Commercial Beer Dregs Inoculation

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Beer or wort can be inoculated with commercial sour beer that is not pasteurized. Generally, only the last half inch of a bottle's contents, including the sediment, is used. This portion of the beer is often referred to as "the bottle dregs". It is recommended that the microbes in the beer are first reinvigorated with a small starter wort of around 1.030 gravity before it is added to the fermentation vessel. Using commercial sour beers to ferment is generally a good idea because the microbes are often stronger and more aggressive from commercial breweries as compared to mixed cultures from yeast companies (this is a generalization). It is generally advised to use as fresh of a bottle of commercial sour beer as possible, however older bottles can be used as well depending on the brewery, beer, and how the bottle was stored.

General Methods and Uses

Creating a starter

After prolonged time in a bottle, microorganisms won't be at their peak vitality, and so making a starter for dregs is recommended in general. Generally speaking, Saccharomyces strains most likely won't be viable at all after an extended time in a low pH beer. A regular strength starter (1.030-1.040 SG) of a volume of 2-3 cups should be prepared for the bottle dregs. Hops should not be used unless the brewer wants to try and suppress the Lactobacillus in the commercial beer (Lacto strains for some commercial breweries are fairly hop tolerant up to 20-25 IBU. See Lactobacillus Hop Tolerance for more information). If the brewer has only one bottle or wants to keep multiple bottle dregs separate from each other, the starter wort can be poured directly into each bottle and covered with plastic wrap. Alternatively, the dregs from multiple bottles can be combined into a single vessel (such as an Erlenmeyer flask or glass jug) with the starter wort, and sealed with an airlock (creating an anaerobic starter with an airlock is preferred unless the brewer knows that aeration won't create excessive amounts of acetic acid; it's best not to take a risk with aeration the first time you use dregs from a particular commercial brewery [1]). The mouth of the bottle may be flamed with a lighter to kill any wild yeasts that might have landed on the area.

Although more experiments and probably needed, agitation is believed to be an important factor for any species of microbe (yeast and bacteria). Gentle stirring on a stir plate or orbital shaker, or frequent gentle manual agitation leads to faster growth and a higher number of organisms. Agitation keeps the microbes in solution. It also maximizes the microbes' access to nutrients and disperses waste evenly. In a non-agitated starter, the microbes are limited to the diffusion rate of nutrients, leading to a slower and more stressful growth [1]. For more information regarding aeration and agitation effects on Brettanomyces growth, see Mark Trent's Brettanomyces Propagation Experiment.

The starter should be stored at room temperature, or can be stored at a higher temperature if bacteria is the main microbe that the brewer is after. Keep the starter for at least one week, and monitor for activity. Visual activity may not always be present, may be brief, or minimal. Monitoring the pH and the gravity can assist the brewer with deciding whether or not the commercial sour beer has any viable microorganisms still alive in it. If the starter krausens within 24-36 hours, it may have viable Saccharomyces, otherwise strains of Saccharomyces may be dead (especially if the beer was not freshly bottled and was a low pH sour beer). Brettanomyces may not show signs of fermentation for up to 7-8 days. A multiple step starter can be employed if the brewer wants a larger population of microbes.

Supplementing another fermentation

Once the starter of the bottle dregs has sufficiently incubated, it can be pitched into another sour beer. The idea here is that the strong microbes from the commercial sour beer can enhance the overall complexity of the beer, especially if the beer's only other inoculation was from a culture from a yeast company.

Using as a primary fermenter

Bottle dregs can also be used a primary fermenter. It is generally advised that mixing different bottle dregs together will provide a greater diversity and thus better results, but using a single bottle may prove to be an educational experience as well. Jeffrey Crane describes a method of using 1 gallon of wort, which can easily be produced on a normal brew day from a larger batch, to create sour beer from bottle dregs. Essentially this process involves transferring 1 gallon of at wort any time during the boil when there are less than 7-10 IBU's. That 1 gallon of wort is then used to pitch the sour beer dregs starter into.[2] The brewer has the option of allowing the 1 gallon of sour beer to age on it's own, or it can be used as a starter itself for a larger batch.

Sour worting and co-pitching

Another option is to pitch the starter of dregs into the wort, and allow for a day or two to pass before pitching a fresh pitch of Saccharomyces. This has the benefit of allowing the lactic acid bacteria in the dregs starter to sour the wort before competing with Saccharomyces for sugar. See souring in the primary fermenter for more information on this technique. Co-pitching the dregs with a fresh pitch of Saccharomyces at the same time will often achieve a less acidic final product.

Storing Dregs For Later Use

It is often the case that a potential bottle dregs beer will be consumed before the brewing of the wort in which it would be added. There are several options and suggestions on storing bottle dregs beers [3].

  • Pitch the dregs directly into a fermenter that already has beer in it.
  • Have an air-locked vessel, such as a gallon jug or an Erlenmeyer flask, with an airlock on it with a starter beer (or fresh wort) ready to collect multiple bottle dregs.
  • If the brewer wants to keep the dregs separate from other cultures or does not have another vessel available as previously described, leave the last quarter inch of the beer in the bottle itself. Recap the bottle if possible, and place it in the refrigerator. If it is not possible to recap the bottle because it is a corked bottle or a wider diameter than the brewer's bottle capper/caps, cover the bottle with plastic wrap or tin foil and a rubber band. Keeping the beer cool should prevent spoilage, although this is not guaranteed without more sanitary procedures such as purging the bottle with CO2 and capping it. Although brewers have successfully stored bottle dregs beers like this for months, it is generally advisable to make a starter for the dregs at least within a few weeks so as to avoid any potential spoilage.

Potential Problems and Issues

 
Starter made from bottle dregs from Monte Subite Geuze. The green colored stuff is mold.
  • Many commercial sour beers are bottle conditioned with fresh wine or champagne yeast. If this yeast is still viable, it may contribute to the fermentation profile. If this is a concern, cooling the beer and leaving the sediment behind may help to alleviate the problem, however at least some the wine/champagne yeast will probably still be in suspension in the beer. The long term survival of many strains of Saccharomyces yeast is usually limited in a low pH sour beer.
  • Mold growth, although rare, is a possibility. If mold begins to grow, throw out all of the beer and start over.

See Also

References

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