WildBrew Philly Sour
Lallemand · wild · Dry
A single-strain souring yeast (Lachancea thermotolerans) that makes lactic acid and ethanol in one step — no bacteria, no kettle souring. Clean, fruity sourness that's far more predictable than Lacto or Pedio.
6 brews
About
A single-strain sour yeast (Lachancea thermotolerans) that produces lactic acid during fermentation without any bacteria, discovered in Philadelphia. Unlike traditional sour brewing with Lactobacillus or Pediococcus, it ferments and sours in one step, which makes sour beer accessible and predictable. The sourness is clean and fruity with low funk, and the acidity is moderate and controllable. Note that because it makes both ethanol and lactic acid from glucose, the usual OG/FG ABV formula slightly overestimates the real alcohol content.
Specs
- Attenuation
- 74–82%
- Flocculation
- High
- Temperature
- 20–35°C
- Optimal
- 25–30°C (warmer = more lactic acid)
- Alcohol tolerance
- 9% ABV
- Ferment time
- 5–10 days at optimal temp
- Pitch rate
- 100 g/hL; rehydrate or direct-pitch
- Form
- Dry
Recipe pairing
- Grains
- Light, fermentable grain bills; avoid heavily dextrinous malts to maximise acidity
- Hops
- Fruity hops; NZ varieties complement the citrus acidity
- Adjuncts
- Fruit added during fermentation increases acidity; fruit added post-fermentation adds flavour without more sourness
- Suited to
- Sour IPA, Berliner Weisse, Gose, Fruited Sour, Sour Blonde
Brewing tips
- Most of the lactic acid is made in the first 24–72 hours, so the final sourness is largely set early — pitch warm (25–30°C) for more acid.
- Do not repitch (its behaviour changes), and do not use it for bottle conditioning — use LalBrew CBC-1 instead.
- Mash lower and keep the grist simple for more acid; mash higher for less.
- For a drier finish, co-pitch a Saccharomyces strain (e.g. Nottingham, Voss) 24–48 hours after the Philly Sour.
- Not suited to high gravity (>1.070); alcohol tolerance is only ~9%.
Handling & storage
- Rehydration
- Direct-pitch at fermentation temperature, or rehydrate.
- Storage
- 2–8°C.
- Shelf life
- 2 years refrigerated.