Yeast Slurry Homebrewing Podcast

Each topic has a label on the main topic discussed. The labels will look like the following

- Introductory Topic
(examples... Extract brewing techniques, mead, sanitation techniques, bottling)

- Intermediate Topic
(examples.. All grain brewing techniques, force carbonation, yeast culturing)

- Advanced Topic
(examples.. Water Chemistry, enzyme activity, pH)

2008 Podcast Archive

Podcast #35
Spontaneous Fermentation (Part 4 of 4)

Five Minute Boil 004 - This is a project I did with the Lion's Road Lovecast. Here is a taste of the series which is five minute brewing shows. This is part 4 of a four part seies on Spontaneous Fermentation. Check them out at http://www.lionsroad.org.

Part 4 – I still want to Spontaneous ferment, how can I do it at home?

Intro

In the previous episodes we talked about that spontaneous fermentation really wasn’t that spontaneous after all.

The yeast slurry was often left in from a previous batch
Vessels could not be sterilized by ancient methods

They retained resident yeast

Brew houses had yeast all over

In the air
On the surfaces of the walls and wooden rafters

How can we possibly ferment “period” then?

Just add period yeasts

Ale yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)
Yeasts with some esters

English yeasts
Belgian yeasts
NOT a clean yeast like the chico strain

Wyeast1056 or WhiteLabs 001

Open ferment

Yes it tastes different

Positive pressure affects yeast development
The krausen was skimmed for adding to other beers or for use in bread

This affects fermentation

Oxidation off-flavors

Ferment with small amounts of wood if possible

Wood chips or cubes

French oak is preferred over American oak

Not too much wood flavor

Just enough to round the flavor but not so much as to taste like oak

How can we spontanious ferment then?

Get an oak barrel

Old burbon barrel will be fine

Wood flavor will lessen over time

Infuse barrel with desired yeast

Brew a few batches of beer in it with normally pitching that yeast
Make a few sugar batches with sugar water just to get the yeast going.
Yeast will eventually take over

Infuse room with yeast

Make a small room or container to ferment in

Open ferment the barrel in the small room.
Resist cleaning the wort splatters from the walls
Plywood would work fine

Cheap
Wood harbors yeast and bacteria well

Try fermenting without adding yeast

Outro

Thanks
Next episode will be (Month 2 – Four week look at period grains)

Podcast #35
Spontaneous Fermentation (Part 3 of 4)

Five Minute Boil 003 - This is a project I did with the Lion's Road Lovecast. Here is a taste of the series which is five minute brewing shows. This is part 3 of a four part seies on Spontaneous Fermentation. Check them out at http://www.lionsroad.org.

Part 3 – Is it “period brewing” to Spontaneous ferment?

Depends how you do it.

Intro

In the previous episodes we talked about the history of yeast and then where spontaneous fermentation comes from

Those episodes were more history and easier to determine fact
This episode will delve a little deeper and discuss some theory and process

What is open fermentation?

Open-fermentation is fermenting of wort in a vessle that is not closed off by a lid or water airlock.

Is open fermentation and spontaneous fermentation the same thing?

Not nessicarily, yeast can be innoculated into the beer in an open ferment
Open ferment simply means that the "lid is off"

This is most likely the way beers were brewed near the end of the SCA period

Is spontaneous fermentation really spontaneous?

Not really

The yeast slurry was often left in from a previous batch

Beer or wine was simply racked on top of it
Several batches were ran before it was cleaned

Even then it wasn’t cleaned fully

What if the slurry was cleaned out?

Vessels are used over and over

Wooden barrels
Clay Pots
Animal skins

All of these cannot be sterilized by ancient methods

The yeast would survive any cleaning process back then
Normal process was to just rinse with water
Even if bleach was added, it would just sanitize and not sterilize

What about new barrels?

Beer is all fermented in the same place
Yeast is abundant in the air
It would overwhelm any other strain fairly quickly
Often will even coat the ceiling rafters in some Belgian spontaneous fermentation breweries

How do we know?

Currently there are still breweries that spontaneously ferment

They use these same practices

Outro

Thanks
Next episode will be (Part 4, I still want to Spontaneous ferment, how can I do it at home?)

Podcast #34
Spontaneous Fermentation (Part 2 of 4)

Five Minute Boil 002 - This is a project I did with the Lion's Road Lovecast. Here is a taste of the series which is five minute brewing shows. This is part 2 of a four part seies on Spontaneous Fermentation. Check them out at http://www.lionsroad.org.

