[reverseapachemaster]

It didn't get to 4.1 spontaneously. Lacto is doing its thing. You are probably targeting somewhere in the mid or low 3 realm. I'd suggest giving that starter some heat and see if you can encourage more growth.

[flbrewer]

Well isn't apple juice PH 4? The starter was made up of a liter of apple juice and a liter of club soda. There was heat of 100 or so on it for 4 days.

[JT]

Worth mixing up another starter (scaled down in size of course) and testing starting pH before tossing your current starter?  My experience with Lacto was it didn't behave like I wanted it to.  But still did the job eventually. 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[bwalden2341]

I have done three lactic starters using the grain technique. I am 2 for 3 so far. The bad one was caused by not putting enough to co2 in solution to drive out the O2. I never saw bubbling in my starters but i did smell a yogurt like odor after 8 - 12 hours. The bad one smelled like bile or vomit and after listen to the chad yakobsen show on the bn, I now know it was butric acid.


Bill Walden
Oddball Brewing Co.
Suncook, NH

[johnnyb]

Hey Bill I live about 10 minutes from your location. Just noticed your "opening soon" signs a couple of months ago.

[theDarkSide]

Hey Bill I live about 10 minutes from your location. Just noticed your "opening soon" signs a couple of months ago.

Now I know why you stopped doing the NH Beer Scene blog.  Go luck on the opening!

[johnnyb]

I can confirm the Omega blend works fast.  I used it at 85F and it took 10 gallons of Berliner wort from 4.3 to 2.9 pH in 18 hours.  I made a 1500 ml starter 6 days earlier and held it at 85F right up to the point of pitching it.  I boiled it for 90 minutes and pitched a healthy starter of 1056 then fermented it at 63F.  I will be racking to keg this weekend and tasting it - I expect to need blending on this one....

Just checked my Omega Lactic Blend starter and the pH is 3.5 only 26 hours after pitching. I kept it at just over 72 degrees most of the time, but it actually fell to the mid 60's for a short period. (Cold front overnight caught me by surprise.)

[brewinhard]

I can confirm the Omega blend works fast.  I used it at 85F and it took 10 gallons of Berliner wort from 4.3 to 2.9 pH in 18 hours.  I made a 1500 ml starter 6 days earlier and held it at 85F right up to the point of pitching it.  I boiled it for 90 minutes and pitched a healthy starter of 1056 then fermented it at 63F.  I will be racking to keg this weekend and tasting it - I expect to need blending on this one....

Just checked my Omega Lactic Blend starter and the pH is 3.5 only 26 hours after pitching. I kept it at just over 72 degrees most of the time, but it actually fell to the mid 60's for a short period. (Cold front overnight caught me by surprise.)

Man, that is crazy fast!  Any ideas what strains are in that blend?

[brewday]

I can confirm the Omega blend works fast.  I used it at 85F and it took 10 gallons of Berliner wort from 4.3 to 2.9 pH in 18 hours.  I made a 1500 ml starter 6 days earlier and held it at 85F right up to the point of pitching it.  I boiled it for 90 minutes and pitched a healthy starter of 1056 then fermented it at 63F.  I will be racking to keg this weekend and tasting it - I expect to need blending on this one....

Just checked my Omega Lactic Blend starter and the pH is 3.5 only 26 hours after pitching. I kept it at just over 72 degrees most of the time, but it actually fell to the mid 60's for a short period. (Cold front overnight caught me by surprise.)

Man, that is crazy fast!  Any ideas what strains are in that blend?

Brevis & plantarum

[brewinhard]

I have worked with Brevis before but never even heard of plantarum.  That must be the one that really helps kick the fermentation into high gear. 

[brewday]

Yep, works at room temp, which is pretty much where I've held this blend.

[brewinhard]

That is absolutely amazing.  A real game changer...I wonder if they had to mess with the genetics of that strain at all?

[johnnyb]

That is absolutely amazing.  A real game changer...I wonder if they had to mess with the genetics of that strain at all?

Pretty sure they said it was isolated from the "pitching a handful of grain" technique. I'll see if I can find that.

[johnnyb]

The Lactobacillus plantarum strain was isolated in collaboration with Marz Community Brewing from a starter inoculated with whole malt grains.

http://www.omegayeast.com/?portfolio=lactobacillus-blend

[brewday]

Yep - Claims to have been isolated from a starter with malt tossed in.  I've used the Omega a couple of times this summer and it definitely makes things a lot easier.

Edit:  That's it.  The starter and pitch directions on that link are a solid plan too.  No O2 in starter or before pitching yeast - I confirmed that with the owner.