Making Vinegar

[full malty]

Any adventurous people here fancy making a little vinegar ?

I'm willing to send a little starter for the price of postage.

Some photos of my vinegar crock...

Here's a gallon of vinegar. Notice how the gooey 'mother of vinegar' caps the whole liquid... some times this drops, and then it completely re-forms within a day or so.



Here is a close-up of the mother of vinegar ...

[Reg]

Is a vinegar starter really necessary FM?

[full malty]

QUOTE (Reg @ Jul 25 2005, 05:53 PM)Is a vinegar starter really necessary FM?
It is possible to make vinegar without a starter culture, however using a good mother of vinegar culture that you have the right bacteria in your alcoholic beverage in sufficient quantities to establish themselves ... before anything else unwated gets working.

I have tried making vinegar a few times by open fermentation, however, only once in around six attempts did the end product taste good. None of the experiments looked like a mother of vinegar - like the goo in the photos. In the failed attempts, there was ghastly looking stuff growing inside the bottle and it did not clear. Using a mother of vinegar culture, the beer/vinegar cleared easily.

I don't know the technical/biological reasons for the above !

[Reg]

QUOTE (full malty @ Jul 25 2005, 08:29 PM) QUOTE (Reg @ Jul 25 2005, 05:53 PM)Is a vinegar starter really necessary FM?
It is possible to make vinegar without a starter culture, however using a good mother of vinegar culture that you have the right bacteria in your alcoholic beverage in sufficient quantities to establish themselves ... before anything else unwated gets working.

I have tried making vinegar a few times by open fermentation, however, only once in around six attempts did the end product taste good. None of the experiments looked like a mother of vinegar - like the goo in the photos. In the failed attempts, there was ghastly looking stuff growing inside the bottle and it did not clear. Using a mother of vinegar culture, the beer/vinegar cleared easily.

I don't know the technical/biological reasons for the above !
But a good answer nonetheless!

Where did you get your original starter from and how do you preserve it???

[Jim]

I suppose that's analagous to using a yeast culture in beer or wine, rather than relying on picking up a wild yeast from the air.

[full malty]

I got my starter free from some one. It was reddish when I received it as it had been used to make a vinegar with a red wine base, however, it has multiplied since then... it must like my beer.

I haven't given any thought on preserving this vinegar culture, so that's a really good question. At the moment, I'm content to keep re-using the culture. I suppose I could try to preserve some of it in glycerin in the freezer. I'll let you know if I get any good results preserving it this way.

[full malty]

QUOTE (jim @ Jul 26 2005, 06:38 AM)I suppose that's analagous to using a yeast culture in beer or wine, rather than relying on picking up a wild yeast from the air.
Yes, totally... I was going to mention the comparison with Lambic brewing but I was too tired when I replied.

[Rossi]

Yes I would really like a vinegar mother starter ! Got lots of rough cider which would make great vinegar

Thanks

[Jambo]

Folks

How did this go? I just bought some cider vinegar with mother - hoping I can strain out the mother and use it to turn some of my cider into vinegar. May also start something with wine dregs too... How much mother do you need to make vinegar in an acceptable timeframe?

Also how risky is this to my beer making ventures in the same house does anyone know!?

Cheers.

[charlie]

Folks

How did this go? I just bought some cider vinegar with mother - hoping I can strain out the mother and use it to turn some of my cider into vinegar. May also start something with wine dregs too... How much mother do you need to make vinegar in an acceptable timeframe?

Also how risky is this to my beer making ventures in the same house does anyone know!?

Cheers.

Sounds a lot like making Kombucha , which I loved but don't do any more but is really easy and very worthwhile.

Stuart of the Prince of Wales at Foxfield won't even allow tomato ketchup in the pub because he says that allowing any vinegar near the brewery taints the beer.

I think that is a little extreme.