lambics are made using unmalted wheat - which was my point

[@tomschuurmans6866]

If you want a traditional lambic you need to look for "oude" the other ones are really sweet. Also the mother beer lambic is not really available far from the brewery. The blended beers like Oude Geuze and Oude Kriek have a better availability

[@whiplashproductions9784]

Thanks again for the shout out!

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

Go check out this channel! ⬆️

[@leonardknorr5920]

Has anyone else noticed the subtle, bit inexorable evolution of Lauren's British accent since the start of the series? Its only a few words, but I swear Martin's accent is contagious.

[@kurtwolter3984]

Yes!

[@br3wsan]

I noticed it the first time I saw a video with her.. it seems to come on with just a few words... and was trying to decide if it's the remnants of an accent or her picking up some of one from Martin.

[@Unsub-Me-Now]

I am pretty sure she was born in England. Martin was commenting about it a few months back. Lauren is his step daughter I believe.

[@leonardknorr5920]

@@Unsub-Me-Now his step daughter? No way, Martin can't be that old, right? I though she was his significant other.

[@leonardknorr5920]

@@br3wsan I bet it's because she picks on the way he pronounces certain words by mimicking his accent, but then it sticks.

[@wastedbottle175]

as a fellow homebrewer in china, i have tried many type to brew but never think of lambic, not even in my wildest dream, but now i have the basic idea and i want to try it myself.BTW, love your vedios and glad to see all the way from very first american lager. keep on good work man!

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

Thank you 🙏

[@Unsub-Me-Now]

A homebrewer in China! you need to start a KZbin channel! Do you buy your ingredients from a shop/multiple shops, online, market? are there homebrew stores in china? what equipment do you use?

[@wastedbottle175]

@@Unsub-Me-Now great suggestion! i will consider that in the future since i am stuck in UK right now. the homevrewing in china has totally different vibe from US or UK, personally i get my gears and ingredients online. and there are not much stores in china or to be perticular in beijing.

[@shkspear52]

So happy to find your channel. Great quality and excellent information. Cheers!!

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

Thank you!

[@mpeckmusic]

I bet the guys at Boon and Cantillon are having a good time with this approach.

[@Nallubrewing]

When you start belgian beers could you make candi sugar yourself?

[@matthewalexandersayers4470]

The maltodextrin is unfermemtable by the yeast becuase they lack alpha amyloglucosidase, but lactobacillus, pediococcus and brettanomyces do.

[@maclafm1252]

Traditional Lambics are spontaniously inoculated with wild yeast on a koelschip; would have been interesting to see you so a similar process letting the beer cool over-night in the kettle before transfering to fermentation.

[@aresbishop8405]

instablaster...

[@Adam-es7wl]

Well it’s been a year! How’d it turn out!?

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

Yep need to get this one carbonated and try it.

[@avocet89]

Following the challenge with interest, admiring the effort and the amount of planning that is clearly involved in this and producing quality videos at the same time. Sours aren't really my thing but I did enjoy a Flanders red a while back so interested to see how yours turns out. On the subject of one of the recent videos, smoked beers, Moongazer brewery here in Norfolk UK adds a small percentage of oak-smoked wheat malt to their winter porter, Triskele, and it works really well.

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

Thanks. I am tempted to revisit that damn smoke beer.

[@manueljulianrodriguez1705]

first i thought "oh no LME" but then i saw the aged hops and maltodextrin and thought "this is brilliant" thank you Martin

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

😆 thanks

[@ffwast]

Glad I'm not the only one that saw sour brewers talk about grain to add dextrins and thought "Dextrins, from malt? I can just get a bag of that for two dollars from the homebrew shop"

[@chozomonkey]

I love the Raspberry Lambic you tried here. I once made a raspberry mead to try to replicate it. Didn't get close, but still good.

[@tomschuurmans6866]

Hi Martin, just want to point out that lambic is soured with pediococcus and it also contains lots of different strains of yeast (sacch and Brett), so what you're making could become very nice but it'll probably won't have much acidity

[@nonexistent]

Also, traditional Lambic is 100% spontaneous fermentation. No microbes are added at any point in the process

[@tomschuurmans6866]

@@nonexistent you're totally right, I just ment that those are the responsible organisms.

