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Sources for Lactic Acid Bacteria, especially ''[[Lactobacillus]]'', are available in various forms such as unpasteurized products and probiotics. This page contains a list of sources that Milk The Funk members have experimented with, and their results. Note that the production of products such as probiotics may not be as sanitary as brewing industry yeast manufacturers, so without isolating these bacteria on agar plates, they cannot be considered pure cultures. Methods contained on this page use only materials that a typical homebrewer would have on hand and are geared towards brewers without agar plating capabilities. For information on isolating pure cultures of ''Lactobacillus'' with selective media on agar plates, see the [[Lactobacillus#Selecting_for_on_Agar|''Lactobacillus'']] and [[Wild_Yeast_Isolation|wild yeast isolation]] pages. For more information on using ''Lactobacillus'' to sour wort or kettle sour, see [[Wort Souring]]. For more information on mixed fermentation, see [[Mixed Fermentation]].

[[File:Green_man_berliner.jpg|thumb|Mike Karnowski from Green Man Brewery Blueberry Berliner Weisse made from a yogurt starter]]''Yogurt Souring'' refers to the method of souring wort using unpasteurized yogurt. Greek yogurt is often made with ''Lactobacillus acidophilus'', a lactic acid producing bacteria that is also associated with some health benefits <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_acidophilus Lactobacillus acidophilus Wikipedia page. Retrieved 3/3/2015.]</ref>. Using cultures of ''L. acidophilus'' from yogurt reportedly can make a 3.0-3.5 pH sour wort in 24 hours, without producing vomit/fecal flavors and aromas. To sour 5 gallons of wort with yogurt, make a 1 liter batch of unhopped starter wort the day before brew day. Add 2-4 teaspoons of live yogurt to the starter wort. Maintain a 100-110°F (37.8-43.3°C) temperature for about 24 hours. On brew day, and after the 24 hour sour starter is finished, mash and sparge a low IBU wort as normal, boil for a few minutes, and then chill the wort down to 100-110°F (37.8-43.3°C). Pitch the yogurt starter into the wort, and hold the temperature as close to the 100-110°F (37.8-43.3°C) range as possible. Bubbling CO2 through the wort is advised if possible to prevent potential off flavors, but is not required. Within 24 hours, the wort should be down in the 3.x pH range. Boil the wort, adding any hops that the recipe calls for, yeast nutrient, etc., and then cool the wort down to Saccharomyces pitching temperatures. Bob's your uncle! <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1029598090401738/?comment_id=1030074730354074&offset=0&total_comments=25 Conversation with Mike Karnowski of Green Man Brewery on the MTF Facebook group. 3/3/2015.]</ref> Many strains of ''L. acidophilus'', which is one of the more common species of ''Lactobacillus'' found in yogurt, produce toxins that can kill other species of ''Lactobacillus''. See [[Lactobacillus#Bacteriocins|''Lactobacillus'' bacteriocins]] for more information.

[[File:Sourgrains.jpg|thumb|100px|Derek Springer's grain starter]] If the brewer wants to use the LAB found naturally on the husks of grains, and doesn't want to risk pitching grains into the entire batch of wort, a Lacto starter culture with grain can be made. The benefit of this is that if the culture contains any vomit, fecal, or putrid aromas, it can be thrown away and tried again. If the starter needs to be dumped, try again with a different malt source; microbial populations can vary greatly between maltsters, harvest years, and malt type <ref>[[Grain#Microbial_Populations_on_Barley|Microbial Populations on Barley]]</ref>. The following is [http://www.fivebladesbrewing.com/lactobacillus-starter-guide/ Derek Springer's grain starter processon the Five Blades Brewing blog] <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1050331444995069/?comment_id=1050399004988313&offset=0&total_comments=18&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R9%22%7D Conversation with Derek Springer on Milk The Funk. 4/4/2015.]</ref>:

# After 2-3 days, strain the grains out using a colander. If no off aromas are detected, pitch the entire starter into the wort using one of the methods described on the [[Sour WortingWort Souring]] page. If the starter is not going to be used right away, storing it in the fridge for up to a couple of weeks should be fine. If the starter still smells sweet/vegital then it should be ok to use. However if the starter starts to produce aromas of feces or vomit, do not use it <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1474146382613571/?comment_id=1474383142589895&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R4%22%7D Conversation with Bryan of Sui Generis Blog on MTF. 11/18/2016.]</ref>.

