Will it Brew? Collecting Wild Yeast from Elderberry
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- Опубликовано: 6 ноя 2017
- For the home brewer today, picking up the all important ingredient Yeast, is as simple as a trip to the store. But what if that convenience was no longer an option? Suppose you still wanted to make a homebrew from scratch, where would you find this ferment inducing fungi? In this episode we look no further than the fruit of the vine.
Yeast starters are an excellent way to get your batch of wort or must into the final stage of its desired potential. Wild yeast is quite common and can be found on the skins of most fruit such as the grape. Because it is ripe I decided to collect a few handfuls of the Blue Elderberry (Sambucus caerulea) at the local park.
To make your starter, collect enough fruit to make about a cup’s worth of juice. (Be sure they haven’t been sprayed). Using a medium size bowl take out a handful at a time and crush the fruit, squeezing out all the juice. Make sure to leave all the pulp in the juice since this is where the yeast is already living (Particularly on the skin), just be sure to remove any pieces of the stem. After you have juiced the Elderberry, take a clean jar and pour in the juice. Using clean, non-chlorinated water add roughly enough water as there is fruit pulp. Next place a piece of clean plastic on top (this will allow for gas expansion) and screw the lid on tightly.
The juice will now need to be aerated very well by giving the jar a good shake. Be sure to do this a couple times (Once every 4 hours) a day for the first few days until a good fermentation is evident. In between aeration we’ll keep the jar in a warm/dark place.
After a day or two the activation of yeast will be apparent by the production of carbon dioxide gas as you can see by the bubbles in the juice. The plastic on top has also expanded considerably. (SUCCESS!) If necessary we can relieve the pressure by sterilizing a safety pin and poking a small hole in the plastic dome.
At this point your yeast starter could be strained and pitched into your batch of fermentables. If however you would like to keep the starter around a bit longer, extending its life for a few weeks or possible months till use, we can transfer it into a sterile glass such as a chemistry flask. Using another glass and a strainer take the active yeast starter and strain out all the pulp. Next add a few tablespoons of sugar to the flask (this will feed your yeast and help build up its colony while its waits for its next meal). Then we can carefully pour in the yeast starter, give it a good stir, and pop on an airlock. If you don’t have an airlock a partly balloon will also work. Yeast activation will still be apparent by observing the Co2 bubbles. This starter should now keep for weeks or longer if stored in a cool/dark place.
If you have any experiences with making your own yeast starter, or If you have any suggestions on what I should try brewing, leave a comment down below. Who knows I just may use your suggestion in my next brewing video “Will it brew?”
Thanks for watching, please give a thumbs up, subscribe for more and as always, Happy Foraging!
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Collecting from elderberry was precisely what I was wondering about. How wonderful that we're entering an age where even our most obscure ponderings not only have a basis in reality, but also a video guide.
I've heard great things about using green pinecones as a starter and I'm personally attempting a batch of wild rose and another of juniper berry. I'm eager to see what you come out with
Sounds like you've heard of Pascal Bauder? He's very experienced acquiring wild yeast, one which method is using pinecones.
I have two starters going at the moment: a ginger bug and one for which I just threw some grapes into distilled water with sugar. After fermentation was really going, but before the grapes split open, I removed them. That one is so that I can brew things that don't taste of fruit juice (that isn't part of the recipe) or ginger. I feed them both with sugar daily, and make sure I use them regularly.
I keep them covered with coffee filters on the counter, and refrigerate (with filters until cool, then with lids) when they're ready but I don't have time, space, available fermentation vessels, or bottles.
At the moment I have a ginger beer a few days from bottling and a mead that just started the trek today, as well as plans to experiment and propagate the strongest yeast I can from this wild stuff.
I like the rubber bands on the lids (in the other video) for potentially preventing oxidation. I'm definitely going to switch to that in the near future.
Sounds like you have a good thing going. I like the idea of not spoiling the flavor with ghe grape juice. Would be especially useful for savory breads. Thanks for sharing!
@@TheNorthwestForager That was definitely my thought. I actually made it particularly for this mead, as I wanted to keep it simple, flavor-wise, but I've done it before for a wild yeast ale and it came out beautifully. I didn't have a hygrometer, but it was delicious, effective (read: "alcoholic"), and surprisingly not sour, although I would have been fine with that.
