Cherry Pie? Recipe Critique

[Abk]

So I am planning a brew day with a buddy of mine this Saturday. He had originally asked for a sour with sweetness to it. Not sure how but we landed on a "cherry pie" flavor profile. The recipe is as follows:

12lbs two row
1 lb red wheat
1 lb of flaked oats
1 lb of Belgian biscuit
toying around with the idea of putting actual pie crust in the mash (not sold on it yet)
Mash at 150 for 60 minutes

60 min Hallertau 1oz
30 min Hallertau 1 oz

wirfloc tablet @ 15 Min
.5 lb maltodextrin for some thickness

Imperial yeast Suburban Brett. Hoping this will get the sour / dried fruit character we are hoping for

As far as the "pie filling" cherry flavor, I was thinking of pureeing 5-7 lbs of cherries and adding them to secondary.

I feel I am way off on he profile so any and all help would be appreciated. I've added things like oats and maltodextrin to try and get some thickness. IDK. Any recommendations are appreciated

 

[Jag75]

I really dont know what would "Warrant" a great cherry pie sour but it sounds good. @RPh_Guy will probably be here soon . He hooked me up with a great sour process. Hes like a the sour whisperer lol. 70% 2row and 30% wheat is what he instructed me and it turned out fabulous both times I've brewed .

 

[RPh_Guy]

First I don't really brew these sugary sweet beers that a lot of commercial breweries make, so I can't give tried and true advice from that aspect.
That said, some thoughts:

Malt:
Consider using Golden Promise as the base malt.
Consider adding some crystal malt, especially CaraHell or any in the 10-60°L range.
Consider replacing the oats with flaked barley.
I would never use pie crust or anything crazy like that in the mash, but that's just me.
I'm really not sure whether maltodextrin would be a good choice. Brett can 100% ferment it (under some circumstances). Lactose might be better, or a non-fermentable sweetener like xylitol.
Melanoidin malt?

Water:
Keep sulfate as low as possible.
Make sure chloride is at least 50-80ppm.

Yeast/bacteria:
The recipe you listed isn't a sour beer. Did you want it to be?
I haven't used Imperial Suburban Brett but it sounds like exactly what you want. WY5526 makes great cherry flavor too.
I've also never used Brett as the sole yeast; I'm a little unsure whether it's safe to bottle without some additional aging. Are you bottling?

Hops:
Looks fine unless you want to make it sour.
If you aren't souring the beer I would still keep bitterness low, like 10-15 IBU.

Fruit:
If they are pitted, you don't need to puree.
Put them in a mesh bag.
Use tart cherries.
If you are using raw fruit I recommend heat pasteurizing at 150°F for 20 min.

 

[Jag75]

Could you back sweeten a sour a tad ?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Could you back sweeten a sour a tad ?

Yeah if you keg you can keep it cold to prevent fermentation.

 

[Abk]

Great feedback @RPh_Guy much appreciated.
I've worked with golden promise before on an IPA to some success.
Lack of crystal malt in the bill seems silly in retrospect, good idea.
Why replace the oats?
I did not know malto could be fermented TBH. I'll look into xylitol
Melanoidin would probably be a good way to get that biscuit flavor

As for the water profile, any suggestions for upping the chloride?

As for the yeast, I know this isn't a sour beer. Sour was just the closest profile I could think of BC IDRK what it is. I think Suburban Brett is a good choice for the profile I'm shooting for. I'm leaning towards kegging so I might be able to back sweeten and I shouldn't have to worry about Brett reeking havoc on some bottles.

Again I appreciate your quick feedback. Last question do you think SubBrett will be able to attenuate fully with such a large grain bill or would you recommend co-pitching?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Why replace the oats?

Because at 7% they probably do what you're expecting. Flaked barley is a lot better for body from my understanding.

As for the water profile, any suggestions for upping the chloride?

Calcium chloride.

Last question do you think SubBrett will be able to attenuate fully with such a large grain bill or would you recommend co-pitching?

Imperial says it handles up to 12% ABV.

Cheers

 

[grampamark]

I have no dog in this fight. I just wanted to say I liked the Warrant reference in post #2.