greenbirds
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 15, 2008
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- 441
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I pitched 4 bottles worth of dregs into about 50 ml of 1.020 wort with a tiny pinch of Wyeast yeast nutrient. After about 40 hours on a stirplate @ 75 F it began fermenting. Smelled fine.
I pitched this into 500 ml of 1.025 wort with another pinch of nutrient. Began fermenting in a few hours and went to completion, but let loose MASSIVE amounts of hydrogen sulfide. I mean, the smell was almost enough to make me vomit. Hoping it would clean itself up, I let it sit out for about 24 hours (foil over the flask, of course). No change. I figured it was lost.
Somehow, though, I just mustered the courage to taste it before before dumping it out, and lo and behold it tasted fine -- like a standard yeast starter.
What are your thoughts? Is it possible I cultured the yeast, but got a nasty, H2S-producing infection alongside it? Or perhaps I cultured a wild yeast? Would 40 hours have been enough for a wild yeast to multiply to such concentrations?
I pitched this into 500 ml of 1.025 wort with another pinch of nutrient. Began fermenting in a few hours and went to completion, but let loose MASSIVE amounts of hydrogen sulfide. I mean, the smell was almost enough to make me vomit. Hoping it would clean itself up, I let it sit out for about 24 hours (foil over the flask, of course). No change. I figured it was lost.
Somehow, though, I just mustered the courage to taste it before before dumping it out, and lo and behold it tasted fine -- like a standard yeast starter.
What are your thoughts? Is it possible I cultured the yeast, but got a nasty, H2S-producing infection alongside it? Or perhaps I cultured a wild yeast? Would 40 hours have been enough for a wild yeast to multiply to such concentrations?