foragedbrews
Active Member
I've tried wrangling wild yeast a few times, with no success. One time nothing, not even mould. Anyway this time I used a couple blackberries and a crabapple. Success!
The wort had a 1.043 OG and ended (at least short term) on 1.010, so a minimum respectable (for an English ale, and a wild yeast) 4.3%. I added enough hops to just create a smidgen of IBU. I wasn't interested in lacto bacteria right now, although Pediococcus might come through later. I'm really wanting to get a yeast.
The wort I used was not great material, but the culture did a fair job in making it palatable. It's a characterful yeast as it created what I perceived as banana and my partner thought pear, so clearly iso-amylacetate. But there was also a fruitiness. I really think this will go well with a wheat beer. There was also a little funkiness which I was hoping for, so I'm happy for that, but what really surprised me was the colour. This is just a single base malt and yet it has created something the colour of orange juice! There was fruit hanging in this wort for a week so I knew this would skew things. As such I chilled it to drop it out clearer, poured it off and gave a new batch of wort.
What was interesting was how the krausen had stages. First there was a little foam, then there was a thick brown krausen with patches of clean white bubbles, then that dropped out and what followed was a layer of very clean foam. Unfortunately I don't have photos, I thought I had done that. Annoying.
What resulted was a less hazy beer, and more typically "beer" coloured. It was pleasant, funky. This one only one glass worth's with no conditioning and warm soon after finishing main fermentation so not a fair representation of its potential. So, I propped up the yeast with enough for two gallons, pitching one gallon's worth and leaving the rest to use again. I have no idea if I over or under pitched because boy, did it start! This was less than twelve hours after pitching.
I took that photo about two hours ago. The krausen is now nearly filling the head space. I may have to do the old dip tube job!
Because this is a wild culture, I don't know what's in it (I intend to isolate the strains one day) and so I don't know it's true final gravity. Sure, there might be Saccharomyces or Brettanomyces doing most of the work up front, but maybe I'll see something happen long term, Brett or Pediococcus or something different altogether ferment out the rest over the next few months. I'm not concerned about this beer being "drinkable" as I will be using it to take gravity samples in monthly checks. I realise this will oxidise it but the goal here is to produce enough that I can take plenty of gravity readings, rather than produce a packagable beer.
The wort had a 1.043 OG and ended (at least short term) on 1.010, so a minimum respectable (for an English ale, and a wild yeast) 4.3%. I added enough hops to just create a smidgen of IBU. I wasn't interested in lacto bacteria right now, although Pediococcus might come through later. I'm really wanting to get a yeast.
The wort I used was not great material, but the culture did a fair job in making it palatable. It's a characterful yeast as it created what I perceived as banana and my partner thought pear, so clearly iso-amylacetate. But there was also a fruitiness. I really think this will go well with a wheat beer. There was also a little funkiness which I was hoping for, so I'm happy for that, but what really surprised me was the colour. This is just a single base malt and yet it has created something the colour of orange juice! There was fruit hanging in this wort for a week so I knew this would skew things. As such I chilled it to drop it out clearer, poured it off and gave a new batch of wort.
What was interesting was how the krausen had stages. First there was a little foam, then there was a thick brown krausen with patches of clean white bubbles, then that dropped out and what followed was a layer of very clean foam. Unfortunately I don't have photos, I thought I had done that. Annoying.
What resulted was a less hazy beer, and more typically "beer" coloured. It was pleasant, funky. This one only one glass worth's with no conditioning and warm soon after finishing main fermentation so not a fair representation of its potential. So, I propped up the yeast with enough for two gallons, pitching one gallon's worth and leaving the rest to use again. I have no idea if I over or under pitched because boy, did it start! This was less than twelve hours after pitching.
I took that photo about two hours ago. The krausen is now nearly filling the head space. I may have to do the old dip tube job!
Because this is a wild culture, I don't know what's in it (I intend to isolate the strains one day) and so I don't know it's true final gravity. Sure, there might be Saccharomyces or Brettanomyces doing most of the work up front, but maybe I'll see something happen long term, Brett or Pediococcus or something different altogether ferment out the rest over the next few months. I'm not concerned about this beer being "drinkable" as I will be using it to take gravity samples in monthly checks. I realise this will oxidise it but the goal here is to produce enough that I can take plenty of gravity readings, rather than produce a packagable beer.
