Lichtenhainer 2019

Yesterday I got started on my second a attempt at a Lichtenhainer. I brewed one last year, but it had a horrible acetaldehyde problem. I'm 99% sure this was caused by a timing/cellaring issue (it was cold crashed twice).

For this attempt, I changed the malts slightly, and will be using US-05 yeast.

Full grain bill was cold-smoked over Pecan
4.25 # Avangard German Pale Malt
4.25 # Spelt Malt
14g Aged hops (60 mins)
GoodBelly SuperShot for kettle-souring
US-05 yeast after kettle-souring
Whirlfloc
Yeast nutrient

Mash at 150F, transfer to boil kettle and raise temps to 175F for 15 minutes to pasteurize. Chill to 100F and acidify wort to 4.5 before pitching GoodBelly. Sour to a target pH of 3.4-ish. After target pH is reached, proceed with boil, 90 minutes. Ferment at 63F.

Brewing Notes

• Day 1 (6/15/2019) - No major issues.
• Day 2 (6/18/2019) - No major issues. Gravity into the fermenter is 1.039, so this will be a nice sessionable beer.

Update 7/1/2019

I kegged this beer yesterday. I'm ingested to see what it's like after carbing. Out of the fermenter, the smoke is pleasant but also quite noticeable. The aroma hits you first and is a bit more intense than the flavor. Flavor-wise, I get mellow smoke up front, then noticeable acidity, then a trailing smokey finish. I love having sours with fatty foods like BBQ because I feel like the acidity in the beer helps cut through the fat. It might just be that association in my mind, but this beer seems similar, but everything is in one package. And I'm happy to say, I didn't pick up on any acetaldehyde this time.

Update 10/14/2019
Just a quick note, this beer took 1st place for Historical Beer in the 2019 Beehive Brew-off.