Yeasts

What is the "real" difference between wild yeasts and lab cultured yeasts? Do wild yeasts really make a difference in the flavor of your beer?

If you are asking scientifically, I don't know. But, practically, they make a huge difference, not at all alike. Have you ever had a lambic or a sour beer? Those are what wild yeasts taste like.

I'm curious about what led to your question.

It depends on the genus of yeast, if the wild yeast you're speaking of are brett, pedio, lacto or other souring yeasts, yes it definately makes a difference, if your talking about wild saccharomyces strains, not so much.

All yeast, somewhere in their ancestry started out as "wild" of course, some yeast have had years of manipulation and mutation, etc. The dominant strain(s) of the wild yeast I captured from juniper berries is/are definately saccharomyces. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/can-i-culture-yeast-juniper-berries-169156/

Yeast plays a huge role in the flavor of the beer, go to white labs site and check out all the different varieties. Be careful with wild yeast, you may end up catching something that you don't want in your beer.

And what do you mean by "real" difference anyway? What's the "unreal" difference you are thinking of?

Thank you for the replies, I'm trying to expand my homebrewing knowledge into culturing yeasts and find ways to capture wild yeasts for a little experimentation; as for the difference in flavors from yeast I guess I was looking for "night and day" and so far that's what I'm being told. I've only used liquid yeasts from White Labs and Williams Brewing. I have had Lambics before but never really cared too much for them. Being deployed in Afghanistan makes it hard to get to a steady source of internet connection as well information, I'm just trying learn the basics and when I get home I can implement what I learn.

Found this thread that might be interesting or helpful to you https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f127/howto-capture-wild-yeast-101886/

Stay safe, Halv.