Berliner not fermenting after SAC pitch

[Indiana Red]

Standard low grav recipe for the Berliner I made a couple weeks ago. Pitched the commercial WL Lacto 672 or 677 (have to check my notes)at about 95F and activity was predictable and steady. After a few days I theifed a sample and was satisfied with the tartness and so dropped it to room temp and pitched some slury from a recent batch of a american Pale Ale. After no signs of activity after a day or two I pitched a fresh vial of WLP001 and still nothing after nearly a week.
Activity in the airlock is a bubble every couple minutes, aprox the rate I was getting after I cooled it down before pitching yeast. Suggesting that is still just the Lacto at its sub optimal temp.
Any guesses on this? Is maybe my PH now so low that the regualr yeast cant take off?
Im about to make a starter with 001 and pitch that in there while still active for one last try. After that maybe just boost the temp again and let the still viable Lacto ramp up again and finish it out.

 

[secondbase]

What's the pH of the beer? Low pH can inhibit sacc, but 001 has worked fine for me. Did you make a starter? Have you taken a gravity reading?

 

[specharka]

I fermented a kettle soured gose recently with Troublesome dreg starter from a pH of 3.4 with no issues. The lag phase was a little bit longer than typical, around 36 hours.

I would check your pH and verify that it's not too low. WLP029 and WY1007 will ferment on the low end and are stylistically consistent with a BW.

 

[DurtyChemist]

This sounds like something for the lambic and wild brewing crowd. I haven't had this problem for my one or two sours but I would think about warming it up to 70. With as much yeast as you pitched something should work.

 

[burninator]

Have you checked gravity? At a reduced pH that yeast may not take off like it normally would in a clean fermentation. I get a pretty low key yeast fermentation in my berliner-type beers.

Also, if your beer was bubbling for a couple of days before the pitch, then you've probably already lowered the SG of the wort. In an already low gravity beer, the newly added yeast may just not have a whole lot to eat.

 

[Calder]

In carboy or bucket? Do you have a leak such that you may not see much airlock activity?

1 vial of yeast will do very little. I generally pitch on a whole cake for a Berliner as I don't expect much reproduction at the low ph levels.

Check your gravity and see where you really are.

 

[lshaner]

It's already been suggested multiple times above, but definitely check your gravity. Given what you pitched, I would put money on it already being attenuated.

 

[Indiana Red]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I found the issue. (attached file) Ishaner, Im glad I didn't take that bet. The bubble activity in the airlock was pretty slow so I over estimated the remaining sugars. I think I now remember some discussions elsewhere that lacto activity doesn't give off much CO2 comparatively.