the Kellerbrau version
I’ve never used lactobacillus before. Everything went perfectly in the mashing and such with an O.G. of 1.032 exactly. I fermented at 70F to give the lactobacillus an advantage. I pitched one packet of 5335 and a pack of 1007 german ale yeast. I had a very low krausen, maybe 1/4" at most, but a strong fermentation. F.G. is now 1.003 The problem is… there is only a VERY tiny acidic hint. I’m a bit disappointed. Any thoughts as to what could have gone wrong other than a bum 5335 culture? I got it from Northern Brewer, which has a pretty high turnover. Any ideas as to how to fix it, other than just adding lactic acid.
The yeast tends to work a lot faster than the Lacto. There are several different methods people use to get the sourness level they want. You can make a Lacto starter, and pitch it before the yeast, then pitch the yeast later (up to a week later) to let the lacto do it’s thing. Some brewers do a sour mash, or ferment the wort in the kettle at around 90-100 degrees Farenheit for 1-2 days with lacto, then boil once you have reached the pH you want and finish with yeast. I think there may be some other bacteria and maybe some Brett involved in the original german fermentation-hard to replicate exactly in a homebrew setting, but there are several ways to get the acidity level you want.
With this batch you can let it condition for awhile at room temp, the Lacto will still create a little more acidity, and/or add some lactic acid. Lots of options to try with future batches though.
If you pitched lacto and the ale yeast simultaneously at 70F then your results are pretty much what I would expect. To get more lactic sourness, you need to give the lacto an opportunity to do its thing. Higher temps, pitch lacto first, etc.
In my experience, the beer isn’t going to get that much more sour with time. Maybe a little, but don’t expect short or long term again to work any miracles. When I’ve brewed berliner weisses that didn’t turn out as sour as I wanted, I usually end up turning the beer into something else, like adding fruit or whatever. If you decide to keep it a bw and adjust with lactic acid, I’d also suggest adding very small amounts of other acids (acetic, etc.) to help round out the flavor.
Just wait and give it a little time. theres plenty of nutrience and sugar in there for the lactobacillus to eat. but next time if you sour with lacto 1st, and get it to the ph you want and then let the yeast eat
