Successful (I think) wildish ferment

[Shawn Lewis]

As an experiment, and because I ran out of packaged yeast, I made a starter out of boiled sugar water. I threw in a couple sections of oak dowel that I have used in brews in the past, and some dandelion tops. Shook it up really well.

That was yesterday afternoon. Last night I noticed some foam.

This morning, it's bubbling steadily.

So fun. I will let it finish fermenting, then wash it and stash it in the fridge. So fun!

 

[RPh_Guy]

You're going to use this to make some sort of wine?

 

[Shawn Lewis]

Probably beer. So far I haven't had much trouble using wine yeast to make beer.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I'd love if you could share your experiences with wine yeast in beer, including apparent attenuation, yeast strain, flavors, and anything else you think is interesting!

Wild microbe cultures:

• Will likely give a relatively low attenuation, around 40-60% AA
• Will very likely produce phenolic flavor
• Will definitely contain bacteria, which may cause some sourness, depending on the hopping rate (for LAB) and oxygen exposure (for AAB)
• Will definitely contain a mix of yeast species/strains, some of which may be slow but high attenuating. Because of this, bottling on a short time-frame could be problematic (over carbonation).
• May be more prone to contaminating future beers, depending on your cleaning procedure

 

[Shawn Lewis]

This is my first time messing with wild yeast, so I don't know anything about that.

And as far as yeast goes, I have yet to notice a difference in flavor among different yeasts (at all). Some yeasts are quicker, some slower. That's the only difference I've noticed.

But I'm still new, and brewing is not enough of a priority in my life to give it the kind of attention that it might take to notice such things.

Probably, I'm not a good reference.

 

[RPh_Guy]

This is my first time messing with wild yeast, so I don't know anything about that.

It's not my first time, so I wanted to make you aware of those points.

 

[Shawn Lewis]

Most everyone is respectful in these forums, but, honestly I find people here pretty unwelcoming of anything that doesn't fit within whatever is considered orthodox. (The conversations I've read in here about the topic of not using hops, for instance, make most everyone in those conversations seem like frightened little boys.) For hardcore brewers looking to make a saleable product, maybe that's perfect, but I'm not that.

I make beer/wine/mead/whathaveyou purely for fun, mostly without a need for anything resembling perfection. I have other things that give my life meaning. Much more of a hobbyist. In fact, my recent forays into all grain BIAB make me think I'll take a step back into extract brewing, again.

I like to experiment because that's how I am and although I do ask specific questions to get specific answers, people seem to feel an irresistible need to educate me regardless of whether it is in the scope of my question. In this case, I didn't even ask a question.

It makes it unpleasant. Mostly I come here looking for someone to cheer me on and be like "Hey, that's cool. Me, too,"...something supportive and encouraging. If I want an education, I'll definitely ask for one.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Sounds fun. Cool stuff. Good luck, hope your bottles don't explode.

 

[Hayden123982]

Hey, that's cool.

 

[danimal92sport]

That actually does sound cool, and I also hope your bottles don’t explode. Keep us updated! Wild yeast brews sound cool, but I’m also afraid of ruining 5gal of beer and maybe some equipment and maybe my wood floors.

Dan

 

[isomerization]

As an experiment, and because I ran out of packaged yeast, I made a starter out of boiled sugar water. I threw in a couple sections of oak dowel that I have used in brews in the past, and some dandelion tops. Shook it up really well.

That was yesterday afternoon. Last night I noticed some foam.

This morning, it's bubbling steadily.

So fun. I will let it finish fermenting, then wash it and stash it in the fridge. So fun!

Not saying you didn’t grab wild yeast from the dandelion, but I would be cognizant of the likelihood that you inoculated your starter with commercial yeasts you’ve used in the past.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Not saying you didn’t grab wild yeast from the dandelion, but I would be cognizant of the likelihood that you inoculated your starter with commercial yeasts you’ve used in the past.

He doesn't want to be "educated".