If the starter is :'''Safety note''': do not going to be used right away, storing it in the fridge for up to a couple of weeks should be finedrink wort from grain starters. If the starter still smells sweet/vegital then it should be ok to useIt has been reported that wort soured from grain often carries live ''Salmonella bongori'' for at least two days after souring, which is associated with non-lethal food poisoning. However if the starter starts to produce aromas of feces This microbe will die during or vomit, do not use it <ref>after primary fermentation See [[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1474146382613571/?comment_id=1474383142589895&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R4%22%7D Conversation with Bryan of Sui Generis Blog on MTF. 11/18/2016.Grain#Malt_Inoculated_Wort|Malt Inoculated Wort]]</ref>. It is probably not always safe to consume any of the grain starter until after it has become beer (see and [[Wild_Yeast_Isolation#Safety|Wild Yeast Starters and Safety]])for more information.''

# Add the entire starter to wort using one of the methods described on the [[Sour WortingWort Souring]] page.

# After fermentation finishes, add the entire starter to the wort. Reference the [[Sour WortingWort Souring]] page for further brewing procedures.

Some commercial [https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-790-lactobacillus.aspx?activeingredientid=790&activeingredientname=lactobacillus probiotics ] have been successfully used to produce ''Lactobacillus'' cultures (many brands have also failed at providing usable bacteria according to some homebrewers <ref>[http://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/32tny4/probiotic_lacto_for_souring/cqej952 Conversation on Reddit. April 2015.]</ref>). Probiotics that are classified as "dietary supplements", as opposed to "drugs", may not be as free of contaminates as pure cultures from brewing industry yeast labs <ref>[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3294522/ Regulatory Oversight and Safety of Probiotic Use. Veena Venugopalan, Kimberly A. Shriner, and Annie Wong-Beringer. Nov 2010.]</ref>. The following probiotics are examples of brands, methods, and results that MTF members have had <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1075891152439098/ Conversation on MTF about using Probiotics. 5/22/2015.]</ref>. Dried forms of ''Lactobacillus'' should be stored refrigerated because viability has been seen to decrease as much as 80x when stored at room temperatures <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1067614393266774/ Conversation with Bryan of Sui Generis Blog on Milk The Funk. 05/04/2015.]</ref>. Use only fresh products whenever possible (viability of ''Lactobacillus'' drops quickly over time in general), avoid products that have been stored at room temperature (pill and liquid format), and don't bother using expired products <ref>[http://goodbelly.com/faq/ GoodBelly FAQ. Retrieved 07/23/2016.]</ref>. Making a starter is a good way to ensure that the cells are still viable.

See [http://suigenerisbrewing.blogspot.ca/2015/07/choosing-right-probiotics-for-souring.html this Sui Generis Blog article on which Probiotics to avoid based on the genera of microbes they contain]. Probiotics should have their contents listed plainly on their packaging. Avoid probiotics for animals as they tend to contain organisms that produce off-flavors such as ''Enterococcus'', ''Clostridium'', or ''Bacillus'' <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1195902047104674/?comment_id=1195949307099948&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D Conversation with DeWayne Schaaf on MTF. 12/17/2015.]</ref>. If [[Wort Souring|souring wort]], also avoid any probiotics that have ''Saccharomyces'' species in them because lactic acid bacteria can have a tough time quickly producing acidity if it is competeing with an active yeast fermentation.

