Isolate and use wild yeast

[The_italian_cider_maker]

Hi all!
I tried to obtain a cider fermented with wild yeast and it seems to have a nice result.

How can I isolate the wild yeast and reuse it for the next season?
Is it enough to put a small quantity of cider in the fridge and use it to start the fermentation in the new batches?

Thank you all!

 

[bernardsmith]

It should be enough to leave aside a small quantity and use that as your yeast starter but each time you use this starter the results may vary and that is because you may have a variety of strains in solution and some strains may dominate and others may languish depending on the the nutrients in the juice, the pH of the juice and temperature etc. Worst that can happen is that the batch you want to make next may not turn out as well as the batch that turned out best... OR the next batch may be even better... Good luck!

 

[Miraculix]

Best thing would be to get apples or juice from the exact same location again and use the native yeast again that's already on the fruit... That's the beauty of wild brewing!

 

[bernardsmith]

But the exact same location will be subject to a different harvest, possibly different apples, different weather etc. That's what makes the vintage of a wine critical and different vintages of the same variety of grapes so very different year to year to year.

 

[Miraculix]

But the exact same location will be subject to a different harvest, possibly different apples, different weather etc. That's what makes the vintage of a wine critical and different vintages of the same variety of grapes so very different year to year to year.

Exactly. That's what I meant with the beauty of wild brewing

It cannot be redone.

 

[Kees]

Freeze some of the lees.

 

[The_italian_cider_maker]

Freeze some of the lees.

Thanks @Kees. Do the lees contain the yeast? I was thinking they're only the dead yeasts.

 

[Kees]

Yes they do. Some people make sourdough with it.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/uses-for-lees.506266/

 

[wasully]

Pretty difficult. It's not just one wild yeast that ferments. It's both a succession and smorgasbord of different yeasts. Some that die at 1-2% abv, some at 4%, etc that all ferment simultaneously.

Hard to manage mixed cultures like that.