Wild Yeast Harvesting: Brewing With Your Backyard’s Microbial Magic

Good morning. A Czech style of beer is gaining popularity in the United States called Mlíko. The catch with this beer is that it’s almost entirely foam… on purpose. The foam itself is the draw, offering a creamy, sweet quality and is often enjoyed as a nightcap.

To think, the solo cup full of foam that you received at college parties would one day become desirable…

-Brandon Copeland

Wild Yeast Harvesting: Brewing With Your Backyard’s Microbial Magic

Ever wondered what your neighborhood tastes like in a beer glass? While most of us carefully select commercial yeast strains for predictable results, there’s a growing fascination with letting nature take the reins. Wild yeast harvesting is an adventurous way to capture the character of your local environment—and maybe create something uniquely yours.

What’s in a Wild Yeast?

Everywhere you look, yeast is floating in the air, hitching rides on fruit skins, flower petals, and even the surfaces of your brewing equipment. Capturing and cultivating these wild microorganisms can open the door to an entirely new flavor profile. Think funky farmhouse ales, tart sours, or beers with subtle floral notes. But the process isn’t without its risks—wild yeast is as unpredictable as it is exciting.

Some brewers swear by the magic of local terroir, arguing that wild yeast brings an irreplicable sense of place to their beers. Others? They’ll tell you the funk just isn’t worth the uncertainty.

How Do You Even Do It?

The basics are simple: expose some wort or sugar water to the air, leave it near a source of potential wild yeast (like fruit trees or flowers), and hope for the best. But results can vary wildly (pun intended). You might end up with a delicate, fruity ferment—or something that smells like a gym bag. For the adventurous, trial and error is part of the thrill.

Some brewers prefer targeted harvesting:

• Fruit skins: Apples, plums, and grapes are often teeming with wild yeast.

• Flowers: Elderflower and dandelions are popular choices.

• Wood barrels: If you have access to oak barrels, they can harbor yeast cultures that evolve over time.

The Wild Yeast Debate

Not everyone’s sold on the concept. Critics argue that brewing with wild yeast is a gamble - one that might not pay off when you’re investing time and ingredients. Then there’s the question of consistency. If you strike gold with a wild yeast strain, can you isolate it and reuse it? Or are you doomed to a one-hit wonder?

For my take, I will not be harvesting wild yeast in New York City - feels risky (who knows what kind of wild yeast is floating around the city…).

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Beer Trivia Question

🍺 Which African country is known for brewing a traditional beer called Chibuku, often referred to as "Shake Shake" because it is sold in cartons that need to be shaken before drinking?

Read to the end to find out if you're right!

Brewgr Recipe of the Week

Green Flash IPA Clone

Couldn’t help calling out a solid hazy IPA since we were talking about it above. Beware of hop creep in this one, because there are a lot of hops going into this batch (7.25 oz) including a lot of dry hop additions. However, the complexity ends at the hops - the grain bill is simple, with old reliable Safale US-05 for the yeast.

Credit: Hopphead

Poll Results: Have You Experienced Hop Creep?

This poll was a mixed bag - not all brewers are fans of IPAs, and therefore have not experienced hop creep. However, for those who brew IPAs, specifically hazy IPAs, many brewers wrote in that they have experienced this before. Between hop creep and oxidation, brewing hazy IPAs can be tricky and are common pitfalls to be aware of.

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And the Answer Is...

🍺 Zimbabwe. Chibuku is a traditional sorghum beer that originated in Zimbabwe and is popular in several African countries. It is brewed with locally sourced grains and has a thick, opaque texture. The nickname "Shake Shake" comes from the need to shake the carton to mix the sediment before drinking, making it both a cultural and interactive experience.