Ok, I know that the subject of how to capture wild yeast has been covered extensively on this forum, but my question is a little different. I was thinking of brewing a blueberry wild ale into which I would pitch several pounds of blueberries instead of brett into secondary. Has anyone ever tried this? I think it would be a fun experiment, but I'd like a little input if there's any to get. Cheers!
Using fruit in lieu of brett
- Thread starter bigdoug37
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I don't really understand what you're asking. You're going to put blueberries in the beer instead of brett? That doesn't make sense to me. Blueberries are a fruit, brett is a yeast. I feel like that's kind of like me saying "I'm going to put tomatoes in this soup instead of cooking it." I guess I just don't see how blueberries and brett are similar? Are you trying to get wild yeast and bacteria from the blueberries? I guess you may be able to do that, but you'll have no idea what sort of bugs will be on the blueberries (if any at all).
Like I said, experiment. Yes, I want to use whatever wild yeast happens to be on the blueberries. If there's nothing on them, what harm will there be? I can still pitch brett down the road. I'm curious if anyone on here has tried this. More clear? I clearly picked up on your sarcasm.
Oh ok, that makes sense. Maybe I was just a little slow to pick that up. I've never tried anything like that myself, but like I said you could have pretty much anything on the blueberries. And not all wild bugs make pleasant flavors. It would definitely be an experimental batch like you said. I probably wouldn't try it with a full 5 gallons, but it could be worth a shot.
Weezy
Well-Known Member
Macerate the berries first, obviously.
Look for a pellicle and/or fuzzyislands to appear on the top of the beer in a few weeks. A film/pellicle is good...fuzzy islands are bad.
Keep it in the mid to low sixties if you can. It will slightly help deter bacteria vs. The wild yeast.
Good luck!
Look for a pellicle and/or fuzzyislands to appear on the top of the beer in a few weeks. A film/pellicle is good...fuzzy islands are bad.
Keep it in the mid to low sixties if you can. It will slightly help deter bacteria vs. The wild yeast.
Good luck!
thisisbeer
Well-Known Member
Jester King I believe acquired some of their house yeast this way. I would definitely give it a shot. Read up more on how to do it though. I know there is a decent source somewhere just cant remember where to find it...
If you think of it... I kept searching the intrawebs and all I got were crickets. I'll keep looking, knowing it's out there.
I read somewhere that brett tends to dominate if it's there, given enough time, so I think it'll be ok in that respect. I guess it comes back to whether it's present on the berries or not. Thanks for the input!
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=7681.0
Thanks for all your input, but it looks like I'll be sticking to buying or harvesting the bugs rather than throwing in fruit and crossing my fingers.
Thanks for all your input, but it looks like I'll be sticking to buying or harvesting the bugs rather than throwing in fruit and crossing my fingers.
