Vinegar Mothers

I'm curious if anyone makes vinegar, and specifically would be willing to part with a bit of their red wine mother? Anyone local to Atlanta would be fantastic!

Seems like there should be a 'mother swapping' thread on here.

Also, any pointers on a continuous cycle vinegar crock would be welcome.

Not to be a the bearer of bad news but...'round these parts, we thinks vinegar be what we doesn't want.

In fact, whats a vinegar mother?
-Jefe-

Eh, I was hoping to prey on the 'DIY', 'Home-maker' in all of us...

The mother is a giant pellicle of acetobactor that forms on top of un-pasteurized vinegar (usually when made in crocks).

I know... warnings of acetobactor in the brewery and all that. I'm a fool for doing it, but I know enough to keep my vessels and tools separate.

I was going to post in the wine & possibly cheese forums, but didn't want to get pinged for cross-posting.

My local homebrew shop sells the cultures for red wine, so I may just have to go that route.

Huh...well I'll have to add "vinegar mother" to vocabulary.

Well, good luck and......bump! Maybe somebody here might be able to help you out.

leviticus said:

Seems like there should be a 'mother swapping' thread on here.

Click to expand...

I don't know about a mother swapping thread, what about a SWMBO swapping thread

Hope someone on here can help you out

Wouldn't "vinegar mother in-law" be more accurate considering the bitter properties?

For the record my MIL rocks. We go to the GABF with my wife's folks

No need to buy a mother. Just mix a bottle of red wine, a good cup or two of unfiltered apple cider (Bragg should be available in every megomart), and a few cups of water. You can do the same thing for white wine or beer for malt vinegar. I do not have crocks so I use gallon clear pickle jars and keep then under the sink. They will need to breath so use some cloth to cover the top and secure it with a rubber band. Make sure you have a good seal so bugs cannot get in. I had fruit flies once and that was just gross. It will take a month or so for the mother to build up and turn the wine to vinegar. Once the mother is going just top off with more wine or beer every time you empty the jar.

Wow, thanks skawars1! I wasn't sure about using Braggs, just knowing that it's a particular 'type' of vinegar. I guess after a few batches, it won't really matter.

I found one of those 'drink containers' with the spout on it at the goodwill, so I'll be sanitizing and using it so I can draw of vinegar as I like, and pour in the leftovers of bottles of wine as I come across them...

I just need to be unfiltered. The Braggs bottle will say "includes the Mother"

You need to try malt vinegar too. All of my foodie friends love the stuff. Tastes nothing like what you buy at the store. Makes great vinaigrettes.

Thanks,

I've been meaning to try this with some Mead, but the Mother has been an issue. Hard to find, plus it hasn't been high on the priority list.

I will keep an eye out for the Bragg's, probably at the local Health Food store.

I like the Malt vinegar idea too.

I don't understand why more homebrewers aren't into vinegar making as well. Seems like there's a little fear of the unknown out there. I can't blame folks for being afraid after all the anecdotal stories of house infections. But I think a little education would dispel that IMO.

I've been saving the 'dregs' from my bottling bucket - just wait for the yeast to settle down again (after you bottle or keg the main part), then siphon the clear portion into a 1 gallon jug. Add ~1-2 ounces of unpastuerized vinegar (I like Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar, it's easy to find in the hippy-dippy section of the supermarket) Place some aluminum foil over the mouth... then wait. So far I've started 3 cultures like this without any issues. Note that the vinegar is a little like beer in that it needs to age a while before it reaches it's peak. Smells a little too sharp at first, better after ~2-4 months IMO.

And in case you're wondering: my beers don't taste nasty and they don't have any contamination from vinegar. The bogeyman doesn't take the form of acetobacter, he maybe a mothman*, or some dude with springy boots**... but no acidic twang in my homebrews unless I want it there. ...don't be afraid of a little bacteria running around your brewery, they're helpless w/o oxygen and they're already everywhere (as in: utterly ubiquitous on every surface of your brewery).

p.s. I live in a pretty dry area out west - average humidity is less than %15. Because of this I don't use muslin or cloth over my vinegar jar - there's just too much loss of liquid and ethanol / acetic acid. I took me a few false starts before I realized I was losing flavor and tartness to the excess evaporation. A lose foil cap has been working better. Also beware of infections in your vinegar, sounds weird but it happens. There are other related bacteria which can consume the acetic acid and turn it into C02. So use good sanitation and don't stick your finger into the vinegar to taste it.

- M

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothman
** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring-heeled_Jack

I've made vinegar also. We buy a cheap label of wine occasionally and that means bad bottles every so often. I leave the bad bottles on the window sill, open, for about 2 months and they turn into vinegar just like that. It's useable about 2 months after that. I love it.