serendipitous yeast farming

so i am a slacker about cleaning up after i brew and i left my hydro sample sitting in the garage after brewing last weekend. i went in there today (about 4 days after brewing) and the hydro had dropped significantly (1.064 to about 1.020) and there was a huge krausen on top of the sample tube, not to mention a steady stream of bubbles coming to the top... the sample was taken prior to pitching the yeast, so I'm curious to know what is the yeast responsible for colonizing the sample? i read in the stick that sacc takes 2 weeks to show up... could it be that? the sample smelled OK, i didn't have the gusto to taste it... but i'm thinking this could be a good way to get a wild brew going... keep stepping up from the original hydro sample... any thoughts?



please forgive the busch light can...

Where did you open / pitch the yeast? Did you sanitize the hydrometer / flask before pouring in the wort?

I've found that yeast are pretty darn tricky... I mean, come on, they've been around a billion years or so, right?! They can go dormant and "live" a LONG time in cracks, crevices, and even airborne. So, what MAY have happened is that some yeast from a previous sample was left in the tube or on the hydrometer and when it was placed in the nice, warm wort in the nice, warm garage, it decided that it would just live there and do its thing. Or, it could have even come from when you opened the yeast.

Or, it may be that you've picked up a yeast from your garage. That is a little less likely but entirely possible. It doesn't take 2 weeks to get Sacc, it could take as little as a few minutes if it is floating by and settles into your wort.

Don't know if that helps at all but that's my take.

that's a good point about old yeast living in the tube. i know for at least one of my first few brews, i pitched the yeast first and then took a hydro sample after the fact. but that was probably 2 months or more ago... point taken though.

Even taking a hydrometer sample from the "cleared" beer will give you a lot of yeast, enough to start fermentation, at least.

It could be any strain of wild yeast and/or bacteria. Taste it! If it's good, then you've got a good strain. Fruit flies can turn it to vinegar, though, so protect it if you're really hoping that this works out.

Bugs are everywhere.

yeah, i think next time i brew, i'll try this again and then try to step up the resulting fermentation and see if it's a decent strain... maybe try a farmhouse with it or something.