28C Wild Specialty Beer
Wild Wort
Grain bill
| Gladfield Pilsner Malt | 2.5 kg | 50% |
| Gladfield Wheat Malt | 2.5 kg | 50% |
Adjuncts
| Whirlfloc | 1 tablet @ 10 min |
| Yeast Nutrient | 4 g @ 10 min |
Hop schedule
| Hop | 60 min |
|---|---|
| Pacific Gem | 10g |
Yeast
| Wild Mixed Cultures | Cube 1: wild culture from collab brewer Paul; Cube 2: mixed cultures grown from Wild Workshop bottle dregs |
Water additions
| Calcium Chloride | 1.5 g |
About This Beer
This is a simple, low-gravity base wort brewed specifically for wild fermentation experiments. Minimal hopping keeps the environment hospitable for wild cultures. The wort was split into two cubes immediately after the boil, each destined for a different fermentation path.
This batch is an ongoing wild fermentation project, and is still fermenting and conditioning.
The Wort
The grain bill is 50/50 Gladfield Pilsner and Gladfield Wheat Malt — a clean, fermentable base with enough protein to support wild culture character. OG 1.040 keeps it accessible for slow-working cultures without producing a thin or unbalanced result. Pacific Gem at 10g for 60 minutes gives just enough bittering to prevent obvious spoilage without inhibiting wild organisms.
Cube 1 — Collaboration
See details in the wild wort entry 06-01-2026.
Cube 2 — Wild Sour Cypress
The second cube (22L) was pitched with a mixed wild culture grown from bottle dregs of Wild Workshop beers, stepped up gradually through small DME batches with yeast nutrient. Fermentation kicked off quickly after pitching. By end of February the gravity was at 1.008, pH 3.9, and strong blue cheese and goaty notes were present — consistent with early Brettanomyces lambicus activity. A pellicle covered roughly half the surface. By end of March: gravity 1.004, pH 4.0, the cheese note had retreated and more fruity funk was coming through, with the pellicle now covering the entire surface. This cube is still fermenting and conditioning; the transition from early funky notes to complex fruity sourness is underway and expected to develop over 6+ months.
What’s Next
The collab cube demonstrates that wild culture on active trub can ferment very quickly — worth factoring into future planning. The Cypress cube is on its own timeline. The key question as it develops will be whether the Brett character settles into something complex and fruity or retains the goaty edge; the March reading suggests it is moving in the right direction.