===MTF "Reverse Kettle SourMTF Method"===Devin Bell has experienced getting good sourness by co-pitching probiotics with ''L. plantarum'' with yeast, or even after primary fermentation (also known as the "Reverse MTF Sour"). In the case of pitching ''L. plantarum'' after fermentation, the beer turned out like a sour saison, where as co-pitched makes for a better Berliner Weisse or Gose style beer. This has also improved head retention in his beers. Using no hops seems Moved to be required in order to get acid production from the ''L. plantarum'' probiotics after primary fermentation. Devin clarified that his "best success" is pitching ''S. cerevisiae'' saison strain with a selection of [[Mixed_Fermentation#Souring_Without_Brettanomyces|Mixed Fermentation; Souring Without ''Brettanomyces'' for primary fermentation. After 5-7 days of fermentation, he pitches ''L. plantarum'' (2 shots of GoodBelly or 1 package of Omega Labs OYL-605 for 5-6 gallons of beer) <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1739156616112545/?comment_id=1739183316109875&reply_comment_id=1739749539386586&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D Devin Bell. Milk The FunkFacebook group. 06/30/2017.]</ref>. Once terminal gravity is reached (1.002-1.004), he bottles right away. The bottles can be served at 8 weeks in the bottle, but start to peak at 24 weeks. This process is really more of a short term [[Mixed Fermentation]] <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1562696320425243/?comment_id=1562702310424644&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R0%22%7D MTF discussion with Devin Bell on "reverse MTF kettle sour. 01/26/2017.]</ref>. See also [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1217518078276404/ this thread by Devin Bell] and [https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1728489143845959/ this thread by Caroline Whalen Taggart].

* For GoodBelly shots, only 1-2 shots (or 8 oz from a 32 oz carton) for 5 gallons of wort are needed (~20 billion cells for 5 gallons). That scales to a 1.5 - 2 cartons per BBL for the commercial scale (although some have reported that just over 1 carton per BBL is enough; freshness plays a factor) <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1821240741237465/ Various MTF Members. Milk The Funk thread on how many cartons of GoodBelly to use. 09/14/2017.]</ref>. If using ''fresh'' GoodBelly that has been stored cold, don't bother making a starter (by checking to see if the pH gets lower, a starter will tell you if the bacteria is goodviable, but it will also increase the possibility of contamination). Mango is the preferred flavor because it imparts little flavor to the beer, but others can be used as well <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1390440970984113/ Conversation on MTF about how many GoodBelly shots to use for kettle souring. 08/29/2016.]</ref>.

* Both liquid and pill format probiotics are extremely shelf unstable. They should be stored cold. Liquid probiotics may not be viable after two weeks of cold storage (see expiration date on the package). If liquid or pill format probiotics are stored at room temperature or warmer for any length of time, they may not be viable and a starter is recommended to see if they will acidify wort <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1448945931800283/?comment_id=1448963338465209&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R22R4%22%7D Conversation with Devin Bell about storage and viability of probiotics. 10/25/2016.]</ref>. Note that [[Lactobacillus#Culture_Charts|cultures from brewing labs]] have reportedly better shelf lives than probiotics <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1457254734302736/?comment_id=1458550380839838&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D Conversation with Malcolm Frazer on MTF regarding shelf life of OYL Lacto. 11/03/2016.] </ref>.

The microbiome of kombucha SCOBYs varies from culture to culture. They can include various yeasts, including ''Saccharomyces'', ''Saccharomycodes'', ''Schizosaccharomyces'', ''Zygosaccharomyces'', ''Brettanomyces/Dekkera'', ''Candida'', ''Torulospora'', ''Kloeckera'', ''Pichia'', ''Mycotorula'', and ''Mycoderma''. They also commonly contain some sort of acetic acid bacteria such as ''Gluconobacter'', ''Gluconacetobacter'', or ''Acetobacter'' species, which form the "leather pancake"-like SCOBY of kombucha. Some kombuchas (30%) have also been found to have species of ''Lactobacillus'' <ref>[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1541-4337.12073/full A Review on Kombucha Tea—Microbiology, Composition, Fermentation, Beneficial Effects, Toxicity, and Tea Fungus. Rasu Jayabalan, Radomir V. Malbasa, Eva S. Loncar, Jasmina S. Vitas, Muthuswamy Sathishkumar. 2014.]</ref>.  Reports so far seem to indicate that fermenting with limited exposure to oxygen produces better results. Since SCOBY's contain ''Acetobacter'', fermenting with exposure to too much oxygen produces a very vinegar tasting beverage. Another approach is to ferment with exposure to air until the beer tastes as acidic as intended and then use an airlock to stop the aerobic fermentation; this will allow the ''Acetobacter'' to be more active and have a greater affect effect on the flavor of the beer since it needs oxygen in order to ferment <ref>Private correspondence with Ron Davis by Dan Pixley. 07/06/2017.</ref>. Another method for controlling the amount of acetic acid is blending finished kombucha with finished beer.

* [[Sour WortingWort Souring]]