I have yet to use one for bread, but it'll be time to freshen it up in a few days, so I may very well have to.
Starting a homestead deep in the mountains of Kentucky. I've brewed a few times in the past, a clone of New Castle brown ale, a few meads, and a cider. No supply stores around this area, I could have it mailed in but I have gotten into trying things the old way. Thanks for the video, I hope it works with wild black berries and raspberries, cuz that is all we got that I've seen, I'll give it a shot with my 1000 cherries cider for next year's ren faire.
Hi Folks!
On this episode I wanted to attempt sourcing a wild yeast culture by fermenting Blue Elderberry as a yeast starter for future brewing projects. Me thinks it could be fun experimenting with brewing random wild edibles hence this new series "Will it brew?".
Any suggestions would be appreciated :]
If you notice the jars change color sorry about the confusion. Even though the first jar was a success I had failed to film it and was thus obligated make a second round for the footage.
Thanks for stopping by, hope your having a good day!
The Northwest Forager A few years ago I was mesmerized by all that I learned about wild edibles in the Wasatch mountain range in Utah. I managed to make a really tasty stir fry with the corm and greens of spring beauties (like a potato), biscuitroot (a wild carrot), tatertip onions, burdock, peppermint, spring parsley, and glacier lily (also like a potato). If only I had known about wild yeasts at the time!
By the way, how did the experiment turn out with the elderberry yeasts? What did you brew with it?
Cheers!
I heard of a bakers sustaining a yeast culture for years in a mason jar. Elderberry wine... '85, Tom Cruise, Legend. I've wanted to try mastering that one. I think I'll give it a go. Ty
I subscribed boss. Thanks for a nice presentation. Wild yeast is something I've been interested in.
Thank you for taking an interest! Wild yeast is something which I've been fascinated by as well. It's fun a process to try to make a brew completely from scratch. Helps me appreciate how much things have changed.
Interesting.
Elderberry isn't native here, but I got a tip on where there is a good patch growing. I made some elderberry syrup this year with a plant in my landlords yard this year. It was delicious :)
That sounds delicious, I may have to try that next season. How did it turn out, or have you tried it yet? The yeast starter was pretty good although not too strong. It was more like a juicy fizzy drink (maybe needed more sugar to get anything like a wine). Thanks for stopping by!
Rhubarb Champagne, My partner had a friend who has since passed on that used to make it all the time with wild yeasts and oh wow was it delicious.
I think my in-laws have a rhubarb patch. If it's too late this year maybe you could remind me next year? I'm definitely interested.
I am planning on brewing a 5 galllon, and was wondering what is a pitching rate for wild yeast?
Like a 100mL is good how many gallons?
Thanks and nice channel 👍
Great video! If I wanted to convert this yeast starter into a form I could bake with how would I go about that? Could I just add a little of the liquid starter to some wheat flour and water and go from there?
Yes. That's exactly what I did when I tried it. I just replaced the water called for in the recipe with this starter and followed the rest of the recipe accordingly. In my case I had to allow more time for the leavening and in the end it tasted semisweet like berries, sorta like a berry bagel. Still worth it in my opinion.
Appreciate your question!
Hi
Nice vedio but I still have a question
Is this wild yeast starter work to make beer?
Yes, it will just have it's own flavor characteristic
My mom makes mead and she always wondered how to make it with wild yeast
That's something I've actually wanted to make before. I've been told that you can make a yeast starter with just a good source of wild honey (the wild yeast is in the honey). Perhaps I could use nothing else but honey and water to actually get it brewing?? I'll have to keep you posted on this one...
How long can the natural yeast be store in the fridge? Or does it have to be wash and feed everyweek?
It should be fed at least every other month but other wise I'd imagine it would last as long as it was taken care off, kinda like sourdough starters
Then what is the yeast nutrient ? Can dead yeast be yeast nutrient ?
I found some elderberry today and did just this. Thanks for the video. One thing I'm confused about though: You said to give it some sugar until their next meal, but isn't that sugar the meal itself? Or by "next meal" do you mean the must you later add it to (or whatever you're going to use it for).
