15 replies to this topic

[ncbeerbrewer]

So this past Saturday I brewed an ESB with Rye and the brew session went great. I finished the boil and chilled the wort down to around 75 degrees with my immersion chiller. From there I took a quick gravity sample and transferred the beer into the fermenter to chill further BEFORE I pitched any yeast. I set the hydro sample aside and went about getting the beer I brewed ready to ferment. I took my gravity sample less than an hour later and all was well and good. I left the hydro sample as you see below on my kitchen counter and didn't touch it till last night Monday. From me it looks like the gravity sample is fermenting!! I had pitched no yeast into this the wort prior to collecting this sample. Yes I do use this to test and had just checked a BDSA a couple days prior but I always rinse out the cylinder after each use. The particles you see are moving around up and down like you would suspect yeast to do during fermentation. It also looks like the yeast 1335 that got pitched into the beer after this was taken and you can see a krausen on top too. Is this really fermenting. I will check a gravity but its still moving around today too. Sorry if the clarity sucks as well. Cheers guys!!

[CaptRon]

Looks like fermentation to me! You probably have some kind of wild yeast there or something. Kind of cool. If that happened to me, I'd be curious enough to try a wild ferment on it to see what happened. Maybe make like 2 or 3 gallons or something.What does it smell like?

[Deerslyr]

I had this happen too! I inadvertently left the hydro in the sample and forgot about it. A few days later I discovered it was naturally fermenting and the hydrometer was floating much higher. I didn't taste the sample, although it might have been an interesting experiment.

[ncbeerbrewer]

Looks like fermentation to me! You probably have some kind of wild yeast there or something. Kind of cool. If that happened to me, I'd be curious enough to try a wild ferment on it to see what happened. Maybe make like 2 or 3 gallons or something.What does it smell like?

You are right I did think it could be a wild yeast as well. The windows are open now that the temps are nice as well so that could make it more possible too. Its hard to describe the smell but it honestly smells like a familiar fermenting beer smell not repulsive or nasty as it can get too. I am going to let it go and see what happens, probable will taste it once it gets done too. As I type this too a wild yeast would make sense since I find it pretty hard for any decent amount of yeast to take this long to ferment a sample that small too so a wild yeast trying to build up. Hmm I might need to try a wild ferment as you suggest or the next beer I brew I might let it sit as well a few days too. Crazy I am not in Belgium I know

[Deerslyr]

Looks like fermentation to me! You probably have some kind of wild yeast there or something. Kind of cool. If that happened to me, I'd be curious enough to try a wild ferment on it to see what happened. Maybe make like 2 or 3 gallons or something.What does it smell like?

When I was a kid I would leave a glass of grape juice out for a few weeks juice to let it ferment. My folks knew what I was doing and didn't really discourage it. I think they knew it wouldn't be "quality", but that it was more like a science experiment. Funny... I haven't really thought about that until just now.

[ncbeerbrewer]

I had this happen too! I inadvertently left the hydro in the sample and forgot about it. A few days later I discovered it was naturally fermenting and the hydrometer was floating much higher. I didn't taste the sample, although it might have been an interesting experiment.

Well I know I won't consider this to be quality ferment but at least dumping this portion of beer won't make me feel bad as if it was a full 5 gallon batch. I have to agree it surprised me when I saw it since I had really just never thought about it in that way too.

[Deerslyr]

You are right I did think it could be a wild yeast as well. The windows are open now that the temps are nice as well so that could make it more possible too. Its hard to describe the smell but it honestly smells like a familiar fermenting beer smell not repulsive or nasty as it can get too. I am going to let it go and see what happens, probable will taste it once it gets done too. As I type this too a wild yeast would make sense since I find it pretty hard for any decent amount of yeast to take this long to ferment a sample that small too so a wild yeast trying to build up. Hmm I might need to try a wild ferment as you suggest or the next beer I brew I might let it sit as well a few days too. Crazy I am not in Belgium I know

We should come up with a "Wild Yeast Beer" recipe... all brew to the same specs and then each set aside a gallon to ferment naturally and then compare notes to see how our beers perform and taste. Of course, I would do this fermentation nowhere near my regular brewery and not use my regular equipment.

[djinkc]

It's usually ambient airborne bugs. I've tasted a couple - not good. It's evidence that you need to be good about sanitiation so your favorite yeasties take over after you pitch. Few of us are blessed with the nice ambient Belgian strains.

[MakeMeHoppy]

My brew club did a spontaneous fermentation experiment last Teach a Friend Day. Since is was already cool here in the northeast they actually did take a while to so any signs of fermenatation. Last I checked on it it went from 1.056 to 1.028 and had a sour, but pleasant smell. I think the beer still being sweet balanced the sour and I suspect the same with your sample. I suspect when you let the fermentation complete the sour will dominate.Remember, experimenting is that make home brewing great.

[ncbeerbrewer]

It's usually ambient airborne bugs. I've tasted a couple - not good. It's evidence that you need to be good about sanitiation so your favorite yeasties take over after you pitch. Few of us are blessed with the nice ambient Belgian strains.

I completely understand the sanitation. I keep my brew pot covered when its chilling until its transferred into the fermenter. I am sure this beer is going to be good, the real pitched yeast 1335 is chomping away nicely. I doubt this one will taste good though I will probably taste a sip just from curiosity.

[BarelyBrews]

It's usually ambient airborne bugs. I've tasted a couple - not good. It's evidence that you need to be good about sanitiation so your favorite yeasties take over after you pitch. Few of us are blessed with the nice ambient Belgian strains.

This is what i suspected , thanks for the confirm.I have had several people ask me if i have ever made a wort,chilled it and let it ferment in the air like it used to .I always tell them i don't want to take a chance on a $25-$40 investment.And besides im more into drinking beer,than experimentation.Though i would probably taste NCBrewers sample also.

[MolBasser]

It is most likely bacterial, but could have some wild yeast in there too.Every time I leave out a gravity sample, it ferments. It is kind of cool to watch the gravity drop real time.Almost always (well, always actually) tastes nasty.MolBasser

Edited by MolBasser, 13 April 2010 - 07:07 PM.

[CaptRon]

If it tastes good, step it up to a starter and pitch it into batch.

[stellarbrew]

When I have tasted gravity samples that spontanteously fermented, they tasted sour, like a Flanders Red. I guess that means it's bacterial?

[djinkc]

When I have tasted gravity samples that spontanteously fermented, they tasted sour, like a Flanders Red. I guess that means it's bacterial?

My guess would be lacto and whatever else is around. That's assuming you went AG and grain was handled around the brewing area. Don't let me stop anyone from tasting or fermenting with it. Every brewery is different, including our little setups, and what you get may or may not be special.

[Wayne B]

And there's no certainty that it will be sour, either. Several years ago I did a "wild yeast" mead experiment, making a starter out of yeast that I cultured off of some leaves from a mountain currant bush growing out in front of our house, and I was blown away by the result! Excellent fermentation kinetics, great flocculation when the batch was done, and overall a very nice traditional dry mead of nearly 13% ABV resulted. Later on I was talking about this with some other meadmaking friends and we decided that very likely I now have my own "terroir" yeast strain, growing "feral" from the batches of lees that I've dumped into the garden over the years. You might have caught a strain that once was trub from one of your earlier batches, too, depending on how you clean out your fermenters and where the stuff gets dumped.