ChrisKennedy wrote:Theoretically, Lacto D (which is what you would get from WL/WY) can only consume about 1% sugar (about 1P or .004 gravity points) before it produces enough lactic acid to shut itself down. Even heterofermentive lactobacillus strains still produce lactic acid at about a 50% rate, so they would max out at around 2P of attenuation before raising the acid content to a point where it can no longer function. They are not typically very hearty critters.
Even ignoring the practicality of reaching higher acid levels with lactobacillus, would you even want to? Lambics often roam around the 1% lactic acid mark, some more some less. If lactobacillus were to consume 5% of sugars, you would produce a beer anywhere from 2.5-5 times as sour as a "normal" lambic. Yeesh!
The experience Henning had is what I would expect from pitching just a lacto culture and letting it sit for multiple days, though I can't be sure since I didn't catch his OG. Some folks claim to have lacto eat away at most of their sugars, but I just don't think that is supposed to be possible, and it theoretically would produce such a sour beer that it would be unpalatable to even the biggest sour head.
All of this information is only as I understand it and I could easily be wrong. I look forward to a more informed person to correct me on anything or everything that I said wrong!
I'm reviving this tread. Where did you get this info? I believe you and all, just curious. I've read Jeff Sparrow's Wild brews, which is not exactly lacto focused, but it does have a decent bit about lacto, but it didn't get any of that. I just brewed a BW and I just don't see a bunch of stuff out there about lacto.
