Lacto starter.

[Cu29]

I got some of the white labs lactobacillus. How do I make a starter batch for 25 gallons? I assume it's meant for 5 gallons of beer.

I usually make a 4L yeast starter on a stir plate from one #70 bourbon yeast. Should I just chuck the lacto in with it, or will it kill off the yeast?

Thanks

[bearriver]

I would chuck it in the ferment after pitching the yeast.

[bellybuster]

you can make a starter with the lacto, needs a couple weeks to build up and needs to be around 100 degrees. Apple juice works or a low gravity wort. Check out the beer brewing sites for info.
To really sour your wort it needs to be pitched before the yeast, a couple days at least.
My info comes from attempting a heffe beer several years ago, I still did not get the souring I was looking for.

[bellybuster]

have you got the pure lacto or the blend? The blend will give little souring without spending some serious time in the fermenter....months

[Cu29]

I have a few. White Labs has one, which I have. It's a single strain. I have some labeled mesophilic culture and some cheve starter (both dry from a cheese place). The book I was reading said even a few hours head start would come up with drastically different outcomes.

I was thinking of letting it have 5 gallons worth (one WL tube) and giving it a 4hr head start. It should have quadrupled in that time. I have no clue how much dry to add. I suppose I'll start with enough for 5 gallons of milk and give it the same head start. The dry comes in 1/10th of a gram packets. Something crazy small.

[bellybuster]

lacto is a slow builder. In making beers I have been quite disappointed with the souring ability of lacto. If I were to do it again I'd introduce a pre-soured wort via a starter that has been building over a fairly long period. maybe a couple weeks.
As for distillation, I would imagine a heavily soured wort is needed to make any noticeable difference in the distillate.

The spider web indication of lacto in worts is simply that, an indication. Once you see the visual it takes a long time for it to truly affect the wort

[Cu29]

Thanks for the info. Sounds like there's lots of room for experimentation. Or I don't have a choice . I'll try and report back how my distillations go.

[Cu29]

White Labs said you can treat it exactly like a yeast starter. You have to do the starter separately from the yeast so they both grow the same amount.

I wonder how you know it's done. Check the SG I guess. I don't think they bubble or anything like yeast.

[engunear]

lacto is a slow builder. In making beers I have been quite disappointed with the souring ability of lacto. If I were to do it again I'd introduce a pre-soured wort via a starter that has been building over a fairly long period. maybe a couple weeks.
As for distillation, I would imagine a heavily soured wort is needed to make any noticeable difference in the distillate.

The spider web indication of lacto in worts is simply that, an indication. Once you see the visual it takes a long time for it to truly affect the wort

Curious. One or two tsp of natural yoghurt added to 20 l of wash along with the yeast will do a fine job of souring it. So it is puzzling lab bacteria takes so long. When things take a long time it can be you are just growing up a contaminant from the air or from your grain and that's the source of the lacto, and your lab sample was past its use-by date. In San Francisco the lacto that is used in sourdough bread is common in the air.

I'm not at all sure that a web on top is lacto, more likely a mold. I've seen it with rye, ignored it, and had no problems.