July 2019 – Meeting Minutes
July 2019 Meeting
General
– Pay your dues if you haven’t yet done so!
– Props to Scott S. for winning two blue ribbons @ World Cup of Beer
– His beer is on currently tap @ Faction in Alameda
Chili Cookoff
– Aug 3 is cutoff for bottle comp
– 19 entries to date
– Enter ASAP!
– MoreBeer San Leandro & Los Altos are drop off points
– Keg Comp is a popularity contest: most votes wins
– Firefighters will have their own judging round of bottle entries
– Best of Show winners will win firefighters helmets
– Need judges
– Need volunteers: swag items for judges, keg donations
Education Session: Harvesting Wild Yeast by Jose
– Sources: ambient air, fruit, flowers, insects
– Mason jars are best – sterilize by boiling
– Use stater wort + yeast nutrient. Hopping to 20 IBU will discourage bacteria
– Place in nature away from humans / cities
– Harvest in colder weather (50-60F) to avoid acetobacteria
– Avoid mold by using airlock
– Smell after 4 weeks. Fruit smell is generally good
– PRO TIP: if it smells like vomit, dump it
– Dump if fermentation hasn’t started or pH has risen. Want ph <4
– Once you have a yeast culture you like, step it up twice to get to pitching level
– Generally slower activity vs. normal yeast
– Brett is really hard to harvest as it grows very slow
– Generally wild yeast not a good choice for clean beers. Very temperature sensitive
– Capturing from fruit or flowers generally easier vs. air capture
– Avoid vegetables grown in the soil
– “Bootleg Biology” and “Wild Pitch Yeast” offer yeast banking services
– 5 sample beers shared – all had the same wort with different yeasts
Food & Beer Session
– Folks shared their food & beer pairings and food made with beer
Thanks again to Will for hosting and to everyone who attended!