Sour Red

I've been struggling to keep my four taps full over the months, but I want to get back to making some sour beers. I want to brew a red, I'm thinking something with lacto and brett that will hopefully take 5-6 months. I just wanted to come here and ask if anyone had any thoughts/ experience on ABV and primary strains (English/ Belgian). I brewed a brown a while back that was about 5.2% that came out pretty good, but La Folie is pretty damn good at 7% and I really like the idea of a little body and maltiness. Thanks in advance for any ideas/ conversation.

Body is tough with true mixed culture beers. You end up with organisms that can consumer just about everything that the primary ale yeast leaves behind. BUT, if you go with just Lacto and Sacch you could have a better shot. Also, not all Brett strains are equal in their ability to consume body-building malt constituents, so it is possible to add some Brett to the mix, assuming the chosen strain plays well with your grain bill.

For primary ale choice, it’s important to ask what you want the final character to be. Using a Belgian or POF strain followed by Brett will likely give you more Brett character, while using a more neutral primary strain will leave less fun compounds for the Brett to work on later. Also consider the attenuation level and fermentation kinetics of the primary strain- if significant and rapid lactic acid production is required/desired, choosing a vigorous yeast like French Saison isn’t a great move