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Q: Is the wiki available in other languages, or can I translate the wiki into another language?
A: It would be great to translate the wiki into other languages, but the frequency of the changes to the wiki make this a difficult endeavor. Instead, we recommend using [httpshttp://translateitools.com/tool/google.com -translate-web-page-translator Google Translate]. Go to the Google Translate webpage, and paste in the wiki url on the left hand box (http://www.milkthefunk.com/wiki), and then select the language to translate the wiki to on the right hand side. Click "Translate", and then browse the wiki in the selected language.  ==Are there resources on judging sour beer?==Q: Are there are any resources to help me learn how to be a better beer judge for sour/wild beer styles? A: To get started being a better sour/wild beer judge, check out the [[Beer_Judging_Supplemental_Guide_-_Understanding_Flavors_and_Aromas_in_Sour_and_Mixed_Fermentation_Beer|Beer Judging Supplemental Guide]].
==My beer looks infected==
Q: My beer/starter/yeast slurry looks infected. What contaminated it and what do I do?
A: Usually, contaminated beers do not give favorable results. Exceptions occur rarely from wild contamination. If the contamination was from a cultured ''Brettanomyces'' or some other yeast that came from not cleaning/sanitizing equipment well enough and that yeast/bacteria originated from a yeast lab, then the contaminated beer might turn out well or ok because cultures from yeast labs are selected for their positive results. Otherwise, the chances of a wild contamination turning out good are very low. The best advice is to smell a sample of the beer, and if it does not smell good then dump the batch and brew a sour/funky beer on purpose (if the fermentation produces a fair amount of alcohol, it can be safely tasted after a month. See [[Wild_Yeast_Isolation#Safety|Safety]] for more information). If it smells good, the beer might be fine to package, ; however, even then your equipment will be exposed to the contaminating microbe(s) and there is no guarantee that the beer will continue to taste ok as it ages. Some contaminating microbes will slowly continue fermenting sugars in the beer and cause over-carbonation, bottle bombs, and increased off-flavors. So, the most pragmatic advice is to just dump it. If you choose to package the beer, keep the package cold so that the continued effects of the contamination are slowed as much as possible. Since the cost and time investments of a yeast starter/slurry are fairly low, it's best to just throw these out if they become infected and start over.
If you have space and time and want to simply learn what will happen with accidentally contaminated beer, then feel free to keep the beer in the fermenter and see how it evolves. Optionally, you could pitch Roeselare or some other [[Mixed_Cultures|mixed culture]] or [[Brettanomyces|Brett]] culture and see how it turns out after a few months. Brett can clean up some off flavors like diacetyl and acetaldehyde, but other off-flavors often won't be cleaned up by the Brett (like medicinal flavors and vomit/bile flavors). However, in the experience of most experienced sour beer brewers, this is not an efficient use of fermentation space. We recommend not wasting your time/fermentation space with accidental infections that show signs of off-flavors. Instead, use that space to brew an intentionally sour/funky beer and increase your chances of success.
(Please note that questions regarding accidental infections for beers that were intended to be clean beers are considered off-topic in the MTF Facebook group due to the number of these posts we would receive otherwise.)
 
==How do I catch wild yeast and/or bacteria==
Q: How do I catch wild yeast or bacteria?
 
A: There are a few methods for catching wild yeast and bacteria. Some of the advanced methods involve using agar to isolate individual colonies of yeast or bacteria, but less advanced methods can also be successful although these methods will usually contain mixed cultures of wild microbes. Read the [[Wild Yeast Isolation]] wiki page for more information.
 
Q: Can I set out a glass of beer or wine to catch wild yeast or bacteria to use to make sour beer or wine?
 
A: You can, but this method doesn't work very well unless you intend to make vinegar with the microbes that you catch this way. Wild yeast that is desirable for brewing doesn't generally grow very well in finished beer or wine. The alcohol and low pH prevent a lot of microbes from growing in beer and wine. Lactic acid bacteria generally don't grow well in finished beer or wine either unless they are already adapted to grow in beer or wine (see the [[Quality Assurance]] wiki page). When you leave a glass of beer or wine out in the open for a few days and a layer of microbes begins growing on top forming a [[Pellicle]], these microbes are acetic acid bacteria such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetobacter ''Acetobacter''] or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluconobacter ''Gluconobacter'']. These microbes grow in alcoholic beverages when oxygen is also present and use the ethanol as a food source while excreting acetic acid (vinegar) as a waste product. This can be a [https://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2008-12/making-vinegar-home/ good way to make vinegar], but not a good way to catch microbes that will taste good when fermenting out wort or must since acetic acid and acetic acid bacteria such as ''Acetobacter'' and ''Gluconobacter'' are not desireable for beer and wine fermentation. Read the [[Wild Yeast Isolation]] wiki page for more information on how to have better success at catching wild yeast or lactic acid bacteria.
==Is this mold==
A: The book "American Sour Beers" by Michael Tonsmeire has a great section on recipes. Also, we maintain a member-driven recipe database on Brewtoad: https://www.brewtoad.com/groups/milk-the-funk. We have a few recipes [http://www.milkthefunk.com/wiki/Category:Recipes here] as well.
 
