[Footballandhops]

How long do you boil for? Any DMS worries?

I have done no-boil beers with zero DMS issues even with 60% pilsner malt.

Same here, I have done no boil where I go straight from the mash to fermenter with a pitch of lacto only, and I have also done a 15 min boil before cooling and pitching lacto.... Never had an issue with DMS, however I have always used Brettanomyces in these beers, and Brett will convert DMS to other phenolic compounds

[troybinso]

I pitched a package of Omega Lactobacillus blend  http://www.omegayeast.com/portfolio/lactobacillus-blend/  in a quart of 1.032 starter wort. After 3 days at room temperature the pH is down to 3.48 (don't know the unfermented pH of the starter). The gravity is at 1.028 so about 12% attenuation. I can't make the full batch for a week or two. Should I put this in the fridge? It smells really wort-y and I am afraid of it spoiling.

[Footballandhops]

I pitched a package of Omega Lactobacillus blend  http://www.omegayeast.com/portfolio/lactobacillus-blend/  in a quart of 1.032 starter wort. After 3 days at room temperature the pH is down to 3.48 (don't know the unfermented pH of the starter). The gravity is at 1.028 so about 12% attenuation. I can't make the full batch for a week or two. Should I put this in the fridge? It smells really wort-y and I am afraid of it spoiling.

Afraid of spoiling wort that you've already pitched spoilage bacteria into? Kinda ironic....


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[klickitat jim]

I pitched a package of Omega Lactobacillus blend  http://www.omegayeast.com/portfolio/lactobacillus-blend/  in a quart of 1.032 starter wort. After 3 days at room temperature the pH is down to 3.48 (don't know the unfermented pH of the starter). The gravity is at 1.028 so about 12% attenuation. I can't make the full batch for a week or two. Should I put this in the fridge? It smells really wort-y and I am afraid of it spoiling.

It's a starter right? Keep it undisturbed and room temp till pitch day then let er rip.

[troybinso]

I pitched a package of Omega Lactobacillus blend  http://www.omegayeast.com/portfolio/lactobacillus-blend/  in a quart of 1.032 starter wort. After 3 days at room temperature the pH is down to 3.48 (don't know the unfermented pH of the starter). The gravity is at 1.028 so about 12% attenuation. I can't make the full batch for a week or two. Should I put this in the fridge? It smells really wort-y and I am afraid of it spoiling.

It's a starter right? Keep it undisturbed and room temp till pitch day then let er rip.

Can I decant and step up the starter?

[klickitat jim]

Lacto is so powdery and resists flocking that its really not worth it. Just leave it be is what I would do. You dont want oxygen getting in there. If no oxygen and under 4ph, not much will thrive in there. The receiving beer will take care of it.

[danpixley]

How do you know you have a pure lacto pitch? You could easily have yeast mixed in with your lacto. Unfortunately putting lacto pitches from most of the labs under the microscope exposes the presence of sacc and other yeast strains.

A practical way for homebrewers to tell is to make a starter.  Use the Eureka Brewing method (http://www.milkthefunk.com/wiki/Lactobacillus#Samuel_Aeschlimann.27s_Starter_Procedures).  Making a ~500 mL Lacto starter for 20 liters of wort is a good idea anyway, just to get your cell count up there.  If it krausens up, you know there is probably a yeast contamination. 

[brewinhard]

Love that wiki page.  Thanks for sharing.

[troybinso]

By the way, I had also made a starter with a really old smack pack of WY5335 Lactobacillus. It ended up smelling exactly like nail polish. Really intense.

I got a fresher pack of Wyeast and tried again and it worked great. Pitched both starters in a blonde wort and it took right off. pH of 3.30, and then I blended with the same wort that was fermenting with 5 different strains of Brett plus some Sacch trois. Split that and have raspberry puree in one and apricot puree in the other.