Campden to kill wild yeast?

[Bigvalveturbo]

A friend gave me 5 gallons of maple syrup that is obviously working already a little bit as the jug keeps building pressure. can i kill off the wild yeast by adding some Campden or should i just throw it in the fermenter with some daddy and hope for the best? (i have made lots of maple in the past)

[still_stirrin]

I wouldn’t try to stop wild yeast. But, I would pitch a large starter to overtake it asap.
ss

[shadylane]

I wouldn’t try to stop wild yeast. But, I would pitch a large starter to overtake it asap.
ss

Plus one.
Plan B, would be a yeast starter using Lalvin K1-v1116 yeast.
That's my go-to yeast for anything already fermenting uncontrolled.

[jonnys_spirit]

Either that or let the natural yeast run with it for a bit - If it stalls then hit it with a commercial yeast starter. Natural yeast from the environment where the product came from aren't necessarily a bad thing. It'll probably get to a couple ABV points and add some character. If you try it and don't like it use the commercial yeast earlier in the process next time.

I would advise against using camden (SO2) in your ferment because it can come over concentrated in the distillate and be quite noxious.

Cheers!
-jonny

[Ben]

Skip the campden, if you want them gone heat to pasteurization temperature, cool to pitching temp as quick as you can and throw your yeast in. Since maple syrup is already boiled the heating process won't hurt a thing.

I am a little surprised straight maple syrup is fermenting, it's usually got way too much sugar for that, are you sure it isn't sap?

[BrewinBrian44]

Adding sulfites to something intended to be distilled is a bad idea. Copper will remove sulfur compounds, but not sulfites.

Depending on how much is used, it creates an intense burn on the nose.

I got lucky in the past running some of my buddies left over cider that he added sulfites to, but it was a small amount so I didn’t notice it too much.

[Bigvalveturbo]

Skip the campden, if you want them gone heat to pasteurization temperature, cool to pitching temp as quick as you can and throw your yeast in. Since maple syrup is already boiled the heating process won't hurt a thing.

I am a little surprised straight maple syrup is fermenting, it's usually got way too much sugar for that, are you sure it isn't sap?

It’s pretty common for it to start working, I’ve seen it before but never had a five gallon jug of it before!

[Renhoekk]

I wouldn’t try to stop wild yeast. But, I would pitch a large starter to overtake it asap.
ss

Plus one.
Plan B, would be a yeast starter using Lalvin K1-v1116 yeast.
That's my go-to yeast for anything already fermenting uncontrolled.

Plus two….saccharomyces cerevisiae is an aggressive yeast and typically pummels other strains into submission pretty quickly.

You may even end up with something a little bit interesting from having the wild yeast kick off the ferment before ol’ faithful brings it home

[shadylane]

Pick a yeast with a "competitive killer factor"
Let it take care of the wild yeast.

Lalvin QA23 is another option, I've had good luck fermenting plums with it.

https://www.lallemandbrewing.com/en/uni ... lvin-qa23/

[contrahead]

….saccharomyces cerevisiae is an aggressive yeast and typically pummels other strains into submission pretty quickly.

If the truth be known, those wild strains we are talking about are probably under the Saccharomyces genus too. We have both yeast and bacteria in our bodies; in fact these two tiny organisms probably exist naturally in all living things.

A maple tree will have natural yeast in its sap, an apple will have natural yeast in its pulp, as will a grape. The apple and the grape will probably share a very similar - closely related species of yeast. Saccharomyces translates in to sugar mold, or sugar loving yeast. Over time yeasts (inside a fruit) will fall onto the ground, exist in the rotten fruit and become part of the soil surrounding the tree, vine or parent vegetable. Over time microscopic yeast spores by the billions, will also work their way into the breeze, up into the atmosphere and then surround the globe. It might take years, but pulled by gravity, these will eventually return to the ground, and have done so for eons.

The point being, that what we are calling “wild yeast” are often times the very same yeasts that we claim to have civilized, and propose to sell in little individual packets. There are some differences in identified strains – to be sure. The scientific taxonomy and classification of yeast species and strains has been in a state of turmoil, disagreement and upheaval for the last 20 years. The trend has been toward a reduction in the number of species – as they are discovering that several separate yeasts strains are not as different as once thought. Quote from the link following: "..the biodiversity and true niche and abundance of the different species remain ambiguous".

https://academic.oup.com/femsyr/article ... ogin=false

Potassium metabisulfite or sodium metabisulfite (powder or Campden tablet form) is really only useful as a sanitizing solution or when used in very tiny amounts, to keep the wine from spoiling after it had been bottled. The modest, correct amount of metabisulfite will dissipate, oxidize or otherwise be bound up so that after 24 hours, no free sulfide should be remaining. Rather than banishing wild yeast which is not necessarily important, a knowledgeable vintner realizes that bacteria are the bigger problem. Still, many novice wine makers often use too much sulfide; which then smells and taste bad. Brewers generally don't need to add sulfides to beer, because hops are antibacterial and have long history of use as a natural preservative in beer.