Also, besides experimenting with the elderberry yeasts in brewing, I'm interested to see how they do in baking sourdough bread. I assume all I need to do is take the yeast juice and mix it into some flour to get a normal sourdough starter going--with some added flavor of elderberry, I guess. If I wanted to eliminate all traces of elderberry from the starter, I guess all I would need to do is take the smallest sample possible of the yeasty elderberry juice and mix it into the normal sourdough starter of water and flour. But then as well I'm confused because I understand that the yeast in sourdough starter comes mainly from the flour itself (not from the air), so if I want the elderberry yeasts to be the ones colonizing the flour--as opposed to the grain yeasts in the flour--I should use heavily refined/processed flour.
Am I on the right track here?
Thank you!
Dan Flynn Sounds like you're on the right track. It's been awhile since I've watched this video but when I said next meal I could of been referring to storing it. Feeding it periodically will keep it alive. Or I may have been talking about its next application of use (wine, beer, bread)... I don't think you'd get the desired the results for sour dough. You can use it for bread by using the fermented juice like you said, straining out any pulp. Keep in mind however the bread will take longer to leaven, sometimes hours, and it does impart a fruity flavor similar to a berry bagel. If you desire sour dough try looking up a diy process. From what I've seen you only need flour and water and a couple days process. Thanks for your questions .
-Hank
The Northwest Forager Thanks for the reply. After writing my comment yesterday, I ended up reading a comment by someone who says he gets great sourdough results by combining the flour yeast and grape yeast--flour yeast for rising, grape yeast for added flavor. That seems to confirm what you've said here about how the fruit yeasts are not good for raising bread.
Should we rinse the berries?
You can if they need it, but it's not necessary. Just keep in mind that the yeast is on the skin of the fruit so you wouldn't want to do anything that would sterilize it, i.e. 🔥hot water or antibacterial soaps.
I am dying to do a wild yeast pilsner on a Picobrew
Wild yeast and pilsener is not something that would necessarily go together well
@@theblobfish9614 What would? A Lambic, for example? A stout?
@@BigJoe2354899 anything with low hop and abv. Wild Yeasts don't like Hops too much, they are more fragile than regular beer yeast in that regard. Tastewise a pilsener is also a beer with low yeast presence, but that only means that yours would not be. It probably couldn't be identified as a pilsener. But whatever floats your boat. I think a wheat beer could be interesting or an ipa. Lambic is a wild yeast anyways
What is the temp you store things at? I don't have too many places i wiuld consider "cool". We often either have freezing temps or hot temps and i don't really have a room in any of our buildings that stays "cool" year round. But if you have a temp range suggestion, tuat might help me. Tysm for yiur channel. 😊
Anything in refrigerated temperatures, 33-50F range is good for long-term storage. The colder, the more dormant the yeast becomes. For active growth however, room temperatures 60-80F is fine. The concept is similar to maintaining and using a sourdough starter.
@@TheNorthwestForager do you have an update to this video yet?
@@kkso3318 You're not the first person to ask this :) What kind of update should I do?
@@TheNorthwestForager I just wondered since it mentioned there would be an update. I often miss things so thought that was the case. I sent this video to my husband who wants to learn to make stuff like this. I'm not an alcohol drinker, myself, so I wouldn't know what to ask for in a next video. Are there other steps in the process, maybe? I love and appreciate your content!
could i use elderberry cough syrup?
No, the yeast is on the fresh fruit. Its basically everywhere in nature but it especially likes the easily available sugar such as berries.
Adding the white sugar ruined it for me , but thank you 🙏
raw honey inplace of sugar?
Strength Squadron Sure that will work. Keep in mind that honey usually takes a little longer to be eaten by the yeast than sugar. Good thing is that raw honey already has wild yeast in it so you can actually make a yeast starter with just that.
Thank you.
I am not always able to get to the store and they don't have everything.
If there is any minimalist, simple recipes, like Viking mead that might be best for me.
Strength Squadron In my experience even the so called raw honey from the grocery store has been sterilized of yeast. If you do go that route try to get raw honey from a bee keeper or at a farmers market. Not only does it taste 100xs better but assuming it's not pasteurized it will work great as a yeast starter as well as your mead must.
How about maple syrup and maple sugar? (Homemade)
Make a video yeast , with lyrics name