Wild yeast problem

[HeritageHD]

Last week I began a 2 stage starter. I pre made the wort for the second stage and let it sit in a sanitized 1 gallon carboy on my kitchen counter at about 70*. After about 2 days it began to spontaneously ferment. I ended up pitching the first stage of the starter also.

The while time I had the wort for my Alaskan Amber clone in my fermentation chamber at 57*. Airlock in.

I looked at the wort in the chamber 7 days after brewing and it was crystal clear. Today (day 10) I looked at it and it also has begun to spontaneously ferment.

Everything was sanitized with stars San as usual. I have a couple dozen brews under my belt and this has never happened before.

Any ideas?

View attachment 1488644246743.jpg

 

[cladinshadows]

Several clarifying questions for you here:
I am probably missing something, but, had you not pitched any yeast into the Alaskan Amber clone and it was just sitting there for 10 days? Also, is there any relation between the first portion of your post (about the wild yeast starter) and the portion about the Alaskan Amber clone? Should we be looking for something in the photo you attached?

I looked at the wort in the chamber 7 days after brewing and it was crystal clear. Today (day 10) I looked at it and it also has begun to spontaneously ferment.

Any ideas?

I'm guessing these two portions comprise the heart of your question. If so, this is probably a good lesson in the difference between "sanitized" and "sterilized". The majority of homebrewers do not produce sterile wort - there is always going to be a very low level of other organisms that remain in the wort as a normal fermentation starts. (I don't know of anyone producing full batches of sterile wort for beer, but as soon as I leave out "the majority of" in that sentence I'll hear from the guy making beer in his walk-in autoclave).

In a normal ferment when you pitch yeast you are adding a super competitive colony of hungry organisms and they outcompete the trace organisms for all the food and nutrients in the wort, so you don't see signs of infection because the trace organisms never had a chance. If you don't pitch yeast, you're leaving a nutrient- and food-rich solution ready to be eaten by whatever for days on end. If I'm interpreting your post correctly, this is what happened. Next time get the yeast you want in there and working before the yeast you don't want can beat you to the punch.

Hope this helps.

 

[sundaypapers]

Heritage I think this happened to me also. I posted in the wild brewing forum a very similar tale. I will often pull my second runnings for a starter, that way it's ready when my wort is chilled to pitching temp, just boil it, chill it and set it aside while my carboy chills in the fridge. But I had my IPA waiting in the kitchen at 70 for about 24 hours, came home to find fairly active wild ferment. I guess it happens, but I've never seen fermenting take off like this without a real good starter. I think mine blew in while using the immersion chiller.