This beer is brewed with a Saison-esque base, and fermented with DeWayne Schaff’s Mud King blend. Mud King is an interesting blend of wild-captured yeasts contributed by various people, and from a whole range of (largely floral) sources like dandelions and such. I took a risk with a rather aggressive hopping rate (for a sour beer), and thankfully the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in Mud King appeared to be hop-tolerant!
A quick look under the scope showed plenty of yeast cells, bacilli and what appears to be Dekkera/Brettanomyces.
Grain Bill:
69% Pilsner Malt
10% Maris Otter
5% Carapils
5% White Wheat (unmalted)
5% Acidulated Malt
4% Oats
2% Crystal 60
Hops:
14g Motueka @ 60 mins
14g Citra @ 60 mins
14g Motueka @ 15 mins
Mash Temp: 64.5C
Yeast: Mud King
Pitching Temp: 18C
Fermentation Temp: 20C
Secondary Temp: 30C
The culture took off like a bomb, and aggressively brought pH down despite the high hopping rate.
Tasting notes: (3 months aging)
Only a very mild whiff of funk on the nose, mainly fruity esters and floral notes together with a suggestion of acidity. Very effervescent (primed and bottle conditioned to 3.5 volumes CO2 in sturdy champagne bottles!) and respectable amount of head for the level of acidity. Colour is a glowing, burnished copper, fairly good clarity.
A fairly complex mix of fruity esters and phenols to the taste - predominantly mild cherry-like notes with floral/honey overtones, and underlying earthiness with no significant band-aid off-flavours. Acidity is prominent and fairly bright. Good mouthfeel that supports the acidity well, without being cloying.
Overall, I'm quite pleased with the Mud King culture - I like that the lactic acid organisms are fairly hop-tolerant, and the yeasts ferment cleanly. The main drawback I feel is the lack of funk and complexity especially in the aroma. This may be due to the low mash temperature, which did not leave much complex sugars for Brettanomyces to process. Also, the tasting was done a mere 3 months into aging - I look forward to having this beer in a year or two!
As for the perpetual blending, I do want to keep this culture going on for a few generations. The current plan is to draw out 50% of each batch for bottling or blending, then topping it up again with fresh but unoxygenated wort.
Only a very mild whiff of funk on the nose, mainly fruity esters and floral notes together with a suggestion of acidity. Very effervescent (primed and bottle conditioned to 3.5 volumes CO2 in sturdy champagne bottles!) and respectable amount of head for the level of acidity. Colour is a glowing, burnished copper, fairly good clarity.
A fairly complex mix of fruity esters and phenols to the taste - predominantly mild cherry-like notes with floral/honey overtones, and underlying earthiness with no significant band-aid off-flavours. Acidity is prominent and fairly bright. Good mouthfeel that supports the acidity well, without being cloying.
Overall, I'm quite pleased with the Mud King culture - I like that the lactic acid organisms are fairly hop-tolerant, and the yeasts ferment cleanly. The main drawback I feel is the lack of funk and complexity especially in the aroma. This may be due to the low mash temperature, which did not leave much complex sugars for Brettanomyces to process. Also, the tasting was done a mere 3 months into aging - I look forward to having this beer in a year or two!
As for the perpetual blending, I do want to keep this culture going on for a few generations. The current plan is to draw out 50% of each batch for bottling or blending, then topping it up again with fresh but unoxygenated wort.
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