Acid washing wild yeast
  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,680
    I started this by juicing some apple from the yard. Put the juice in a clean carboy and let it do it's thing for a week.
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    Then I decanted it off the yeast cake (it wasn't quite finished, but I don't want so much of the slow yeast for beer anyway).
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    I boiled some water and then chilled it in the fridge till it was room temp
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    Then I mixed the boiled water with citric acid (it's what I had around, phosphoric would be preferable)
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  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,680
    Then add the acid solution to the yeast. Shooting for a pH of 2.0-2.6 I think...
    Anyway I over shot and got 1.7 and had to adjust using sodium bicarbonate. After that I hit 2.2.

    I put it in the fridge and I'm letting it sit there for ~two hours. I have some more boiled water chilling in there with some more baking soda in it. The plan then is to decant the yeast and dump the water in to bump the pH back up.
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  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,680
    It would be best to have some wort to pitch into. But I don't have that. If I'm up to it tonight I might make some wort with extract, but we'll see.
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  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,680
    So I decanted and added the water/sodium bicarbonate. It fizzed a bit, but I didn't loose much. I'd really like to check pH right now, but that's just another chance for contamination.

    I am making a few gal of simple wort tonight. I'm going to give it about 200ml tonight and put the rest in a carboy in the morning (no chill because I'm lazy). The hope is that it will show fermentation before I pitch, so I'm sure it's alive. If it's dead I'll use it as a starter for some expired white labs stuff I have kicking around.
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  • scoobscoob
    Posts: 16,617
    Interested in following this one...... There be an apple tree...
    Right.....
    Back......
    There.....
    {points to tree along the back fence}
    Jesus didn't wear pants
  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,680
    It's alive!

    It's not going strong, but there are signs of life. I have no idea if this yeast will do anything good. The cider was fermenting far too hot and was getting a little bit of an ethyl acetate problem. But I have no idea what survived this crazy washing thing and what didn't. Only time will tell.
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  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,680
    Just before pitching it looked like this:
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  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,680
    I tried to leave the sediment (mostly apple peal bits, and some dead yeast) behind. And here it is doing nothing, so far...
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  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,680
    oh I forgot the wort was at 1050 when pitching. I think 1040 would be better, but as long as it's not a huge beer it should be fine.

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  • BenSBenS
    Posts: 6,248
    Cool.
    There's no starting point. It's just a massive sea of shit to wade through until you find the occasional corn kernel. -DrCurly
  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 89,020
    Ok, I'll ask... Is that a condom?
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • FuzzyFuzzy
    Posts: 49,784
    C_B said:

    Ok, I'll ask... Is that a condom?



    you already know it is...
    The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake
  • FuzzyFuzzy
    Posts: 49,784
    the whetstone is pretty random.
    The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake
  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 89,020

    C_B said:

    Ok, I'll ask... Is that a condom?



    you already know it is...

    I know it is.
    :(
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,680
    C_B said:

    Ok, I'll ask... Is that a condom?



    They're just sterile balloons. They are commonly used as air locks by 17year olds making hooch.
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  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,680

    the whetstone is pretty random.



    Do you think I cleaned my kitchen before doing this project? No, I did this project rather than cleaning the kitchen... my wife isn't too happy with me right now.
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  • scoobscoob
    Posts: 16,617

    the whetstone is pretty random.



    You DON'T have one sitting on a kitchen counter?!?

    I do.
    Jesus didn't wear pants
  • FuzzyFuzzy
    Posts: 49,784
    scoob said:

    the whetstone is pretty random.



    You DON'T have one sitting on a kitchen counter?!?

    I do.


    nope. mine it at my desk.
    The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake
  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,680
    Seeing CO2 production in the carboy. Something is alive in there, hoping it's good yeast and nothing nasty.
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  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,680

    scoob said:

    the whetstone is pretty random.



    You DON'T have one sitting on a kitchen counter?!?

    I do.


    nope. mine it at my desk.


    You trolls didn't even notice the breast pump.
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  • FuzzyFuzzy
    Posts: 49,784

    scoob said:

    the whetstone is pretty random.



