Acid washing wild yeast - Methods and Techniques Discussions on Home Brew Forums

Jayrizzle

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.

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).

I boiled some water and then chilled it in the fridge till it was room temp

Then I mixed the boiled water with citric acid (it's what I had around, phosphoric would be preferable)

Jayrizzle

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.

Jayrizzle

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.

Jayrizzle

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.

scoob

Interested in following this one...... There be an apple tree...
Right.....
Back......
There.....
{points to tree along the back fence}

Jayrizzle

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.

Jayrizzle

Just before pitching it looked like this:

Jayrizzle

I tried to leave the sediment (mostly apple peal bits, and some dead yeast) behind. And here it is doing nothing, so far...

Jayrizzle

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.

BenS

Cool.

C_B

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

Fuzzy

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

you already know it is...

Fuzzy

the whetstone is pretty random.

C_B

FromZwolle said:

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

you already know it is...

I know it is.
:(

Jayrizzle

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.

Jayrizzle

FromZwolle said:
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.

scoob

FromZwolle said:
the whetstone is pretty random.

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

I do.

Fuzzy

scoob said:

FromZwolle said:
the whetstone is pretty random.

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

I do.

nope. mine it at my desk.

Jayrizzle

Seeing CO2 production in the carboy. Something is alive in there, hoping it's good yeast and nothing nasty.

Jayrizzle

FromZwolle said:

scoob said:

FromZwolle 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.

Fuzzy

Dr_Jerryrigger said:

FromZwolle said:

scoob said:

FromZwolle 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.

Jayrizzle

FromZwolle said:

Dr_Jerryrigger said:

FromZwolle said:

scoob said:

FromZwolle 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.

ceannt

Dr_Jerryrigger said:

FromZwolle said:

Dr_Jerryrigger said:

FromZwolle said:

scoob said:

FromZwolle 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 "

Jayrizzle

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

C_B

Dr_Jerryrigger 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?

Jayrizzle

C_B said:

Dr_Jerryrigger 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.

frydogbrews

FromZwolle said:

Dr_Jerryrigger said:

FromZwolle said:

scoob said:

FromZwolle 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

frydogbrews

C_B said:

Dr_Jerryrigger 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.

Jayrizzle

frydogbrews said:

C_B said:

Dr_Jerryrigger 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).

frydogbrews

I have done wild batches that seemed to sit there for 3 weeks, and then SLOWLY began their work.
A week is nothing.

ceannt

Maybe the yeasties are still high on the acid ...... give em a bit to recover

Jayrizzle

Fail

ceannt

That don't look so good .......... quick send it to jlw ...

ceannt

Next time .... just use the peels from the apples ... and put them in some starter wort

Thym

Dr_Jerryrigger said:
Fail

Oops.

C_B

No dice.

Fuzzy

taste it.

scoob

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.