Bacteria

Adding bacteria to your brewing recipes sounded like the ramblings of a lunatic at one time, but now, everybody’s doing it. Bacteria, or at least the correct strains of bacteria, can create intriguing, complex, enjoyable and delicious flavours and characters in your beer. The use of bacteria in beer has been around for centuries, but we’re only just now realising the true scope of how each bacteria can be harnessed and used.

Bacteria can make beers sour, dry them out, or add farmhouse and farmyard characters. They’re used more frequently in Belgian and European beer styles, but in recent years there has been an explosion of interest in kettle soured styles, and beers that have had bacteria inoculated into the wort to add even more flavour and complex potential.

Have a go. We dare you.

What is Bacteria Used For in Brewing?

Using bacteria to create lactic acid in the brew enables brewers to create sour beers, and beers with funky aromas and characters. Kettle sours are made in this way, as are Philly Sours and many other sour beers that are not aged for long periods of time in order to be organically inoculated.

Different types of bacteria create different flavour profiles. Lactobacillus Helvetica, for example, will create a much more citrus-forward flavour than Lactobacillus Plantarum, the strain of bacteria found in WildBrew’s Sour Pitch used for a more clean and pure sour flavour.

Lallemand WildBrew Pitches

Innovations in the Lallemand lab have led to the WildBrew series of bacteria pitches, made especially for homebrew and microbrewery uses. Each pitch pack is filled with a combination of Lactobacillus bacteria and a bioengineered Saccharomyces Cerevisiae yeast called Mascoma Sourvisiae that can produce lactic acid and ethanol simultaneously.

What does this mean? It means making sour beer has never been simpler. 

Pitching a WildBrew Sour Pitch, Helvetica or Philly Sour means gaining the alcohol-producing and unique flavours and aromas of the yeast, and the effective sour Lactic acid creation from the bacteria—plus individual flavours generated by the bacteria too.

At one time it was difficult and time consuming to try and home brew a Flanders Red or a Berliner Weisse. Traditionally, many of these styles rely on spontaneous inoculation, which as a home brewer, is inconvenient. With the ease and efficiency of WildBrew pitches, it’s as simple as any other brew you might try your hand at, with only one extra step in the brewing process to take care of.

Unlike spontaneous or organic inoculation, WildBrew pitches are trustworthy and consistent options, with reliable purity. You know exactly what you’re pitching, and what results to expect.

For more information on the Get Er Brewed range of brewing with bacteria, please get in touch. Our team of professional brewers will be more than happy to help.