Changes

Pre-acidifying the wort has several benefits, such as discouraging unwanted microbes that may have accidentally been introduced into the wort, and helping to prevent [[Lactobacillus#Foam_Degradation|Lactobacillus foam degradation]]. The idea is to get the wort down to a pH of 4.5-4.8 before adding ''Lactobacillus''. There currently is no formula for how much lactic acid to add to a volume of wort due to the different buffering capacities of wort and water, but using 1 mL of 88% lactic acid per .1 shift in pH for 5 gallons of wort is a good starting measurement. As an example, say that 5 gallons of wort has a pH of 5.0 just before pitching the ''Lacto''. Begin by adding 5 mL of food grade lactic acid to the wort for a target of 4.5 pH. Stir gently, then take another pH reading. Continue to add 1-2 mL of lactic acid until the wort has the desired pH. Once the desired pH is reached, pitch the ''Lacto'' culture.