Changes

After the production of the wort, but before adding a culture of ''Lactobacillus'', some brewers like to slightly lower the pH of the wort before adding the ''Lacto''. This has several benefits, such as discouraging unwanted microbes that may have accidentally been introduced into the wort, and helping to prevent [[Lactobacillus#Foam_Degradation|Lactobacillus foam degradation]]. The idea is to get the wort down to a pH of 4.5-4.8 before adding ''Lactobacillus''. There currently is no formula for how much lactic acid to add to a volume of wort due to the different buffering capacities of wort and water, but using 1 mL of 88% lactic acid per .1 shift in pH for 5 gallons of wort is a good starting measurement. As an example, say that 5 gallons of wort has a pH of 5.0 just before pitching the ''Lacto''. Begin by adding 5 mL of food grade lactic acid to the wort for a target of 4.5 pH. Stir gently, then take another pH reading. Continue to add 1-2 mL of lactic acid until the wort has the desired pH. Once the desired pH is reached, pitch the ''Lacto'' culture. This small amount of lactic acid shouldn't have a much of an overall flavor impact.