[@dicktophone4184]

You need to add Lactobacillus or some of other lactic acid producing bacteria or you won't get any sourness in the final beer. The brett alone will give some funky and fruity flavours but that's all.

[@TheLolstyle]

Yeah I was scratching my head too. Usually its spontaneous fermented which ofcourse results in a huge cocktail of microbes. Personally I think it is not wrong as a homebrewer to just pitch cultures in cases like this, but I think the outcome of this will be like a very bretty cream ale? Brett finishes more sour than any other yeast strain though, but indeed not as sour as lactic bacteria

[@xander1052]

@@TheLolstyle i mean the 3 main strains identified in lambics are a brett and 2 saccharomyces strains, all of which are yeasts.

[@renidemeester8942]

It is possible to get a little bit of sourness from Brett, but that's only in the presence of oxygen and it will be acetic acid instead of lactic acid, and you mainly want lactic acid with a minute amount of acetic. The sourness in lambic mainly comes from pediococcus over a period of many months, as most of the lactobacilus (which produce lactic acid more rapidly) are inhibited by the huge amount of beta acids from the aged hops. For reference: www.milkthefunk.com/wiki/Spontaneous_Fermentation www.milkthefunk.com/wiki/Lactobacillus#Hop_Tolerance

[@nonexistent]

@@TheLolstyle So at this point you're just brewing a "wild ale" or Brett beer. Not a Lambic

[@johnsikking4891]

As you approach the end of your brewing odyssey, are there any styles that you want to revisit - tweak recipe, etc.?

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

I do want to revisit that damn smoke beer...

[@aaronwolfenbarger2122]

Nice!! Been waiting for this one!! And Lauren's hair rocks!

[@ElementaryBrewingCo]

Great video! At what temp are you aging this at approximately? It’s very warm in the summer where I live and room temp can be close to 80 degrees. Do you think that would be too warm?

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

I’m fermenting at room temp which is around 70F. I don’t think temp range would be massively important

[@Unsub-Me-Now]

I think once primary fermentation is complete, your only worry is oxidation and infection. There shouldn't be anything wrong with a warm ageing.

[@dmac3603]

I absolutely love this channel ❤️

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

Thanks!!

[@dimash244]

Thanks! Another one of my favorites!

[@Leo99929]

You say you didn't make any mineral additions to the water because you weren't mashing. I was under the impression that the minerals are for flavour profile reasons, rather than saccharification reasons? Do you use RO water normally, or just tap water? Do you use different mineral additions for different beers? I thought dark beers benefit from different water chemistry to light hoppy beers? I have super hard water and literally just installed an RO system a couple of hours ago. My dark beers have always been good, often award winning, but my light hoppy ones haven't been able to match up and I couldn't get my tap water to an acceptable mineral profile for light hoppy beer, from what I've read. I'm now wondering if I'm on a fools errand!

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

Just tap water in my case.

[@Peter-Southern-Victoria-Aust]

occasionally when I am running low on base malt I'll do an extract, sometimes an extract kit and I will mash 2kg of pale malt and add that to the beer kit and it is a huge improvement much better than using dry spray malt, some I brew turn out tasting like all grain

[@mikemotta9754]

i started brewing using extracts and specialty grains as well. when someone asks me how they should start brewing, i always recommend extract with specialty grains. this way you can focus on technique and brewing procedures. With extract, you're pretty much guaranteed a good beer, there's nothing worse than brewing your first beer and have it come out bad.

[@scottm6802]

What about the pedio and lacto?

[@nordlands8798]

9:15 It looks like the airlock on the Flanders Red is dry, is that correct or just an optical illusion?