==How do I clone commercial beer XYZ?==
Q: How do I clone commercial beer XYZ?
 
A: Cloning commercial "clean" beers is very difficult, but cloning sour/Brett/wild beers is next to impossible or impossible. So many variables play into how these beers come out, like the types and condition of the of barrels used, oxygen exposure, strain selection, pitching rates, pitching timing, blending, etc. You can't know all of these variables or even all of the techniques that a brewery used. Using their [[Commercial_Sour_Beer_Dregs_Inoculation|dregs]] might get you somewhere in the ballpark, but so many other variables come into play other than what microbes are still alive in the bottle. Instead, focus on learning about the microbes you are using. Learn what they do and how to best utilize them for your equipment and environment/equipment. Learning how to make good wild/Brett/sour beer takes a lot of time and practice. Every beer in this category is unique. Create your own techniques and make your own unique beers, and learn how to steer them in the direction that you want them to go. Making these types of beers is not about cloning commercial examples (taking inspiration from commercial examples is a good approach though), it's about finding your own route and your own voice to make something unique to you.
==Do I need separate equipment==
Q: Do I need separate equipment for Brett/Pedio/Lacto beers?
A: There are many different opinions on this, but we will state here the best balance between practical and cautious advice. [[Brettanomyces|''Brettanomyces'']] can be cleaned and sanitized just like regular yeast, and if a brewery is using a saison yeast known for causing contamination issues like [[Saccharomyces#Saccharomyces_cerevisiae_var._diastaticusDiastatic_strains_of_Saccharomyces_cerevisiae|diastatic strains of ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'' var. ''diastaticus'']] without contaminating other beers, then they will probably be successful using other wild yeast as well. Bacteria such as ''Pediococcus'' and ''Lactobacillus'' can be a little hardier, but they also still die from intense cleaning and sanitizing. Maintain a very good cleaning and sanitizing regimen (particularly regiment, and if it involves you can, use heat treatment of the equipment at 185°F140°F+ for 30 or 45 minutes). If you can do this, and you shouldn't need different fermenting vessels if they are glass, stainless steel, or kegging equipment. Plastic is prone to microscopic scratches and often can't withstand heat treatment, which can help bacteria survive cleaning/sanitizing regiments, so separate plastic fermenters for beers that have bacteria ([[Lactobacillus|''Lactobacillus'']] or [[Pediococcus|''Pediococcus'']]) in them should be considered, but may not be necessary. Since cold side plastic equipment such as auto siphons and hosing are cheap, it is recommended to go ahead and get separate plastic racking equipment, airlocks, bungs, keg tap tubing lines, etc. Equipment that can be boiled can be re-used for clean and sour beers.
See [[Mixed_Fermentation#Quality_Assurance_and_Avoiding_Cross_Contamination|Quality Assurance and Avoiding Cross Contamination]] for advice on brewing sours and clean beers together in a commercial brewery, as well as chapter 2, "Sanitation and safety" in "American Sour Beers" by Michael Tonesmeire. You can also make a [[Wort_Souring|Kettle Sour]] to avoid risking cold side equipment getting contaminated.
==Can I use a bucket==
Q: My [[Lactobacillus]] based beer did not turn out sour or even the least bit tart. Why?
A: The biggest factor leading to lack of souring while using Lacto is due to the amount of hops in your recipe. Even as much as 2-3 IBU's will inhibit lactic acid production. Try brewing or kettle souring with no hops. See [[Wort Souring]] for more information. For mixed fermentation sour beer, sometimes it will become sourer given enough time, but if you used less than 30 IBU of hops then you can try adding more commercial dregs from different sour beer producers (see [[Commercial Sour Beer Dregs Inoculation]]). If you used too many hops in the recipe, then the beer may never sour. Q: I tried to make a kettle sour, but it didn't sour. A: This can happen for a few reasons. Common mistakes are: using ''Lactobacillus delbruekii'' from White Labs, using hops, and souring at too warm of a temperature. read the [[Wort Souring]] wiki page for a full set of instructions on kettle souring.
==Why did my Roeselare beer not sour==
A: Use only fresh GoodBelly that has been stored cold, and don't bother making a starter. 1-2 shots (or 8 ounces from a 32 oz carton) is enough for ~5 gallons of wort (~20 billion cells for 5 gallons). The mango is generally preferred as it contributes very little flavor, but others can be used as well.
Q: I used probiotics and my beer didn't sorrysour. What happened?
A: This generally happens due to one or more of these three reasons:
==I have a question about kettle souring==
Q: How do I get started with kettle souring?
 
