Wild Yeast Experiment.

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xcrusader

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Okay, I saw a guy online who did this:

Take an organic apple and peel it, put the peel into a sugar solution and allowed fermentation to take place. Washed the yeast and used it for his cider.

My question is this: First and foremost, is this possible? Safe?

If it did work, what are the possibilities that this yeast would be a good yeast to use for a cider?

Right now I have had the peel in a sugar solution for about a week. It may just be my imagination, but the plastic soda bottle I had it in seemed harder to squeeze. I took out the peel and transfered the liquid to another bottle. I have put that in a warm place and hopefully it will continue to grow the yeast(if there are any). If it does grow them I will pitch it into a gallon of apple juice and see how it turns out.

Let me know if you guys have done anything like this or have any insights.
 
landhoney actually sat his fermenter, uncovered (except for cheesecloth) in an apple orchard and let it pick up all wild yeasts floating around there. he is attempting a lambic/gueze/whatever it turns out to be, and it looks like he's on the right track. Awesome experiment too! Let me try to dig up the link, its a good read if nothing else!

EDIT: Linkey to landhoney 'experiment' - https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=43888

I don't see how this is too much different as far as end results go - maybe even safer b/c you only get the wild yeast on the peel and not any/all floating in the air outside. I would get the yeast off the apple in a solution of what you plan to brew though (cider or beer)... not just regular sugar solution.

People ferment wine like this often (using only the natural yeast on the skins), I believe?
 
It's possible, safe and a roll of the dice. For a cider 99% of the time, you'll be fine.
 
Trying it with 1g of juice first sounds like a plan... If it ferments it out and tastes decent, then you know you have cultivated something decent, harvest it, and reuse it in a full-size batch.
 
sounds like a neat experiment. Would there be a change of acetobacter getting in there on the apple peal? I know it's probably all yeast on the peal, but personally I wouldn't want 5 gallons of apple vinegar.

btw, where are you at in IL?
 
z987k said:
sounds like a neat experiment. Would there be a change of acetobacter getting in there on the apple peal? I know it's probably all yeast on the peal, but personally I wouldn't want 5 gallons of apple vinegar.

That's why its a roll of the dice as david mentioned... aceto-vinegar is a possible outcome? I think if you read the landhoney post, he timed his ambient ferment in the orchard for a time when aceto was supposed to be at its lowest. And it looks like it worked...

Another good reason he is doing a trial of 1g first...
 
This is a good read:
http://www.babblebelt.com/newboard/thread.html?tid=1108752780&th=1187920498&pg=2&tpg=1&add=1

Specifically: "A comment on apple skin yeasts. I make at least one batch of fermented cider every year, I always naturally ferment. Well, actually I didn't last year, I pitched wine yeast. Lets just say that this year I'm back to the natural way. Anywho, usually the cider I ferment is made with apples that never touched the ground. I don't specifically avoid windfalls, but the orchard where I get my seconds only sells hand picked ugly ones ($5/half bushel!). I always get terrific fermentations by just squeezing and sealing the juice up in a carboy. It does not work fast, but it works well. Plenty of "good" yeast is hanging on the tree." - SteveG

And: "I'm not sure I can offer a direct comparison, I am using natural orchard yeasts but they are on the skins of the apples I press. So they are in solution immediately whereas you are relying in air born innoculation. But that being said I would expect a batch of cider to be frothy after a couple days tops. My results are very unbug-like though, I might go as far as to say clean (following a long stinky, sulfery fermentation period)." - SteveG

He get's very clean, good tasting fermentation from the apple skins in his cider. But as you can see he's just using the yeast that end up in the pressed juice, not trying to culture anything up. My advice would be to limit oxygen exposure when trying to make this apple skin starter, in hopes of avoiding acetobacter which must have O2 to work its 'magic'(?). ;) Good luck, I'd love to see how this works out.
 
I made a batch of white wine last September the natural way. I'd pressed about 3 gallons worth, and even though I'd used campden tablets I left it for awhile and it fermented out on its own. Still haven't bottled it yet, but it sure smells gooood.
 
Well, there are deffinitely yeast growing! It smells a little funky, but Its wild yeast... Tomorro I will go buy a gallon of apple juice and pitch in my yeast, I am really really really excited to see how long it takes, how low a FG it makes and how it tastes.... I'm pumped!!!!
 
Well.... I'm 3 days in to brewing w/ wild yeast.. It is working well and is actually fermenting quite well... I will keep you updated.
 
Right now I have Apfelwein (following Edworts directions to the T) fernting right next to my wild yeast experiment. The wild yeast took a day or so to start putting of a good amount of CO2. The wild yeast bubbled once for every time the apfelwein bubbled 3 times. Now it is once every 2 times. It is definately fermenting and it is gonna be really cool to see what happens!
 
the difference between wild and cultivated yeast is that the wild is not so tenacious. it could die ofter 21,22 degrees sentigrade.. good luck
 
The apfelwein is slowing a bit, but the Wild is still going strong. Now they are at a bubble ratio of 1:1. I CANT wait to see what happens... it smells good too, not wierd at all!
 
Well the apfelwein is already in bottles and the wild yeast experiment still hasn't cleared... I guess I will have to wait a few more weeks.
 
Here's exactly what you are talking about, this guy made a wild yeast starter that he has been using for 2 years with organic store bought apple juice and an organic apple with good results. He makes a sweeter cider that is very quick (only 2-3% abv) and it is consumed cloudy. Of course you don't have to make this quick cider, but it is a good way to make a wild yeast starter to have on hand.

Here is a quote from the following site:
http://www.eattheweeds.com/www.EatT...10/10/22_CIDER,_HARD,_BUT_QUICK_AND_EASY.html
Using wild apple yeast is taking a chance that the yeast will throw a bad flavor. On the other hand, using a champagne yeast can make the cider taste wine-ish. I opted for wild apple yeast and there was an easy solution at hand. When I first bought a gallon of organic cider at the same time I bought an organic granny smith apple. It could have been any organic apple, but the key is it was an organic apple that should have wild apple yeast on it. I did not wash it. I took my apple cider and apple home. I peeled the apple and put the peeling into the apple juice and put it in a warm, dark place. It took almost two weeks for the yeast on the peeling to multiply to the point I could see bubbles rising in the cider. But by three weeks I was on my way.

When I bottled that first batch of cider I kept the dregs, which were apple sediment, some juice, and a lot of yeast. I put that in a two quart soda bottle, added a couple of tablespoons of sugar, and kept it in a warm place, letting off the gas build-up every few days. One can also store it in the frig long term. Now when I buy a gallon of cider, all I have to do is pour off a half a cup of juice, add a half a cup of starter, and then put that half cup of juice into the starter bottle with a little sugar. That wild yeast has produced very well for me for over two years.

Also here is the guy's video of the same process.
[youtube]6Cybdxjf7ac[/youtube]
 
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