13,701
edits
Changes
added a 'Strain Selection" section
<blockquote>"''Mixed culture fermentation for sour beers produces one thing, and (kettle souring) produces another thing. If you’re going to make a malty red ale that is kettle soured, don’t call it a Flanders Red. Honor the tradition.''" - Sean Burke, Kettle Souring Presentation, CBC 2015.</blockquote>
==Strain Selection==
The strain of ''Lactobacillus'' is very important. As is explained below, the souring process should not take longer than 2 days, and some strains do not perform well within this timeframe. Not all strains or species are efficient to use for wort souring. ''Lactobacillus plantarum'' has proven to be the most successful species for kettle souring, although using any hops will usually completely prevent this species from producing lactic acid. ''L. brevis'' has also been used with some degree of success, depending on the strain. While ''Pediococcus'' is generally not used for wort souring, Bootleg Biology's ''Sour Weapon P'', which is ''P. pentosaceus'', performs well at wort souring (see [[Pediococcus#Commercial_Pediococcus_Cultures|Commercial ''Pediococcus'' cultures]]). ''L. delbruekii', and specifically the culture offered by White Labs, is meant for long term souring and is not a good choice for wort souring <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1212455192116026/?comment_id=1212475888780623&reply_comment_id=1212476575447221&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R3%22%7D Conversation with Andrew Addkison on MTF. 01/12/2016.]</ref>. Review the [[Lactobacillus#Culture_Charts|''Lactobacillus'' commercial cultures]] before selecting one for wort souring, and review the [[Alternative Bacteria Sources]] page for tips on using alternative sources of ''Lactobacillus'' such as probiotics, grain, etc.
==Processes==