NYCBrewGuy
Well-Known Member
Hi all,
I'm fairly new to brewing but since I live next door to a farmers market I decided to try something a little different. I made a yeast starter from pear and apple skins that I put in a sanitized bottle with some juice. After a week or so the yeast seemed to be working away, creating a think krausen and plenty of carbonation (I was using a soda bottle for the starter...). I pitched the starter to 2 gallons of fresh juice (50% pear, 50% apple) in a 5 gallon carboy (a lot of headspace but its all I have). 24 hours later I have a very thin krausen, the airlock is bubbling, and all seems OK. BUT, I am getting a sulphury smell from the airlock and I'm a little concerned I will end up with 2 gallons of vinegar.
Any words of wisdom or assurance? Also, after 10 days in the primary (if the krausen has subsided), I plan on racking to two 1-gallon glass jugs, keep it in the secondary 2 weeks or so, then bottling. Can I prime with apple juice? I like the idea of keeping this 100% wild and natural...
I imagine some of you have tried this and welcome any tips.
Thanks
I'm fairly new to brewing but since I live next door to a farmers market I decided to try something a little different. I made a yeast starter from pear and apple skins that I put in a sanitized bottle with some juice. After a week or so the yeast seemed to be working away, creating a think krausen and plenty of carbonation (I was using a soda bottle for the starter...). I pitched the starter to 2 gallons of fresh juice (50% pear, 50% apple) in a 5 gallon carboy (a lot of headspace but its all I have). 24 hours later I have a very thin krausen, the airlock is bubbling, and all seems OK. BUT, I am getting a sulphury smell from the airlock and I'm a little concerned I will end up with 2 gallons of vinegar.
Any words of wisdom or assurance? Also, after 10 days in the primary (if the krausen has subsided), I plan on racking to two 1-gallon glass jugs, keep it in the secondary 2 weeks or so, then bottling. Can I prime with apple juice? I like the idea of keeping this 100% wild and natural...
I imagine some of you have tried this and welcome any tips.
Thanks