promising wild yeast...by accident!! :D

[dmarc85]

I made a Stone IPA clone about 48hrs ago and I left my hydrometer out in my garage with a sample.



This is what I found when I got home from work tonight: A nice krausen built up over some bubbly beer! The smell is super clean and fruity, like a crisp Belgian.

I've never attempted wild yeast capture or even really considered it but holy cow this is pretty freakin sweet! I'm gonna grow this up for sure


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[Hidingfromyou]

Neat! Let us know what it tastes like!

 

[dmarc85]

Will do! I just made a starter and pitched the tube-full on top of that. It's 4am, no biggie. The aroma is soooo fruity, like a shandy. Crazy stuff I'll keep you filled in!


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[badlee]

Quick,get it in to a gallon!

 

[dmarc85]

My starter is about to erupt. It smells just like raspberry lemonade. Wtf? I'll get a measurement on attenuation in a few days.


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[signpost]

Awesome accident!

 

[dmarc85]

Got a nice krausen working in this wild yeast. Drinking a celebratory lambic!


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[Gar]

that is cool. i hope it turns out good for you

 

[badlee]

Congrats mate

 

[podz]

So, you are saying that you took your sample before pitching yeast into your batch, using a sanitized thief or spigot, having sanitized hands, put it into a sanitized cylinder with a sanitized hydrometer, left it in your garage and it started fermenting anyway?

Are you absolutely certain that there is no way you could have "contaminated" your sample with the yeast that was going into your batch? If yes, then that's pretty cool and also amazing that it would have started that quickly. It would normally take several days for an ambient yeast to build up to the count, especially on a tiny surface area as in your cylinder, before it could start fermenting something unless you happen to live right in the middle of a major fruit growing region.

 

[bionut]

I believe that the sample is taken before pitching the yeast.

 

[Likefully]

BrewSmith has a podcast on harvesting wild yeast. I can't recall how old it is, but it is interesting.

I think I am going to give this a try soon after seeing how easily it worked for you. Please keep us informed as to how it turns out.

 

[dmarc85]

So, you are saying that you took your sample before pitching yeast into your batch, using a sanitized thief or spigot, having sanitized hands, put it into a sanitized cylinder with a sanitized hydrometer, left it in your garage and it started fermenting anyway?



Are you absolutely certain that there is no way you could have "contaminated" your sample with the yeast that was going into your batch? If yes, then that's pretty cool and also amazing that it would have started that quickly. It would normally take several days for an ambient yeast to build up to the count, especially on a tiny surface area as in your cylinder, before it could start fermenting something unless you happen to live right in the middle of a major fruit growing region.

Everything my would-be beer touches after boil is thoroughly sanitized. I would not describe my cylinder and hydrometer as 'sanitized', but I will say they were 'spotless' from their previous cleaning.

I currently have 2 strains of yeast on hand, 007 and 099, neither of which resemble the fruity, sour and now quite sulfuric strain that's slowly working away inside this starter.

I live in Hillsboro, OR located within the Willamette Valley, where I'm surrounded by producing vineyards and farmlands overflowing with delicious raspberries, blackberries, strawberries etc.

I do have a producing cherry tree within feet of where my sample was sitting before it began fermenting...

Honestly, I can't say for certain where this yeast from, but this occurrence does indeed seem quite unusual.


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[troy2000]

I was born in Hillsboro in 1949, because it was the nearest hospital to where my parents were living at the time. They had followed the harvests north picking strawberries and the like, and then my dad started his own logging outfit. Of course back then, Hillsboro only had about 5,000 people in it.

When I was four years old, we moved back to California. As I was growing up, every now and then my dad would start wistfully reminiscing about 'God's country' with the trees and the cool weather and the greenery, and how nice it would be to go back. And my mother would start talking about not seeing the sun for days on end, the mud, laundry mildewing on the clothesline, etc. Somehow we never made it up there again...

If your wild yeast turns out to be worthwhile, I'd love to get some of it and brew a batch of beer in honor of my dad...

 

[dmarc85]

I certainly will get a culture to you if it turns out decent! You would have to send me a bottle of the final product for sure!


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[dmarc85]

I certainly will get a culture to you if it turns out decent! You would have to send me a bottle of the final product for sure!


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[FreshSafari]

Any update on the yeast!

 

[youreanimpulse]

This is really interesting to me, as I'm in Portland and grew up over the hill from Hillsboro in Newberg. I'd love to test this yeast out if it's usable, maybe use some of our wild blackberries too.


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[opiate82]

My hydrometer samples will often start doing this if left out for 2-3 days on the counter. I never really could tell if it was picking up some wild yeast in the air or if there was just a little bit of my typical ale yeast left over in the testing tube from when I took whatever FG reading I last took.

Hope it turns out to be something pretty cool. Might be worth looking up the steps on "properly" harvesting wild yeast and giving it a try as well. Sounds like your locale could be a good area for it.

 

[northcal]

If it turns out well maybe you could sell it to Wyeast for a little bit of cash?

 

[dmarc85]

I've got enough of this yeast grown to pitch into 5gal now. I have it sitting in the fridge awaiting its debut.

Moving forward, I plan to make a nice sessionable blonde, by splitting a more concentrated version and diluting it to make 10 gallons total (2 batches of 5 gallons).

One batch will get 007 and the other will get this mystery yeast, along with some fresh fruit to compliment the sourness.

I am noticing that this yeast is slow fermenting, has very low flocculation and may also have quite a low attenuation. VERY creamy krausen on this starter. I'll fill you all in in brew day.




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[badlee]

Cannot wait

 

[FreshSafari]

Update?

 

[dmarc85]

Unfortunately, no updates. I have the culture stored and ready to throw atop a 5gal batch.

Honestly, a big reason I haven't brewed lately is because I realize I don't have a good way to control my ferm temp, which had always gotten out of control (+80F). Although I've always made delicious beer, fusel oil levels concern the hell out of me; more than 2 pints results in a brutal headache the next day; I can't serve this to friends and family, or myself.

What's my plan now? Over the next few weeks I'll be constructing a 1bbl eHERMS systems along with a custom glycol chilling jacket for a 27gal conical. I'll make a new thread for this project


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[Gar]

Unfortunately, no updates. I have the culture stored and ready to throw atop a 5gal batch.

Honestly, a big reason I haven't brewed lately is because I realize I don't have a good way to control my ferm temp, which had always gotten out of control (+80F). Although I've always made delicious beer, fusel oil levels concern the hell out of me; more than 2 pints results in a brutal headache the next day; I can't serve this to friends and family, or myself.

What's my plan now? Over the next few weeks I'll be constructing a 1bbl eHERMS systems along with a custom glycol chilling jacket for a 27gal conical. I'll make a new thread for this project


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get yourself a rubbermade tote put your fermenter in it and some water then put some frozen water bottles in it and a tee shirt over your fermenter. keep a eye on your temps

 

[Bobbybob]

As another Hillsboro resident I am very interested in this yeast. It sounds great. I have a basement that stays around 65 in summer if you want to test it.