Anything I Should Know Before I Wild Ferment with a Makeshift Rig?

[enigmaticpea]

Update to say my first mash is doing great! Fermenting nicely, tastes interesting too! I had some slight sulfur smells come up on about day 3, so I added 15 large red raisins chopped up on day 4 and that fixed it up quite nicely. I know there is a lot of anecdotal evidence about using raisins as a natural yeast nutrient for nitrogen and other nutrients, and a lot of people talk against it, but I have to say, it worked perfectly! I has already aerating pretty heavily to let out some of the trapped hydrogen sulfide day 3 and 4 for the scent, but it seemed only to get stronger. After the raisins it's a dream! Smells sweet and nice. Only punching down the cap 2-3 times a day now to ensure no mold growth. I also gave it a slight quick stir today to feed the yeast a tad oxygen and keep everything going. I expect that this ferment should go for some time.

In fact, my experience with wild yeasts thus far is that they can, depending on the fruit or veggies used, take an incredibly long time to get started as a starter, so I think that this primary phase will likely last several weeks. I don't expect it to finish anytime soon, based on the high foam I am seeing. It essentially looks carbonated right now. Interesting how this step is essentially the same as the pre-bottling step for homemade soda.

Hope to continue updating throughout the process.

 

[enigmaticpea]

Time for another update! First must is still going strong, getting closer to dry as well! Also alcohol is DEFINITELY there now quite strongly! Not sure how the flavor tastes right now. It's nice, sweet, slightly acidic, and alcoholic without tasting hot. I used a mixture of fruits that I don't usually eat together, and I can't really tell what it tastes like right now, honestly. Haha. I feel like the flavor changes every other day. I give a good stir every few days, and otherwise, I punch the fruit cap down 2 to 3 times a day. Bubbling away, and smells pleasant. The raisins I added a few weeks ago really helped feed the yeast and took away the slight sulfur smell that was briefly present. Never came back at all, so that was a success.

I started my second must on the 19th and it is bubbling lightly now. I think probably many people's issues with wild yeasts have been 1 time and 2 patience. The whole 7 day primary I see online alot is likely not going to match with wild yeasts. In fact, depending on weather, fruit, temperature, and other factors, your fruit starter could take from 1 week to 1 month to get going. I'm glad I started this wine journey with that knowledge already, as it's certainly made the going easier. I just love going to check on my musts! So fun to see the yeast at work! I think the second must should take a few more days to really get going like the first. It also took a bit to go from light bubbles to full throttle carbonation.

One thing I have observed, is if you stir less it might slow. The opposite of the starter, which can benefit by a nostir day or two when it is slow. So this is why I still give must 1 a good stir every couple of days to get some oxygen to the yeast.

I know oxidization is a problem for a lot of folks, but hmm, considering the fact that I stir my starters vigorously every day for weeks on end, I don't think it's going to be a problem for my project. If the flavors were to be affected maybe they already would have been.

Also, the slight peroxidey fluoridey flavor has mostly dissipated. I think it was just early by-products of the fermentation getting started. Definitely now that the alcohol is getting stronger and stronger, the overall flavor is changing. It definitely is tasting better. It's kind of an unplaceable fruit flavor right now. I haven't had much in the way of non-grape wines, so I don't know where to place it exactly.

I'm excited for the next stages of this journey! I will GOD-Willing keep updating you all here on my progress! Hopefully this will also help those who are interested in wild fermenting as well to see my 2 gallon journey haha.

 

[enigmaticpea]

Hello, I thought some of you may be curious as to what happened with my wines: One is aging? or rather still needs to be cleared, and the other turned to vinegar.
I ended up eventually getting an airlock but still using a makeshift carboy of an old hawaiian punch container. The cranberry vinegar is still on my countertop in a gallon pitcher on the fruit. No mold. Still need to taste test for safety (turned to vinegar about summer of last year maybe? fall?) then will strain and see how I can get some use out of it. The banana apple orange gallon still in the airlocked carboy, very little lees if any now, just need to rack once more and hope to clear with some eggshells (cus natural and all that). Afterward, hopefully find some plastic wine bottles and bottle and age for another 6 months to a year. Last time I tested it was about 16% abv, so, definitely higher than what most people achieve with wild yeasts. Every time I've tasted/racked thus far it has had a different flavor profile, sometimes leaning apple, others orange rind. Last time was fairly balanced between the three with the banana present; overall still a bit of the rocketfuel kind of taste though haha. Hoping it mellows after aging. I meant to update here before a year but honestly forgot about it as winemaking is just one foray of my many adventures into fermenting. Actually planning sauerkraut and kimchi soon..

If anyone reads this looking to see whether or not you can make wine with wild/natural yeast, yes you can very easily. It just requires more time and maybe patience than buying a packet. An interesting thing that happened with the fruit blend is between the first and second racking, it stopped fermenting (visibly) for a few weeks, then suddenly started up again going quite well for a few more months. I attribute this to the lower alcohol tolerating yeasts dying out, and those that could tolerate the high abv taking a bit of time to take over the carboy. Once they did, it was fun to see.

Hopefully I'll be back sometime once I've bottled or once I've got a taste of the finished wine. Until then.

 

[Mead Maker]

“The cranberry vinegar is still on my countertop in a gallon pitcher on the fruit. No mold. Still need to taste test for safety (turned to vinegar.”
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After you siphon off your vinegar, if it tastes good, just put it into small fancy bottles and sell it at the local farmers market.

Cranberry vinegar will probably be a big seller, and I doubt anyone else will give you competition.

Might make more money than if you sold your wine.