Sour wort issue

[Stevesauer]

So I'm in the middle of my second time sour worting. First time went great. Pitched a giga yeast lacto culture at 120. I did my best to keep temp up, but it fell to 80 by day 3. Still, got a great sour. This time, I did everything the same except one thing. Instead of 5 Gallons of wort like last time, I did 7.5, my boil volume. Guy at LHBS said this would be no problem but it seems otherwise this time around. 3 days in and hardly even tart. Temp is now around 85. My understanding is that higher temps are not necessarily key, but help the lacto do its job faster. I'm thinking of just throwing in a cup of uncracked malt to get more lacto in there. I also am trying to get things warmer. Any problems with this remedy? Do I need to worry about other nasties on the malt? Any input is very appreciated. Thanks.

 

[joshesmusica]

sorry no help. just here for the advice given as i'm looking to sour a wort soon.

 

[stpug]

I would wait it out. Keep it warm - 85F is good. Give it a few more days. Things like gravity, ibus and temperature will affect how quickly it sours. From Giga, they recommend starting at 98F - not 120F. What are the specs of the wort your souring (gravity, ibus, hop schedule, etc)?

 

[Stevesauer]

SG of 1.062. No hops yet as I've heard they hinder the lacto. The wort is 65% pilsner mat, 32% crushed red wheat, and 3% flaked oats.

 

[stpug]

Giga's suggests that above 1.050 will delay and/or reduce the overall souring. Couple that with the larger batch size and I'd definitely give it some extra days.

I would not recommend using grain at this point.

 

[youreanimpulse]

Let it go. I've sour worted for a week and it came out great. Throwing in grain is asking for trouble. If anything I'd try yogurt, Plantarum probiotics or some other mainly lacto source, not wild bugs on grain.

 

[Stevesauer]

Excellent. Thanks guys. This is why I asked. Come tomorrow I probably would've thrown some grain in and had bigger problems. I'll let it ride for now.

 

[finsfan]

How did time treat the wort?

 

[Stevesauer]

Time was what the Dr ordered. Took 7 days, but I've got a great, pucker inducing sour. Just what I was looking for. Thanks all. Kept me from doing something stupid.

 

[finsfan]

Any idea what the ph is or just go by taste?

 

[madscientist451]

Did you save the lacto culture from the fist batch? Or buy another vial?
Haven't tried this yet, but I'm going to this summer when it gets warmer.

 

[joshesmusica]

Any idea what the ph is or just go by taste?

what range should the pH be to know it's good to go?

 

[finsfan]

what range should the pH be to know it's good to go?

That would probably be personal preference. Just didnt know if the OP did this and at what PH he felt it was good. I'd imagine anywhere between 3.5-4 would be a good range, but again that depends on personal preference.

 

[stpug]

That would probably be personal preference. Just didnt know if the OP did this and at what PH he felt it was good. I'd imagine anywhere between 3.5-4 would be a good range, but again that depends on personal preference.

I'd agree with the range specified by finsfan. Lower than ~3.3-3.5pH and you run into the potential than any sacc yeast pitched afterwards may not perform well or at all. I see most folks aiming for the lower end of the range 3.5-3.6ish but personal preference should be the ultimate deciding factor in my book.

I've recently tried Anderson Valley's Holy Gose and Leipziger Gose, and while I definitely like the Holy Gose, the Leipziger came across much more balanced (less salty, less sour, with some faint berry aroma notes). I would probably reach for the Leipziger 7 out of 10 times, with the Holy Gose taking up the slack. Both really good beers and I'm glad I was able to try them back-to-back (day apart), basically. If I had to put a finger on it, I would say the salinity of the Holy Gose is what detracts the most for me.

 

[Stevesauer]

I have yet to spring for a ph meter, so I'm unsure. If I'm going to keep doing sours, I should get one sooner than later.

 

[Stevesauer]

Did you save the lacto culture from the fist batch? Or buy another vial?
Haven't tried this yet, but I'm going to this summer when it gets warmer.

I bought a new culture. Price is a bit salty though. 12.95

 

[Stevesauer]

Hey guys, looks like I'm reviving this thread. So the sour has been in primary for 3 weeks now. Gravity is at 1.014, down from 1.062. Pretty much on the money. Here's the weird part. I fermented the wort using wlp001 and a 1 liter starter, aerated well, then after 12 days at 68, I increased temp a degree at a time until reaching 72, but I still have krausen. With temps that warm? No infection either. I'm obsessive with sanitation and the wort tastes great. What gives? I've never seen this with wlp001. Does the low ph inhibit the yeast? Really no problem here, just seeking to understand. Thanks.

 

[youreanimpulse]

Yes low ph inhibits yeast. People pitch lager sized starters in kettle sours sometimes along with yeast nutrients to combat this. I have had Conan on a big pitch stall at 1.016 and I had to pitch Belle Saison to attenuate further.

 

[Stevesauer]

Great, thanks! Just wanted to understand what's happening here. Nutrient and bigger starters in the future it is then!

 

[tagz]

I am in the process of brewing a gose, via sour wort. I pitched a big saison starter. The airlock was cranking but only a small krausen. I suspect the lacto affects krausen. The foam on the boil was crazy as well.