COLObrewer

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I want to brew a new concept beer with it, Poor Scots Strong Ale.

Do I simply make a starter wort and drop the whole berries in?

Or, is it better to just set some wort out near the juniper trees for a week?

Is it going to be Saccharomyces cerevisiae?

Is it going to have bacterium in it?

How do I get the bacterium separated?

Thanx all!!!

DaveO

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Wow I thought you were smoking something when I first read this. But it is a source of a yeast culture, I don't know what or which. Check out this discussion in a sourdough forum - Juniper Berry Yeast
Wild stuff, it sounds like it is difficult to culture to a strong stand, but I wonder if sugars were used instead of starches (flour), could it be easier.

Dave:-)

ReverseApacheMaster

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I have no idea what kind of yeast that would be, but I think feeding it DME rather than flour would get a lot better reaction.

As far as the bacteria goes, I suspect spraying the berries down with starsan would kill the bacteria and leave the yeast. Or -- absent anything to kill the bacteria, it might work the same way as culturing wild yeast from the air.

There's only one way to find out -- experiment.

You might also want to post this in the lambic section. Those are probably your best experts on the subject.

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qvantamon

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Maybe drop them in a heavily hopped starter (so it inhibits bacteria)?

COLObrewer

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That's an interesting read, thanx for the suggestions, I think I'll first try to place the berries in a starter wort and see what happens. A week should give me what I want, if there is yeast then, I will wash and store it for the Poor Scots Ale.

Keep on brewing my friends

pjj2ba

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Put the berries in a starter and treat it as they do for fruit for making wine. I believe they treat with metabisulfite to kill the bacteria. Or just sulfur? Hopefully a wine maker will chime in. Yooper?

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StAnthonyB

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If the berries have that white layer on them give them a try.


If it's in your capacity make an agar plate and gently swipe the berry across the sample. And, when the sample grows. Take a look at what you got. You'll be able to discern this from that.

COLObrewer

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Well, I drove out back today to find some juniper berries:


A good candidate, if you look closely you can see some of the berries that I rubbed off the yeast from (green spots on them):


There were also some of last years on the ground that still had yeast on them:


So I harvested a few from the tree and some from the ground, placed in my 2qt starter jar:


Boiled up some DME (10 minutes) with some colorado hops of unknown variety:


Cooled, aerated and poured on the berries, wort was 1.027SG from amber DME:


If this works I plan to use it for this:http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/poor-scots-strong-ale-168864/

Brew on my friends

jgln

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If it makes it taste like gin I don't think I would like it.

SumnerH

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Starsan will kill the yeast, too.

It's only when it's diluted down to really low concentrations (also nonlethal to bacteria) that starsan becomes yeast friendly.

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