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

Well now I need to go check 👍

[@mateuszrogalski3947]

Martin, i really love your challange, but... 1)Yeast, which u used for secondary will not give u lambic-style beer. There is no Lactobacillus or Pediococcus in this package. The sourness level would not be as high as it should be. 2)Maltodextrine is not for complexity. Sacharromyces can't ferment complex sugar such as MD, but Brett and Lacto do. They will slowly consume MD after primary, giving all flavours u want in lambic. 3)Lindemans fruity lambics aren't good examples at all, they are sweetened after fermentation, also with fruit extract. Try anything with "Oude" on label, it will be more complex and interesting. Thanks for all your films, cheers! And its still not too late to pitch real lambic blend yeast to your beer 😉

[@dimash244]

What water profile would you use if you were using grain? Planning to do this tomorrow, long weekend 👍 first brew of 2021

[@M1GRAND991]

IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS BEER STYLE!

[@killerklown4107]

Any follow up to how the brew turned out?

[@Royphex]

The Lindemans fruit lambics are backsweetened which is probably why you didn't pick up much sourness. You can defenitely pick up some lambic-style beer from the sour and spontaneous producers in the US, only they might be reluctant to refer to it as lambic! As to the microbes you've added, I would maybe look to add some lactobacillus and pediococcus as this makes up the menage a trois for the belgian sours - brett, lacto and pedio. Brett alone brings the funk but not necessarily the sour. Anyway I'm excited to see how both the flanders and the lambic turn out!

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

Thanks. And yeah not a big fan of that backsweetening.

[@atomictyler]

Where did you get those containers with the green lids for your grain? I've been trying to find something like that for a while, but have had no luck. I have a bunch of speciality grain I'd like to put in them.

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

I just found them at the local dollar store.

[@br3wsan]

I've not read the guide for Lambics but had always thought that they were supposed to be spontaneously fermented. i.e. open vessel and let the wild yeast have at it.. I get why Martin isn't doing that but is it then technically a lambic if you pitch a wild yeast into it?

[@mikematters6307]

So if we wanted to do a fruit lambic when do we add the fruit??

[@Nick-dw8nr]

Did you ever do an update about this beer?

[@maclafm1252]

will be interested in seeing how 1-month aged hops affect this beer. From what I've read, its a year+ long hop aging process to get all the "cheese" out of em.

[@maclafm1252]

love the mash paddle with the bottle opener on the end....got a link to buy??

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

Sorry I don’t remember where the heck I picked that up.

[@Auroron]

Correct me if Im wrong, but is it really a lambic if you just add yeast? I thought the whole idea of lambic was letting it ferment naturally

[@chrisnewman861]

G'day, I'm a new viewer and fan of the content. Well made and interesting indeed. Can I please suggest an addition to your recipe notes in the comments.. During the video you mention grain percentage % and hops ibu which is ideal to easily add into the various brewing software, though this is neglected in the written format and requires another look at the video.. Hold on a minute, is this a tactic for repeat views? Fair enough I guess.. Well done again and keep up the challenge 🍻

[@DavidRJones82]

I'm at Fort Bragg and I've been to Atlantic Brew supply one time- Raleigh's a bit of a trip- I didn't realize you were affiliated with them!

[@Unsub-Me-Now]

Is Fort Bragg still shitty?

[@DavidRJones82]

@@Unsub-Me-Now I don't mind it. I'll be leaving for Carson late this year. Can't wait. Operational pace is mind blowing.

[@anthonysamuel4790]

Is it ready yet???

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

Find out this weekend :-)

[@hugovandenberg313]

A Lambic. Love that you're doing this. It's both brave and hard, as the original has a wild fermentation. Will be interesting to see how sour it gets as the 5526 contains only a Bret strain and no bacteria. That you can't find a straight Lambic without fruit is not strange, Cantillon is the only one that bottles single Lambics any more, and only when they feel like it. They're hard to find even in Europe. Most Lambic is blended into Gueuze (French spelling) because straight Lambics are unpredictable in character.. If you can find a real Belgian Gueuze, buy it. They're absolutely wonderful if you like sour beers. BTW, hop flowers are much easier to age than pellets. More surface that comes in contact with oxygen.

[@danielrysavy570]

Greetings from the Czech Republic!! Your videos are absolutely amazing!! Thank you for them. I have a question: What do you use for sanitation? It’s other video, where I see that you have fermentation lock in some foaming agent. What is this, please? Thank you for your answer and good luck In brewing!!

