Thu May 03, 2012 7:27 am
Bacteria in a fermenter would be more of a concern for me for future beers than bacteria in a mash tun. It would be less of a concern with glass or stainless fermenters, but would contaminate all plastic or soft parts that come in contact with the beer post fermentation.
The grain, grain dust, and mashtun are covered in lactobacillus during a normal brew session. It is killed off during the boil.
That was the novel part of his process. By using the mash tun for souring and then transferring back to the kettle for a short boil, the bacteria are contained on the hot side of the brew equipment. Everything on the cold side is "bacteria free" as usual.