A day spent with yeast

[Wolfman1]

It's been a busy morning which wouldn't be possible without yeast
For starters, I Put last nights brewed pale ale into a fermenter and tossed the US05 in it.
Tested the golden ale in the fridge and it's done it's work after a week
Harvested the ginger beer plant for the kids and bottled 5 litres and set it going again.
Baked 2 loaves of sourdough and mixed up the next batch at its proving by the fire
Chopped up a massive batch of cabbage for sauerkraut and it's set in the bucket on the bench.
Very satisfying stuff

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

Do you have a true ginger beer plant? If so where did you get it?

I tried the one from the guy in England but it was DOA.

 

[Mardoo]

My first thought precisely

 

[Wolfman1]

Nope, just the rampant wild yeast bench top variety. No idea where to source a real one

 

[good4whatAlesU]

Yep we used to use raisins when I was a kid to get the wild yeast and start a plant.

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

Apparently the DSMZ has a real culture but they won't deal with ordinary people, only other research institutions.

Maybe we should get Dr Smurto on the case and tell them we are investigating the sensitivity of the culture to sulphur compounds.

Part of the lore of ginger beer plants was that they were never to be sold as they were collective property.

 

[yurgy]

some sort of symbiotic relationship between yeast and ?

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

Lactic acid bacteria I believe.

There was an article in New Scientist a few years back talking about the guy who discovered it (Harry Marshall Ward), which named the organisms as Saccharomyces pyriformis and Brevibacterium vermiforme.

I believe these are old names and that the modern names are Saccharomyces florentinus and Lactobacillus hilgardii.

 

[yurgy]

thanks lc .supposed to give a toffee flavour. i hope doc drops in.

 

[Bridgey23]

Never heard of the ginger beer plant until now very interesting.
https://delishably.com/beverages/How-to-Grow-Your-Own-Ginger-Beer-Plant

 

[yurgy]

wiki says florentinus is sometimes used in kefir fermentatios.

Lactic acid bacteria I believe.

There was an article in New Scientist a few years back talking about the guy who discovered it (Harry Marshall Ward), which named the organisms as Saccharomyces pyriformis and Brevibacterium vermiforme.

I believe these are old names and that the modern names are Saccharomyces florentinus and Lactobacillus hilgardii.

 

[Lyrebird_Cycles]

My understanding is that kefir and kombucha are also symbioses between yeast and bacteria but that the combinations are different in each case.