[@Leo99929]

In case Martin doesn't answer, I assume StarSan/ChemSan? They're basically the same thing.

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

Thank you! And yes it’s Starsan.

[@danielrysavy570]

@@TheHomebrewChallenge Thank you!! Can’t wait next video (Beer)!! 🙂❤️🍻

[@danielrysavy570]

@@Leo99929 Thank you.

[@nickcowley8757]

I always wash the extract out with hot water. We are boiling afterwards anywho so might as well get the rest of your extract out of the container

[@ianlaker9161]

Just about to comment on that! Fill that plastic container with the hot wort and swish it around with the cap on and empty it out!

[@robinmiller4770]

I'm the same way, don't know if that makes me frugal or just practical.

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

A fine idea.

[@Brew5603]

I cut my Brewing teeth on the kits in the can. Wasn't happy and soon went all grain and thought I'd never look back... However I have since learned that Quality LME or DME can be used in great success with recipes. I would definitely recommend extract Brewing to new brewers or otherwise restricted Brewing techniques. (Time, space etc)

[@manueldiaz8076]

I don't think this will end up like a lambic at all. Brett alone will not sour your beer, you should've added some acid producing bacteria. I think you might get away if you start pitching various lambic dregs in your beer though. Besides that, great video as always.

[@jkb111988]

Unpasteurized Belgian lambics will be hard to come by stateside though the right bottle shop may have something, but there are plenty of American Sour beer producers with unpasteurized sour ales teeming with bugs. This list is the golden standard for finding useable dregs: www.themadfermentationist.com/2010/06/harvesting-sour-beer-bottle-dregs.html#:~:text=The%20bottle%20dregs%20(yeast%20sediment,into%20a%20complex%20finished%20beer.

[@ReaperUnreal]

You're 100% correct, you'd want to use something like Wyeast 3278 or WLP655.

[@RickyJayAlexander]

Any updates on this one?

[@seancanady3353]

1 year later. When is the tasting?

[@MikeforTV]

I hate to be that guy, but being Belgian I must say it: Lindemans is pronounced Lyn-Duh-Mahns Loved the video!

[@Furyofwaaagh]

Great video as always Martin, we use spray/extract malt for a lot of experiments as it is highly reproducible. Do you have/would you consider starting a discord for homebrewers to exchange recipes, ideas etc?

[@rufusdugumphry4405]

Martin, is there any way I can get you to also post videos on Rumble? A lot of us are using that platform and would love to see you there!!!

[@wd6358]

My wife loves those linden whatevers.. taste like a sweet/sour wine to me

[@dimash244]

At which point do you think they added fruits/berries?

[@RecipeswithBen]

The fruit is typically added after primary fermentation and after the souring is complete. Adding fruit at the end can then cause it to referment and traditionally would help carbonate in the bottle. But truthfully you can add fruit at anytime but that will just change the character of the final beer.

[@dimash244]

@@RecipeswithBen very difficult to maintain flavor of raspberry after fermentation. I bought exact same 4 pack few weeks ago, not usually available in our town. it seems some of them were too sweet to be bottle conditioned, i was under impression they must have either pasteurized or made yeast dormant somehow. That much sweetness/sugar would make bottles explode

[@TheLolstyle]

@@dimash244 Yes I believe you are actually right. Lindemans is a very commerical brand, which tries to sell to a broader audience by somehow sweetening the final beer. Traditional fruit beers based on lambic are actually pretty dry.

[@robinmiller4770]

You've piqued my interest in trying WYEAST 5526, was planning to make another peach mead but perhaps will try a peach lambic instead. Love your channel!!!

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

Sounds good!

[@TheEllegaard]

Great video. You eye looks alot better.

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

Thanks!

[@caminojohn3240]

Why didn't you reserve say a pint of water to rinse out the malt extract container? Waste not want not.

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

Yeah would have been smart.

[@kratomseeker5258]

oh so you dont want to just use wild yeast like most lambics?

[@ianlaker9161]

The peach and strawberry lambics are more modern iterations and seen as a bit too sweet and cloying compared to the traditional Kriek (cherry) and Frambozen (raspberry). That said, some Krieks I've tasted are quite sickly.

