Results of Spontaneous Fermentations

[jnacey]

I thought it would be interesting to compile some people's results with doing a true, spontaneous fermentation wherever they live. It might be useful to post general location and process so we can learn what does/doesn't work and try to improve our process.

I suppose I'll start.

Fairmount Section, Philadelphia, PA
I put a pot of boiled DME clocking in at around 1.030 with enough Magnum hops to impart 15 IBU (I think this may have been a problem). That was put outside on my roof deck overnight when the temperature dropped to around 40F. The next morning, the wort was poured into an erlenmeyer flask and set aside.

I had almost no activity for almost 2 months, and right when I was thinking about tossing it and starting over, I started to see a pellicle forming on top. After about another month, I gathered the courage to taste it. The pH had dropped down to the 4.0 area and the attenuation was around 50% so I figured it safe enough to taste.

Holy sheet was it SPICY. Super duper phenolic. Anyways, I decanted and then pitched fresh wort. Fermentation took off literally almost immediately. After around another month, I decanted and tasted again and I got a complete rubber / band aid flavor. The only thing that I can think that would have done that is the super phenolic yeast combining with chloramines in my water (I didn't add campden to the starter). Now, I've added fresh wort with (campden in it) to the yeast. Again it fermented almost immediately. This is where I currently am, around 4 months after initially inoculating my first wort.

If this starter doesn't shape up in a month or so, I'll redo without hops.

Any feedback/similar stories are appreciated.

 

[beergolf]

It is possible but very random. I tried it with good success, but also with several disasters.

Here is thread about my tries with some success.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/wild-yeast-capture-success-419725/

I am still using this yeast. It works great. I have used it about 6 times and it has produced some great brews.

 

[mnick12]

I have about 5.5 gallons of a pseudo-turbid mash spontaneously innoculated "lambic" fermenting right now.

I did a 4 hour boil and 4oz of aged hops. I let the beer cool overnight in the garden with a cheesecloth cover. The next day it was transfered to a better bottle and left alone. I didnt see any activity for 4 days, then over the next ~4 days there was an incredibly smelly bacterial fermentation. It has a gross soapy krausen and threw of some odd sulfur/vegetal smells. Under the scope it looked like mostly small rod shaped bacteria ( im guessing enteric bacteria from the smell). Anyway that subsided rather quickly and within a few days a new more vigourous fermentation began. This produced a krausen, and under the scope it is clearly yeast. Anyway this fermentation is subsiding and there are some interesting fruit esters being thrown off.

I have taken a bunch of pictures and will post a thread detailing this adventure once things progress farther, im only about a month in.

 

[jnacey]

I have about 5.5 gallons of a pseudo-turbid mash spontaneously innoculated "lambic" fermenting right now.

I did a 4 hour boil and 4oz of aged hops. I let the beer cool overnight in the garden with a cheesecloth cover. The next day it was transfered to a better bottle and left alone. I didnt see any activity for 4 days, then over the next ~4 days there was an incredibly smelly bacterial fermentation. It has a gross soapy krausen and threw of some odd sulfur/vegetal smells. Under the scope it looked like mostly small rod shaped bacteria ( im guessing enteric bacteria from the smell). Anyway that subsided rather quickly and within a few days a new more vigourous fermentation began. This produced a krausen, and under the scope it is clearly yeast. Anyway this fermentation is subsiding and there are some interesting fruit esters being thrown off.

I have taken a bunch of pictures and will post a thread detailing this adventure once things progress farther, im only about a month in.

I'm interested in doing some of the microscope work on mine, as well. Other than some microbiology in undergrad, I haven't done anything along those lines in years. Do you have any source that helps with microbe ID?

 

[mnick12]

I'm interested in doing some of the microscope work on mine, as well. Other than some microbiology in undergrad, I haven't done anything along those lines in years. Do you have any source that helps with microbe ID?

I am by no means a microbiologist, I just do this for fun. Right now all my identifications are a crap shoot. I just sort of guess based on morphology ( smell , does it make H2S? etc).

