Lallemand Sour Pitch Price Hike, Alternatives? Yakult?

[LeeH]

Sour Pitch has gone up by a fiver to 15 pounds, plus P&P as I have plenty of stock of other ingredients.

Has anybody used Yakult, and if so how much? Any reliable probiotics?

 

[Broken Toe]

I use 4 capsules in a 20L kettle sour of Swanson's finest. Gives me a good result after 48hrs. Normally down to the 3.5 pH zone. Certainly cheaper per brew than an "official" home-brewing option.

 

[LeeH]

That’s an even cheaper option.

Sour pitch is 2g/20L batch.

Do you reduce the pH down to 4.5 before pitching? Then chuck it straight in? I’ve seen people make starters which I find odd.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

Philly sour " yeast" is another option, but different. I used this first to bring pH down and then added in my intended yeast after it had worked which took about 3 days in the fermenter.

 

[LeeH]

Philly sour " yeast" is another option, but different. I used this first to bring pH down and then added in my intended yeast after it had worked which took about 3 days in the fermenter.

I presume this would not be as sour being an all in one affair.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

I got the pH down to 3.4 with this and I then finished off the ferment with some Kveik which dropped the pH to 3.2.

It's a different type of sourness though.

 

[LeeH]

In what way?

 

[RoomWithABrew]

Other brewers in our club said it wasn't sour enough! It was a sour IPA, haven't used it since. Sour enough in my perception though.

 

[LeeH]

Swansons capsules ordered. Might even start taking them myself.

Thanks.

 

[AJA]

Philly sour is surprisingly good. And takes out the souring step.
I got down to pH 3.3 in the last brew.
Has decent "normal" yeast properties too. Ferments clean, floccs nicely and attentuates well. Makes it extremely hard to believe the backstory that this is a scavenged yeast (IMO it's most likely a hybrid).
Don't overpitch it - most performance issues in this yeast relate to overpitching.

 

[Broken Toe]

That’s an even cheaper option.

Sour pitch is 2g/20L batch.

Do you reduce the pH down to 4.5 before pitching? Then chuck it straight in? I’ve seen people make starters which I find odd.

I tend to use a bit of acid malt to lower it. But if I forget I give it an extra 12 hrs

 

[LeeH]

I use lactic acid. Its supposed to protect the wort from unwanted bacterial.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

Philly sour is surprisingly good. And takes out the souring step.
I got down to pH 3.3 in the last brew.
Has decent "normal" yeast properties too. Ferments clean, floccs nicely and attentuates well. Makes it extremely hard to believe the backstory that this is a scavenged yeast (IMO it's most likely a hybrid).
Don't overpitch it - most performance issues in this yeast relate to overpitching.

It flocced incredibly well and in combination with Kveik it produced the clearest beer ever, I just cold crashed it and it went bright so fast.
Suigeneris has a lot about phillysour and how to reuse it.

 

[xozzx]

Sour pitch seems to be sold out everywhere. Im about to try my first attempt at a Sour following david heaths guide here for a solera sour (I made a foeder to try this). As its my first attempt at a sour I thought Id just follow the recipe exactly to make it easy.
Crossmyloof do sour 3.5 dry yeast, I assume this would do instead? Looks like I could just make a brew as normal (mash, sparge, boil, chill, transfer), then pitch the sour 3.5 to the fermentor and 3 days later pitch some voss kviek. Few days later transfer the fermented beer to the foeder and add the brett, then leave for 6-12 months?
Appreciate any pointers from someone with experience with sours.

 

[AJA]

Sour pitch seems to be sold out everywhere. Im about to try my first attempt at a Sour following david heaths guide here for a solera sour (I made a foeder to try this). As its my first attempt at a sour I thought Id just follow the recipe exactly to make it easy.
Crossmyloof do sour 3.5 dry yeast, I assume this would do instead? Looks like I could just make a brew as normal (mash, sparge, boil, chill, transfer), then pitch the sour 3.5 to the fermentor and 3 days later pitch some voss kviek. Few days later transfer the fermented beer to the foeder and add the brett, then leave for 6-12 months?
Appreciate any pointers from someone with experience with sours.

That yeast is repackaged Philly sour by the looks of it

 

[dad_of_jon]

I use the dregs from a bottle of boon oude gueze which is available in waitrose and add the clear run off from asda greek yogurt when its been opened for a few days. I keep it around 30c for a few days and co2 purge the fv headspace

You'll get up to a year of uber sourness, after that it becomes more mellow and cidery. I suppose thats why they blend 1,2 & 3 year old lambic

 

[xozzx]

Hope someone here can reassure me of my intended process. Ill be following David Heaths Golden Sour recipe and process as below. Ill be making 50L in a B80

- Mash and sparge as normal.
- boil 5 mins
- cool to 35C in the B80
- adjust pH to 4.5 with lactic acid
- add 10 capsules of Swansons (for 50L)
- Cover with clingfilm
- after 2 days check pH and if ~3.5 then bring to boil for 60 mins and add hop additions
- transfer to fermentor, add 2 packs kviek
- after about 3 days transfer to foeder and add 2 packs OMEGA Yeast – OYL-218 – All the Bretts
- leave for 6-12 months
- Keg half and top up foeder with more beer.

Having never made a sour just wanting to check this looks right. Although the Brett is a yeast I guess it is only for the secondary and I want to ferment out with the kviek first?

As I will have boiled the soured beer in the B80 I assume I wont have issues with contaminating future brews at any point upto the foeder? I plan to use dedicated transfer hose, kegs and tap for the sour beer from the foeder.
Appreciate any advice on my process