Over the weekend, I brewed a batch of starter wort, filled five jars, and headed to the Observatory to leave them overnight. Friday afternoon, I made a growler’s-worth of 1.030 basic wort. I also added a pinch of yeast nutrient and half an ounce of aged hops and divided it all up evenly between 24oz mason jars.
Category: Wild Munjoy Project
My attempt to ferment a true Munjoy Hill wild ale with native yeast, captured from the historical Portland Observatory.
Made a quick stop at the Observatory today to scout possible homes for my 24oz wide-mouth Ball jars. Certainly a nice day at the top, the firefighter practicing bagpipes in the parking lot next door added a certain atmosphere that accented the view and weather perfectly. Wish I had more than my cell phone to snap photos.
Spoke with the friendly woman at Greater Portland Landmarks and once the weather cools down later in September, I’ll be leaving little bowls of wort around the Portland Observatory! Stoked about this project. In the meantime, I’m going to read up on yeast banking and finish Jeff Sparrow’s great book, “Wild Brews.”
Brewing in a more properly-equipped kitchen changes everything.
Since restarting my homebrew hobby after our move to Portland, my brewing interest in wild ales has exploded. With some inspiration from people like Mike at The Mad Fermentationist and Dmitri over at BKYeast, I decided to explore the realm of cultivating the “terroir” of Munjoy Hill.