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| Funky. |
Here's a little question for the internet. As you may recall, I am experimenting with the pleasures of
natural fermentation. Having secured three gallons of unpasteurized, fresh-pressed apple juice from
Draper Girl's farm, I relocated it to a carboy and let it sit outside, where nature could run its course. And run it did. (A little too quickly, I think--late October was unseasonably warm in Oregon, and I the cider was fermenting at between 55-60 degrees. I'd been hoping for 50 or lower.) I racked the cider on Sunday and it was already down to 1.006 and tasting great. It's been unseasonably cold for the past week, and the cider is now slow-fermenting in the 30s, so it should finish out nicely.
Anyway, here's the question. It was only as the last drops of cider were getting suctioned up that I recognized the potential gold I was sitting on: a rich layer of wild Oregon yeast and bacteria, smelling funky and alive. I had not planned ahead, so I dumped it, but here's the thing: wouldn't that be a perfect slurry to pitch on a fresh batch of wort and get a cheater's version of wild ferment? Is there any reason I should not go back down the Gorge, get another gallon of Draper Girl's juice and use it effectively as a wild-yeast starter?
Hive mind has never led me astray, so render now your verdict: clever or boneheaded?