The Five Minute Boil - Brewing notes

Spontaneous Fermentation Month

Part 2 – How does Spontaneous fermentation work?

Intro

In the previous episode we explained yeast was not discovered as the fermenting agent of beer and wine until 1857 – by Louis Pasteur.

How did they ferment Meads, Wines, and Beer without yeast then?

They had yeast, they just didn’t know what it was.
Spontaneous fermentation

AKA… Natural Fermentation or Wild Fermentation
Spontaneous fermentation is carried out by indigenous yeasts.

Indigenous = native = wild yeasts = natural yeasts
The term 'natural' fermenation should not be used. All fermentation is natural (carried out by the one or several of a group of yeasts) whether a yeast culture was added or not.
We should distinguish between spontaneous and inoculated fermentations.

How did they figure this out?

Magic Bag theory

Animal Bladder or clay pot
Crushed fruit or honey w/ water

Water has to be added to honey because of the natural antibacterial properties to it.
It wouldn’t ferment otherwise
Water is added to honey to thin it so it can be drunk

Yeast added

Grapes have yeasts on their skins

Common cultivation of yeast

Natural yeasts in the air or water

Bag could be left out and aged
Doesn’t take that long to ferment
Things weren’t pasteurized

Could have also been bacteria

Some strains can ferment alcohol

Drank alcohol

Woo hoo, got drunk
First cavemen hangover?

After alcohol is drank, more honeywater or fruit juice is added

Yeast can live in items like animal skins or clay pots

Just go dormant
Now does the job really well

Magically it ferments again

And again and again

Trub and Yeast cake

When fermentation happens yeast reproduce

Some remains in suspension
The rest falls out to form a yeast cake

It wouldn’t take long to figure out that leaving this in the bag makes a better wine or beer the next time

Thank lazy brewers for today’s marvels

Outro

Thanks
Next episode will be (Part 3,Is it “period brewing” to Spontaneous ferment?)

Podcast #33
Spontaneous Fermentation (Part 1 of 4)

Five Minute Boil 001 - This is a project I did with the Lion's Road Lovecast. Here is a taste of the series which is five minute brewing shows. This is part 1 of a four part seies on Spontaneous Fermentation. Check them out at http://www.lionsroad.org.

The Five Minute Boil - Show notes

Spontaneous Fermentation Month

Part 1 – Where did brewing yeast come from?

Intro

About me

Former President of the Snake River Brewers
Current Director of Education for the Snake River Brewers
Current Minister of Propaganda for the global beer tribe
Created the Beer Tribe Beer Tools

Free Online Brewing Software
Located at http://www.beertribe.com/gizmos/calcs/

Author of various brewing articles
Various brewing awards and etc.
Producer of Yeast Slurry Podcast

On iTunes
Online at http://yeastslurry.beerfeed.com
On the radio in Idaho, parts of Eastern Oregon and parts of Nevada.

Sundays at 7:30pm

KBSU 730 AM - Boise, Idaho
KEZJ 1450 AM - Twin Falls, Idaho
KBSK 89.9 FM - McCall, Idaho

Notice the blatant lacking of history in my background

Most of my brewing expertise is with modern equipment and technologies
I’ll do my best and give it the old college try

Please e-mail me if you notice any errors

Four Part series on spontaneous fermentation

First part is long, so I’ll make it quick

Yeast History

To learn about how to ferment ancient beverages, it helps to learn where the process came from

Look back to think forward

Yeast was not discovered as the fermenting agent of beer and wine until 1857 – by Louis Pasteur
The discovery of yeast's role in fermentation gave brewers methods to prevent the souring of beer by undesirable microorganisms.
Where did brewing yeast come from then?

Two major theories

The air around us

Spontaneous fermentation

Leavened Bread

How did they use yeast in bread then?

It was an ingredient but wasn’t known to be alive or reproducing
Leavened Bread uses a strain of yeast called Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Wine and Ales use the same yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Saccharomyces pastorianus ferments Lagers
Brettanomyces ferments lambics
Torulaspora delbrueckii ferments Bavarian weissbier.
Metchnikowia, Kloeckera, Hanseniaspora, Hansenula, Pichia, Schizosaccharomyces, Zygosaccharomyces, Brettanomyces and Dekkera are usually called spoilage yeast

There were multiple sources of leavening available for early bread.

Airborne yeasts could be harnessed by leaving uncooked dough exposed to air for some time before cooking.
Pliny the Elder reported that the Gauls and Iberians used the foam skimmed from beer to produce "a lighter kind of bread than other peoples."

