BeerBorg

Question for the vast knowledge base of the Borg, here. Wondering if I messed up bad without realizing it.

The background:
I have a Basil Lager fermenting -- it's an idea I came up with last year, did some searching and found that it's been done before, so the concept is valid. I brew a basic pilsner-based lager with a modest bittering hop charge, and then replace the flavor and aroma additions with fresh chopped basil. Brewed it last year, and liked it, but decided I wanted to increase the basil aroma this time. So.....

What I did:
I'm two weeks into lager fermentation, and begin the diacetyl rest. Everything going well. Then I decide, "maybe I should dry-hop (dry-basil?) with some more basil while the temp is up," before racking. So I chop up some more basil leaves, put 'em in a muslin sack, soak it in StarSan, and add it to the D-rest before racking.

Fast forward to this morning:
I am flipping through a recent back issue of BYO Magazine, where there's an article about blending beer and wine. It mentions that grapes often carry lots of wild yeast on them...and then it hits me. I sanitized--but did not boil--the basil that I added as a "dry hop." That would not have addressed wild yeast, if any, on the basil. I have no idea if the same risk would apply here as it would to grapes, but they're both fresh-picked produce, so I'm definitely concerned.

The question:
What do you think -- did I just potentially introduce wild yeast, not only to this batch, but potentially TWO of my four LBK's?

I'm not a Sour fan, so I'm really hoping that I didn't just condemn a batch of beer and half my fermenters to the scrap-heap.

Thoughts / opinions / guesses?

Well you did Star San it, won't that kill wild yeast? I am pretty sure that the StarSan took care of the 'wild' yeast etc.

Monty

I think if you had boiled the basil you probably would have driven off the aroma and/or flavor of it from the leaves so if you put it into the fermenter, it's really not going to do much. The star san should have killed off any living organisms from the basil without removing aroma/flavor compounds from it. This is the logic running through my head but if anyone more experienced can say otherwise, I think you'll be alright.

Man, you guys are quick!! Thanks for the insights. As I always say -- Best Damn Forum on the Web!

My concern is this: if StarSan would kill the wild yeast, why doesn't it kill yeast that we add to a fermenter (or bottle, or keg, or rehydration bowl) that has been treated with StarSan? Granted, the concentration is much less in those instances, but still...that's the basis for my concern.

And you're right, philmx00 - I didn't want to boil it because I didn't want to drive off the aromatics, which was the whole purpose of the addition.

With dry-hopping, I know that the hops are antibacterial, so it's okay to add them un-treated. But I've gone off the reservation by using basil, and hope it hasn't bitten me.

I'm feeling a LITTLE bit better, but still a bit concerned...

It all comes down to concentrations and the PH level of the solution. I do know that high levels of StarSan will kill yeast, while very trace amounts (foam left over, etc.) turn into yeast nutrient. I know that when using StarSan in it's normal concentration, it will kill yesat - in the sense that using it in a blowoff tube will not allow you to harvest the yeast. That would make me *think* that by soaking the basil in it, you would be OK. But....that's just speculation on my part.

If you are worried about it getting ruined you might consider looking into the wine making arena for a fix. I don't know a lot about it but I think they use camden tablets to kill any unwanted bugs that might be present in the must then wait 12 hours before pitching their yeast. In your case you'd have to re-pitch based on how far into fermentation you are but it might save the batch.

If you can't boil anything that goes into the fermenter (in this case fresh basil) you can soak it in vodka first.

I think you might be fine...

It is about concentrations...

First, there's the solution... It is a dilution...

You soak the basil, it kills any living bugs... Cool.

You drop the sack with the basil and any solution that remains on/in it into another couple gallons of liquid, ths further reducing the concentration of the solution and possibly lowering the pH by a fraction of a point or so (also not bad for the beer). Cool.

Final test...

Since you are in the dry hop phase, measure your SG now and then again in three day. If it drops, the yeast are still doing their thing... If not, and you have not hit your projected FG, you could add a bit more yeast to try to get the party started again... (assuming you have not reached the limit of attenuation for that combo of yeast and wort).

Note for next time: If it were me, I might design with a small amount of hops to be added in with the Basil... Adds some antibacterial properties to the addition.

More good ideas - thanks again to all. I like the add-some-hops idea, but also the soak-in-vodka idea, too. I did think of that one shortly after I realized I may have an issue. Too late this time, of course, but definitely good to know for the future.

As many have said, I am probably/hopefully okay, but no one can really know for sure until I find out the old-fashioned way.

FWIW, this beer currently smells amazing; I can only hope that that the finished product is similar. If so, I'll consider it a big success.


(Also: Edited the thread title to be more descriptive.)

When I do stuff like that I put it in a mason jar with a small amount of vodka. Then let it sit for a couple of days, shaking it every time I walk past it.

That gives you what amounts to an alcohol based "extract" of basil or whatever it is.

You can just toss that right in your fermenter with no worries whatsoever.

EDIT: BTW, Basil is really good in saisons too. Especially Thai basil. It's yummy.