That being said in a month or two when most of the other bacteria are dead, I will be doing some differential work to try and isolate the lactic acid bacteria. My hope is find some pediococcus.

For simple viewing under the scope I stain with methylene blue. However when I get to the bacteria enumeration I will be doing gram staining.

 

[Dogue]

Coincidentally, I just started a "coolship" beer. I used 2-row, white wheat malt, rye malt, acidulated malt, mashed high and added rolled oats after the sparge. I used 4 oz. of aged hops for 5 gallons at the beginning of the boil, and right after knockout aerated and then transferred to a plastic bucket, which is now roosting on the roof. I plan on transferring the wort to a carboy tomorrow. I'll report back with results.

 

[mnick12]

Coincidentally, I just started a "coolship" beer. I used 2-row, white wheat malt, rye malt, acidulated malt, mashed high and added rolled oats after the sparge. I used 4 oz. of aged hops for 5 gallons at the beginning of the boil, and right after knockout aerated and then transferred to a plastic bucket, which is now roosting on the roof. I plan on transferring the wort to a carboy tomorrow. I'll report back with results.

Sounds good,

Just so you know, it took my spontaneous beer somewhere around 4 days to show ANY sign of fermentation. I was very tempted to add some dregs or yeast, and I am glad that I did not.

Just a warning the bacterial fermentation is NASTY, and very unsafe to sample/ taste test (not that you would want try any based on the way it smells...). I imagine sampling such a bacteria riden beer would likely give you the worst #3 in history.

However once the bacterial fermentation dies down and the yeast take over, things really begin to change. The local yeasts from my garden have thrown off some very "non-conventional" esters. I would describe them as grape or melon like in smell. That being said there is still an off note from the bacteria, but I expect that to dissipate once brett takes over.

I am very excited to see where this beer goes, and what bugs I can isolate from it. Let us know how yours turns out!

 

[Dogue]

Four days later, there is the first visible activity. I'll try to take photos daily to document it.

 

[mnick12]

Four days later, there is the first visible activity. I'll try to take photos daily to document it.

Sounds similair to mine. Be worned the first phase of fermentation STINKS, and is bacterial in nature. Just let it go, soon it will die down and the yeast will take over.

 

[Coff]

You and I have talked about this but I'll add to the info for the thread.

About 2 years ago I caught something in a mason jar of DME starter wort on the roof of my house in Fishtown Philly PA, it was nasty. I stepped it up a couple times and it was like licking melting plastic, blegh!

Just last week I pulled off 1.5 gallons from a 30IBU Saison I brewed with Pils/Oats/Wheat/Rye and pumped it into a SS hotel pan with a 3 gallon volume to let it sit next to an open window for as long as I could. It was pretty cold so the wort, obviously a super small volume, chilled to 35F in 10 hours so I racked it to a carboy since I was concerned it would freeze. 7 days later I had light activity, and tonight 8 days since the coolship U have a very active fermentation. I havent taken a whiff or a taste obviously but its working right now.

This was meant as a dry run for my bi-annual Lambic I brew next month, of which I planned to coolship 3 gallons. If things go well I will repeat this process, after I insulate my coolship a bit to slow the cooling process.

 

[jnacey]

You and I have talked about this but I'll add to the info for the thread.

About 2 years ago I caught something in a mason jar of DME starter wort on the roof of my house in Fishtown Philly PA, it was nasty. I stepped it up a couple times and it was like licking melting plastic, blegh!

What was the temp/time of year when you did this?

 

[Coff]

What was the temp/time of year when you did this?

January 17th 2015, it was ~28F that evening.

 

[jnacey]

I decanted my starter and dumped off the beer that had some rubber stopper type tastes to it, assuming that it was from clorophenols bonding during the fermentation.

For the new starter water, I added campden. The results are much better now after a couple of weeks. Really a nice phenolic saison. I'm going to continue building this one up.