IMBC jumps into sours

We've been talking for a while about brewing some sours, and a recent trip to Brussels basically solidified it for us.  We've decided to jump into the sour market with a variety of offerings that we'll be working on perfecting.  After extensive reading and research, we decided that our first sour would be a Flanders Red.

We brewed our first batch of Flanders Red this weekend.  We kept things traditional and used a grain bill of primarily Vienna malt with some flaked corn and a variety of cara and crystal malts.  We utilized a multi step mash (very similar to the one used by Rodenbach), and a 2 hour boil with a single small hop addition of some Stryian Goldings.  We used a direct pitch of a Roeselare yeast blend and will let that do it's thing for a while.  The brew went smooth and we hit every temp, volume, and gravity spot on.  The beer is currently in our temperature controlled fermentor happily fermenting away.  We'll let this one sit for at least 150-160 days before our initial sample.  At that point we'll decide when to separate into two batches, one with tart cherries and one with oak.  We have high hopes for this one and will be patiently (read anxiously) waiting it's release in 14-16 months.

In the meantime, we'll get a few more beers going.  We're looking into a Berliner weisse and Ould Bruin, as well as extensively researching spontaneous fermentation.  Our standard lineup will be still made with regularity, as will our seasonal/specialty beers.  Exciting times ahead...