Pliny the Elder – Also known as Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, (AD 23 –AD 79)

Parts of the ancient world that drank wine instead of beer used a paste composed of grape juice and flour that was allowed to begin fermenting, or wheat bran steeped in wine, as a source for yeast.
The most common source of leavening however was to retain a piece of dough from the previous day to utilize as a form of sourdough starter.

Outro

Thanks
Next episode will be (Part 2, How does Spontaneous fermentation work?)

Podcast #32
Anheuser Busch and InBev

Yeast Slurry 032 - In this episode, we break from homebrewing talk and talk about the American beer industry. With Coors owned by Canadians, Miller owned by South Africa and now AB owned by the Belgians, what is happening to American beer.

Podcast #31
Building a Kegerator (Part 1)

Yeast Slurry 031 - Building a kegerator part 1. The Basics of building - Tools needed, type of fridge/freezer to use, cutting into them, lines needed, parts neeeded, co2 tanks, etc.

Podcast #30
Ramblings of a Drunken Couple (Economy & Brewing)

Yeast Slurry 030 - We try to appologize for the political show, but get even worse than the previous show. I guess that's what we get for drinking before the podcast. We get into the price of the US dollar and how Anheuser Busch might get bought out by InBev.

Podcast #29
The Lost Episode (Coffee Beers)

Yeast Slurry 029 - This is an episode that got a little political in the beginning and so I didn't post it, but since I went on vacation for a few weeks I wanted to have a show for you guys. This show is on coffee beers and how to brew them.

Podcast #28
Exploding Bottles

Yeast Slurry 028 - Exploding beer bottles can be dangerous and scary. This show is about how to recover from a beer bottle exploding tragedy.

Podcast #27
Listener Mailbag

Yeast Slurry 027 - After a week off, we at the Yeast Slurry Podcast get to some listener e-mail. Lots of good misc. brewing information in this podcast. Beer, wine and Mead tips in here.

Podcast #26
Aerating Wort

Yeast Slurry 026 - With a lot of the discussions of aerating with alternative methods, sometimes the good old fashioned methods get lost. In this podcast we take a step back and tell you how you can aerate your wort. Different methods and some pros and cons of each in here.

Podcast #25
Making Your Own, Belgian Candy Sugar

Yeast Slurry Show 025 - Belgian Candy Sugar makes Belgian beers great and it is unique as creating your own malt bill in all grain brewing. Have more control in your Belgian beers. Make your own Belgian candy sugar. Tips, hints, help, along with the first interview of the Yeast Slurry Podcast.

Podcast #24
Yeast Storage and Handling

Yeast Slurry Show 024 - In this podcast we learn a little about the storage and handling of yeast. Plenty of good tips for the yeast culturer or homebrewer that makes starters.

Podcast #23
Economies of Scale and Oligopolies

Yeast Slurry Show 023 - In this podcast we learn a little about economics in the brewing industry. Why do the big breweries operate they way they do? Why is it so hard to get into the industry? Why don't we have more variety and choice in cheaper beer?

Podcast #22
Back From the Flu - Relaxing Beer Discussion

Yeast Slurry Show 022 - After a week off with the flu. We do a relaxing discussion on beer news and blending beers. Josie is my co-host again.

Podcast #21
Repitching from slurry (part #2)

Yeast Slurry Show 021 - This is part two of a two part show on repitching from slurry. I go into how to save slurry, store it and how to reuse it in a batch.

Podcast #20
Repitching from slurry (part #1)

Yeast Slurry Show 020 - This is part one of a two part show on repitching from slurry. I go into what slurry is, when you should repitch from slurry and when you shouldn't, how many yeast cells are in a slurry, and how many cells to pitch.

Podcast #19
Harvesting Yeast from Commercial Bottles

Yeast Slurry Show 019 - Harvesting yeast from commercial beer bottles, how to do it, when to do it, why to do it, and when not to do it.

Podcast #18
Rhizomes and Ramblings

Yeast Slurry Show 018 - This week the Yeast Slurry Podcast I ramble on incoherantly about rhizomes and also mention the new release of Bud Light with Lime in a few months. It's an interesting show as I have had a few and at some points make no sense at all. Listen at your own risk.

Podcast #17
Cold Weather Brewing

Yeast Slurry Show 017 - This week the Yeast Slurry Podcast talks about cold weather brewing. If you live in a cold climate, there are some great brewing techniques to use in here.

