Lacto Starter Issue

[slaw]

I've been lurking forever and finally found a reason to make my first post.

I have a starter with a weak wort (1.020-1.025), like I've seen suggested. It has an airlock and has been heated to about ~90 degrees for 2.5 days. I've seen no activity whatsoever from the white labs lacto. Despite my research, I can't find a definitive answer for what a lacto starter should look like. I've heard everything from 'cloudy' to huge bulbous pellicle. Mine definitely fits the cloudy, but I expected some sort of action. Am I being paranoid here? Does anyone have experience with a successful lacto culture who could comment on what I'm seeing, or lack seeing?

 

[edecambra]

Ideally you should use Glucose for your lacto starter, so next time just use simple sugars. And give it 4 days for good measure. You shouldn't see any activity as it is a different metabolic process but you can smell it. It should smell like pleasant sour green apple.

Next time you can make a sour starter from some grains. make a 1.020 grav sugar solution with about a pint of water and scoop a few tablespoons of any whole malts and keep it warm for 4 days. Your starter shouldn't smell like death but this one will as there is a mixed culture. As the PH drops it will move from death to pleasant apples, that is when you know it is ready.

 

[LoneWolfPR]

I did a homemade lacto starter that worked out great. I used Morkin's method. I put a cup of crushed pale malt in a mason jar with a cup of 130 degree water. Covered with aluminum foil and let it sit for a week. When I was ready to pitch it I just used a cheap paint strainer bag to strain the liquid into a measuring cup. The culture was pretty perfect.

 

[dwarven_stout]

Mine have always just gone cloudy. Lacto takes forever to settle out, too. I usually give mine a week in the fridge before decanting the starter.