Kettle (isn't) Sour - Despite PH of 3

[gerald8_kop]

Calling out to those who know more

I love drinking face scrunchers and so decided on my first kettle sour using Lallemand Helveticus as my Lactobacillus strain. It's pretty much the only option available to me, not having anywhere near enough room for dedicated sour fermenters so I was really looking forward to this and got giddy thanks to a reading of 3.12 on the morning of my boil. I tasted it at pitching time but although surprised by lack of sourness, hoped it was perhaps due to the wort's sugar and so might shine through during fermentation.

But no. Just took a sample at 1.018 and it's kinda tart but that's about it. Took another PH reading and it gives me 2.99

Any thoughts?

I calibrated the PH meter a couple of times, and triple checked it in buffers which were all spot on. I bought it especially for this brew with it's 0.05 accuracy

My PH meter

Helveticus

I kept the Brewzilla at 39/40C and used RO water, following Brewfather's recommended profile. I actually used my quite hard Nottingham tap water with philly sour a while back (PH of 3.5 if the cheapo meter was to be believed) for another beer and frustratingly that seemed tangy-er.

I've read that acetic acid is much more cutting than lacto but even still - should a PH of 3 not be giving me much more perceived sourness? I did get my gf to confirm incase tastebuds were telling porkies. Hopefully the rhubarb going in will help things but it's still a tad disheartening!

 

[BeerCat]

How much has the gravity dropped? They probably wont taste sour because of the high sugar content but 1018 is quite low. When i first made a lacto starter i couldn't tell if it had worked either. I would trust your ph meter and carry on.

 

[gerald8_kop]

Okay that's a little more promising then.

OG was 1.038 and expected FG is 1.008 so a way to go yet but assumed I'd be able to at least taste a notable difference. Would have waited a touch longer to take the sample but dropped my ispindel before the brew and so it seems skewed the calibration (was reading 1.012 )

 

[JockyBrewer]

pH 3 should definitely be face scrunching when done!

Often sours have a low FG too, which enhances the sourness. What yeast are you using for the ferment?

 

[gerald8_kop]

Using S-05 at 19C.

Was going to up the temperature by a degree or so in the morning as that makes it five days since pitching.

 

[JockyBrewer]

Low ph inhibits fermentation, but it should get there eventually.