Podcast #16
Chlorine and Chlorimines

Yeast Slurry Show 016 - Well, it's football and beer. We skip the fluffy topics and get into our second water chemistry show. We discuss chlorine and chlorimines in brewing water. Due to popular response, I am joined again by my lovely co-host Josie.

Podcast #15
The Best of Yeast Slurry

Yeast Slurry Show 015 - Only 15 shows into the podcast and we're forced to do a "best of" show. Due to the radio station playing the wrong episode of Yeast Slurry last week we're taking a week off to let our radio listeners catch up to our podcast listeners. Fear not though. I do have something for you. I created a 29 min. cut up episode of our famous mead show. We're taking this week to make the podcast even that much cooler.

Podcast #14
Fermenting in a Corny Keg

Yeast Slurry Show 014 - This show is all about news. We talk about AB and how much the import and craft beer markets affect them. We get into some fun news about a stupid burgler, and talk about how to ferment in a corny keg. Good stuff planned for today.

Podcast #13
Making Brewing Easier on the household

Yeast Slurry Show 013 - This show is all about homebrewing and how to make it easiser on you and your family. There's a few tips on how to be able to do what you want, and make the spouse happy at the same time. Joining in on this program is Matt's co-host and wife, Josie Kunzman. There's great info and we wrap up the "Year in News".

Podcast #12
Beer Tasting Show

Fun stuff planned for this show. Well for me at least. I get to taste beer. I talk about the Yeast Slurry Logo contest, there's news about a beer shipment stolen from Albany, and there is a beer tasting of Phil's Philsner. The Brew Bubba's were kind enough to send me a beer so I drank it, yumm.

2007 Podcast Archive

Podcast #11
Eve of New Year's Eve

Well, it's December 30th, the eve of New Year's eve. This Yeast Slurry podcast talks about the health benefits Guiness offers that lagers don't, answer a listerner's e-mail question about boilovers, and then discuss the pros and cons of different types of fermenters.

Podcast #10
Christmas Show

Well, it's the Yeast Slurry Chirstmas show, and we have a fun show discussing various homebrewing topics. This show is all about answerig listener e-mails. Lots of good info. Merry Christmas.

Podcast #9
Homebrew Gift Ideas

In this show we are a lot less technical and we just go over some homebrew gift ideas. Chistmas is coming up and maybe this show will give you and idea of what to get your homebrewer friend or spouse. Maybe it'll just help you to know what you want. Plus some good new about an upcomming Rouge Imperial Red beer to celebrate the fall of communisim.

Podcast #8
Calcium and Magnesium

In this show we get a little more techinical and discuss a few brewing Ions. This is an interesting water show that I had fun with.

Podcast #7
Attenuation Show

For our second show on the radio we do a show all about Attenuation. Learn how to calculate it, and why it's important.

Podcast #6
Alcohol and Higher Education

This is a fun show all about Alcohol and Higher Education. The Yeast Slurry Podcast also makes a huge breakout by broadcasting every week on the radio now.

Podcast #5
Prison Hooch

This is a fun show all about prison hooch. There's history, information and how to make it at home.

Podcast #4
Trailer Park Meads

This show is all about meads. How to make your first mead as well as plenty of good tips about aeration, nutrients, and styles.

Podcast #3
Brewing Podcast War of Words

What is up with the brewing podcasts? Why do they keep cutting jabs at one another? In this Yeast Slurry Podcast we step away from the more technical points of homebrewing at look at this beer podcasting rivalry. How big is Graham Sanders head? Why do the Brew Bubbas mesure hops in "buttloads"? How well does Johnny Max sing? All of these questions are looked at in this addition of the Yeast Slurry Podcast... oh, and someone e-mail Princess Candace.

Podcast #2
Natural Carbonation and Lightstruck

The first part of this podcast is about bottling beer and how to get the correct carbonation. There are a few formulas to help calculate proper carbonation for the stlye of beer you are brewing. There isn't a lot of information out there on bottling, so this is a don't miss podcast. The second part is about the off flavor skunky or lightstuck. This second part is a good part for the beer geeks out there. I go off on a few rants and pay tribute to Micheal "The Beer Hunter" Jackson. Thanks are also given to Johnny Max, who has been a ton of help to the Yeast Slurry Podcast.

Podcast #1
Intro and Brewing Your First Beer

This podcast is the first Yeast Slurry podcast. It outlines what the Yeast Slurry Speech podcasts will be like. The main brewing topic is "Brewing your first beer". This podcast is kept really simple because it is focused on those that have never brewed before.