Lactobacillus Tablets off EBay

[Mrobson]

I’m looking into tying my hand at my first kettle sour and came across these on eBay. I’ve got my head around the whole procedure of the brew but I’m curious as to wether or not these would be good for the ‘souring’ process?

Thanks

 

[LeeH]

Interesting, please update if you do give it a go maybe do a brew day thread?

 

[Sadfield]

Theoretically, and worth trying, however, from reading the Milkthefunk website, using Probiotics can be a bit hit and miss with viability and purity. I and a few other brewers I know have used Swanson Lactobacillus Plantarum capsules to good effect.

 

[Mrobson]

I think I might do a little trial to test the viability and place the results in the fridge to use as a starter the following weekend.

Am I right in thinking that if I achieve enough ‘souring’ on say a couple of litres of wort in a demijohn, then I can keep that in the fridge and there should be enough cells to sour a five gallon batch?

 

[Mrobson]

So, I bought some of the tablets and attempted to sour some wort in my brew fridge over the weekend. After four days (96 hours) there was no noticeable sourness either by taste or ph strips.

First brew to go down the sing!

I’ve ordered some Swanson tablets which should hopefully arrive today to have another attempt!

 

[MickDundee]

So, I bought some of the tablets and attempted to sour some wort in my brew fridge over the weekend. After four days (96 hours) there was no noticeable sourness either by taste or ph strips.

First brew to go down the sing!

I’ve ordered some Swanson tablets which should hopefully arrive today to have another attempt!

That’s a shame.

I fancy trying to do a sour next year, probably a fruit Berlinerweiss / Floridaweiss but I was probably just going to splash out on the Lallemand sour pitch.

 

[strange-steve]

Have you tried just lobbing in a handful of pale malt? I know it's probably a bit hit and miss too but it worked for me when I made a kettle soured Berliner. You could try it in a starter wort to test viability as you did with the lacto tablets. Make sure to keep it nice and warm if possible (~40°c).

 

[dad_of_jon]

I can send you a bottle of my sour, drink the first half swirl the second half around and pour into the wort. If you can get a bottle of boon oude gueze that would do the trick cos thats what I did to make mine, plus the clear runnings from asda genuine greek yogurt. In fact I just let it ferment the lot (I was retiring old plastic bits) but if not I could have boiled and left it at a kettle soured beer.

 

[Mrobson]

I can send you a bottle of my sour, drink the first half swirl the second half around and pour into the wort. If you can get a bottle of boon oude gueze that would do the trick cos thats what I did to make mine, plus the clear runnings from asda genuine greek yogurt. In fact I just let it ferment the lot (I was retiring old plastic bits) but if not I could have boiled and left it at a kettle soured beer.

Thanks for the offer regarding the bottle, I’ll see how these tablets fair up compared to what is quoted online I think. Saying that, there is a couple of very good bottle shops in York that might have boon oude gueze on their self, that’s another option worth thinking about.

 

[dad_of_jon]

Thanks for the offer regarding the bottle, I’ll see how these tablets fair up compared to what is quoted online I think. Saying that, there is a couple of very good bottle shops in York that might have boon oude gueze on their self, that’s another option worth thinking about.

hope it works out for you, I read, read, read before taking the plunge and am glad I did. Its nice to have some sours available for when the mood takes me!

 

[Mrobson]

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/citra-raspberry-kettle-sour.80106/

 

[stz]

I have messed about with probiotics and found them to be relatively expensive and the viability is much worse than stated. I've done a lot of grain souring and it is 'ok', it works like a beast, but is a little random. Recently used freeze dried strains sold as yoghurt starter to ok effect, but personally I'd go to Sainsburys and look at almost ANY kiefer, probiotic, yoghurt 'health' thing. There are a ton now, they are only a couple of quid as well. That or buy a small pot of fage 0% fat, like the 170g for a quid will do a batch easily.

I don't know how well it'll show up, if it'll be a full size image, but this is about 1/1000 dilution yogurt.

 

[Bernardsmit]

I make wine and mead rather than beer but I find that if you buy some wheat berries - and this apparently works with barley too and other grains and take say, 100 g and allow the berries to sprout (about 3 days) and then soak the sprouted berries in say, a gallon of spring water that water is now full of lactobacilli (pH of the water drops to about 3.2).

There was a drink called "rejuvelac" that was apparently all the rage here in the US in the 60's that was made in this way, and I have been making sour "mead" using this. My point though, is that there are enough bacteria in the grain itself to sour a brew without buying any packs of commercially "manufactured" probiotics.

 

[BeerCat]

I can send you a bottle of my sour, drink the first half swirl the second half around and pour into the wort. If you can get a bottle of boon oude gueze that would do the trick cos thats what I did to make mine, plus the clear runnings from asda genuine greek yogurt. In fact I just let it ferment the lot (I was retiring old plastic bits) but if not I could have boiled and left it at a kettle soured beer.

I still have the dregs in the fridge so going to make a starter.