A: Check out our wiki page on [[Wort_Souring#Souring_in_the_Boiler_.28Kettle_Sour.29|kettle souring]] and our [https://www.milkthefunk.live/podcast/2018/4/2/episode-004-kettle-souring-with-adi-hastings-from-omega-yeast-labs podcast with Adi Hastings from Omega Yeast labs on kettle souring.].
 
Q: I used some hops and it didn't sour. Why?
# Sanitation is very important. Make sure the wort is boiled for at least a minute, and the sides of the boil kettle and lid are pasteurized/sanitized. Despite popular belief from many commercial brewers, using CO<sup>2</sup> is not necessary.
# For your first kettle sours, we recommend using a ''Lactobacillus plantarum'' culture of some sort. For commercial cultures from yeast labs, see the [[Lactobacillus#Culture_Charts|''Lactobacillus'' culture charts]]. For example, the [https://omegayeast.com/yeast/bacterial-cultures/lactobacillus-blend Omega Yeast Labs OYL-605] has had a lot of success among MTF'ers. Yogurt and probiotics have also become a popular source for fast souring Lacto; see [[Alternative Bacteria Sources]].
# If your wort develops a krausen or significant CO<sup>2</sup> production, then you probably have a yeast contamination. Lacto does not compete well with yeast, so the sourness might not be as much as you wanted. Sloppy sanitation practices can lead to yeast contaminations, but this has also been known to come from yeast lab products themselves (it's hard to prove the exact source of the yeast contamination unless you look at the Lacto culture under a microscope using [http://suigenerisbrewing.com/index.php/2014/08/07/your-home-yeast-made-easy-aseptic -techniques/ aseptic techniques]). See [[Wort_Souring#Dealing_With_Yeast_Contamination|Yeast Contamination in Kettle Souring]] for more information.
# Mold looks like patches of often fuzzy/hairy, off-white, green, red, or black growths on the surface of your beer. This can happen with kettle sours if your sanitation is not good enough. We recommend dumping kettle sours that have significant mold growth. See the [[Mold]] page for more details on the risks of mold.
# If you can't find the answers to your questions from these resources, feel free to ask your question in the MTF Facebook group.
# [https://www.milkthefunk.live/podcast/2018/4/2/episode-004-kettle-souring-with-adi-hastings-from-omega-yeast-labs Listen to our podcast with Adi Hastings from Omega Yeast labs on kettle souring.]
==What pitching rate do I use for Lacto or Brett==
Q: Can I repitch my sour yeast cake?
A: It Yes, but keep in mind that sometimes it is difficult to preserve the exact character of a blend, as the ratio of organisms will vary over time. Try repitching and see how you like the results. Pitching a fresh pitch of [[Saccharomyces]] yeast is a good idea. Read [[Mixed_Fermentation#Reusing_a_Sour_Yeast_Cake|this wiki page]] for more information.
==Should I make a starter for commercial blend ____==
Q: When will my beer be ready, or my beer is at 1.XXX---can I bottle/keg it? Can I blend it?
A: For first time sour beer brewers, no one can tell you when your beer will be ready; this is determined on a case by case basis due to the many variables involved. Only you can determine this. Despite internet rumors, sour or mixed/Brett fermentation beers don't always end up at or below 1.000 final gravity (some can end up quite a few points above that depending on the microbe selection and the wort composition) . There is also no set time frame when the beer will be ready to package. The best guide is a long-term stable gravity: if your gravity has remained stable between several readings, then your beer may be ready for packaging. However, since the different organisms involved in sour beer production grow at different rates, a beer that was stable over a short period may begin fermenting again. Ideally, you should look for stable gravity readings over a period of two months.  When blending (especially with a non-sour beer such as a clean Saison), it is best to rest the blend in a fermenter for two months to make sure the gravity is stable. Don't assume that a low gravity clean beer , such as a very dry Saison , won't further attenuate once blended with a sour beer with Brett in it.  If kegging instead of bottling, packaging after most of the wort has fermented but before the final gravity is reached is ok since kegs can hold the additional pressure, and the carbonation can be adjusted. Using a [https://byo.com/project/build-your-own-spunding-valve-to-carbonate-in-the-keg/ spunding valve] with a keg can help achieve the desired carbonation. See the [[Packaging]] page for details on how to package your beer.
The other factor to consider is : how does the beer taste? If it tastes good, and the gravity is stable, then you can package it. If the beer does not seem to have a mature flavor from the ''Brettanomyces'' and has off-flavors that need to age out, then feel free to age it longer. Some off-flavors will change even when bottled or kegged, but others (such as sulfur-based compounds) will need to dissipate out of the fermenter slowly over time.
For more information on bottling, see See the [[Packaging]] pagefor details on how to package your beer.
==I want to buy a ph meter==

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