[@Unsub-Me-Now]

I prefer tradition Lambics over the overly sweet ones we get here in the states. I've been to Belgium multiple times and each time I made it a point to try something new and weird. Never was disappointed.

[@ianlaker9161]

@@Unsub-Me-Now Here in Kent in England we are very close to Belgium and in better times would have a day trip to Bruges via Euro-tunnel. Lunch of moules and frites and an excellent Belgian beer!

[@roykorten8965]

If you wan't a none fruit Lambic is the Boon brewery from belgium also a great brand. I,m from the netherlands. (sorry for my terrible translation:) )

[@dimash244]

just ordered yeast for both of your sour recipes :) will be brewing both this weekend. one year wait comes after that ;)

[@Vykk_Draygo]

I don't enjoy Lindeman's. For something that bills itself as complex, it's remarkably one note: sweet. No maltiness, no sourness, nothing particularly interesting for me. I think it's meant to be enjoyed in small servings WITH something. I don't drink beer like that (I usually sip on a glass in the evening while reading), so not my thing. Except for actual sours. I drink those with pizza. Like Prairie's fruited sours, or Martin House's Salty Lady gose. Good stuff.

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

Completely agree.

[@zwierzbed]

Z tego co się orientuję: Do Lambic'a dodaje się niesłodowaną pszenicę i zaciera turbidowo w celu pozostawienia skrobi dla bretanomyces, a ekstrakt jej nie zawiera.

[@roykorten8965]

Also i loved your video's. Nice and clear.😉

[@goodolarchie]

Backsweetened grocery store lambic is like a candy cigarette compared to real lambic.

[@evilchubchub]

Change the background color at 0:39 to blue and turn whatever light youre using on your face down a bit. something about the green backdrop looks funky. Love the vids!

[@TheHomebrewChallenge]

Lol yeah that green spill was a bit odd.

[@MattX451]

Bretts will consume the maltodextrins ! It won't enhance the body of the beer.

[@HD-fc9kh]

but... it's not lambic if you aren't in pajottenland

[@felixarbable]

what you want is geuze, fruit lambics are a bit meh IMO

[@itterman]

If you ever in Ontario Canada check this place out www.smallponybarrelworks.com/ They don't do anything but sours. I make sours also.. Rare barrel golden sour is a good start for all grain. Raspberry puree is also a nice step up from whole fruit. I use about 7 lbs in a 6 gallon carboy after about 9 months of fermentation and bugs from my mixed culture. Once fruit is added wait another 2-3 months. Very yummy!

[@tragicvision775]

Cherry is the best

[@kratomseeker5258]

at the time your brewering this you might be making a time capsurel with covid in it haha joking.

[@Mikkogram]

I never did extract. I think it is cheating. Also what I read is, that most of the time it just tastes bad. And I don't have time for bad beer

[@freefall9124]

As soon as he added yeast it went downhill

[@julienamand4472]

Argh, Lindemans is an industrial beer sweetened with aspartame and marketed as a "girls beer" (stupid sexist marketing but you get the idea), several lambic breweries abandonned the traditionnal lambic style for this crap between the 80s and the 00s. You can easily get the real deal if you pay the price (the price of import bottles in the USA can sky rocket) or have american lambics, never tasted any (why would I, I live in Brussels :D) but some have a reputation to be authentic. The maltodextrine you added won't provide body, they will be digestedby the wild yeast over time. And ideally you should have pitched lactic bacteries (lactobacillus and pediococcus) aswell, the brettanomyces alone won't provide a lot of acidity. Lambic blends from wyeast do the job pretty well ; dreggs from your favorite lambic do it even better (because a lambic relies on spontaneous fermentation, there are more than one variety of sacch., more than one variety of brett, and of lactobacillus and pediococcus, adding more and more complexity to it) ! And if you feel adventurous, you can even try a spontaneous fermentation !

[@niravadesara]

Do not use that fermentor anymore.. Bret will infect next brews.

[@dicktophone4184]

Brett is easily cleaned with standard sanitizers. As long as the plastic is not scratched it'll be fine

[@offrampt]

He never shuts up.