    You DON'T have one sitting on a kitchen counter?!?

    I do.


    nope. mine it at my desk.


    You trolls didn't even notice the breast pump.


    my hands are breast pumps.
    The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake
  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,680

    scoob said:

    the whetstone is pretty random.



    You DON'T have one sitting on a kitchen counter?!?

    I do.


    nope. mine it at my desk.


    You trolls didn't even notice the breast pump.


    my hands are breast pumps.


    You spend too much time with lactating goats.
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  • ceanntceannt
    Posts: 53,828

    scoob said:

    the whetstone is pretty random.



    You DON'T have one sitting on a kitchen counter?!?

    I do.


    nope. mine it at my desk.


    You trolls didn't even notice the breast pump.


    my hands are breast pumps.


    You spend too much time with lactating goats.


    According to his bumper sticker .. "teats are teats "
    Never attribute to malice, that which can adequately be explained by stupidity.
  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,680
    Update: The "beer" is still really sweet but has a bad ester taste.
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  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 89,020

    Update: The "beer" is still really sweet but has a bad ester taste.



    That doesn't sound good?
    Esters mean yeast, not infection. But the sweetness leans not much action?
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,680
    C_B said:

    Update: The "beer" is still really sweet but has a bad ester taste.



    That doesn't sound good?
    Esters mean yeast, not infection. But the sweetness leans not much action?


    My conclusion too, I'm just going to let it go and see what happens. I don't need a 5 gal carboy for anything right now anyway, i've got bigger plans.
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  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    Posts: 44,679

    scoob said:

    the whetstone is pretty random.



    You DON'T have one sitting on a kitchen counter?!?

    I do.


    nope. mine it at my desk.


    You trolls didn't even notice the breast pump.


    my hands are breast pumps.


    yeah, i didn't see my hands or mouth in any of those pics
  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    Posts: 44,679
    C_B said:

    Update: The "beer" is still really sweet but has a bad ester taste.



    That doesn't sound good?
    Esters mean yeast, not infection. But the sweetness leans not much action?


    You are making wine. even if you used quality yeast from llavin, it would taste like estery ass for 2 months minimum with fresh pressed juice. Usually wild yeast takes at least double that time to begin even remotely tasting good and are also much slower on the overall fermentation time.
  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,680

    C_B said:

    Update: The "beer" is still really sweet but has a bad ester taste.



    That doesn't sound good?
    Esters mean yeast, not infection. But the sweetness leans not much action?


    You are making wine. even if you used quality yeast from llavin, it would taste like estery ass for 2 months minimum with fresh pressed juice. Usually wild yeast takes at least double that time to begin even remotely tasting good and are also much slower on the overall fermentation time.


    I was expecting slow on this, but it's been nearly a week; it tastes as if all the sugars are sill there, just now with some off flavors. I'm in no rush with this. I'll let it run it's coarse (though it might end we me looking for a good price on bleach).
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  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    Posts: 44,679
    I have done wild batches that seemed to sit there for 3 weeks, and then SLOWLY began their work.
    A week is nothing.
  • ceanntceannt
    Posts: 53,828
    Maybe the yeasties are still high on the acid ...... give em a bit to recover
    Never attribute to malice, that which can adequately be explained by stupidity.
  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,680
    Fail
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  • ceanntceannt
    Posts: 53,828
    That don't look so good .......... quick send it to jlw ...
    Never attribute to malice, that which can adequately be explained by stupidity.
  • ceanntceannt
    Posts: 53,828
    Next time .... just use the peels from the apples ... and put them in some starter wort
    Never attribute to malice, that which can adequately be explained by stupidity.
  • ThymThym
    Posts: 122,651

    Fail



    Oops.
    The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny
  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 89,020
    No dice.
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • FuzzyFuzzy
    Posts: 49,784
    taste it.
    The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake
  • scoobscoob
    Posts: 16,617
    Dang... I like the thought of peels in the starter wort, good plan Kenny, but you have been doing this since rocks were still soft so I put a lot of faith in your recommendations.
    Jesus didn't wear pants