Wild Yeast in my starter

I was making a batch of starter to sterilize in my pressure cooker and can for use later. I had extra starter left over and intended to just dump it later but I got busy then started brewing etc etc. Later that evening I went to finish my cleanup and I saw that some kind of fermentation was going on in my flask.





It doesn't have an unpleasant smell to it. In fact it has the smell of a London or Irish ale strain, both of which I had made within the last few months. I didn't sanitize the flask before adding the starter knowing I was going to sterilize it in the pressure cooker.

I can't decide if it's wild or somehow just residual yeast from one of my previous batches. If it is wild, should I harvest it and use it or just dump and sanitize it more thoroughly next time?

How did your left over wort wind up in your starter flask? Sounds a bit premeditated.

joety said:

How did your left over wort wind up in your starter flask? Sounds a bit premeditated.

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I was using the Erlenmeyer flask to measure the wort from a larger vessel (I mixed about 3 gal of wort in a kettle). I then transferred it from the Erlenmeyer to a canning jar. I wanted to get a consistent volume in each jar which is why I used the flask.

In truth, I was going to find a way to use the remainder but then forgot about it so it sat for about 16 hours and this is what I got.

The real danger is that it is the Budweiser strain that wafted through an open window. You certainly don't want that in your product.

joety said:

The real danger is that it is the Budweiser strain that wafted through an open window. You certainly don't want that in your product.

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ROFL, you're probably right. Although if it is the Schlafly strain, I probably wouldn't mind so much

No worries, I have the same risk here with the Miller Strain.