Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with ferment

Bottles for home-made ginger beer

goingonit — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:59:54 -0800

Are there any good alternatives to 2L soda bottles for fermenting and storing home-brewed ginger beer? I've tried making my own ginger beer (with baker's yeast, if it matters) which I bottle-ferment in 2L soda bottles. It works fine---but I never buy any 2L soda bottles, and I worry about them getting flimsier as I reuse them. They also let most of the carbonation out the first time you open them.

Are there any good reusable bottles that I could buy that will handle the pressure of my ginger beer without exploding? Should I be considering glass bottles of any kind, or is it too dangerous to build up pressure in glass?

My ideal would be some kind of siphon bottle, so I wouldn't have to let the CO2 out by opening the bottle. But most of the seltzer bottles I can find online seem to have a CO2 canister in the nozzle, so they don't actually store any carbonated beverages inside. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Yes, I realize it's disgusting.

kafziel — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:09:45 -0800

Is it possible to ferment potable alcohol from animal sources? Like, fluids? Okay, I recognize this is extremely disgusting, and wholeheartedly agree. I'm not asking this because I want to actually ever drink such a thing. It's just idle curiosity, because I don't know a ton about the fermentation process.

That said, is it possible to ferment blood? How about semen? Would you need to add sugar? Really, just what would be the process involved here? Or, if it's not possible, what prevents it?

Is my 2-day-old lunch boozing me up at work?

duffell — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 13:41:20 -0800

Two days ago I made a simple quinoa dish with carrot and zucchini squash. I added copious amounts of brewer's yeast for flavor and nutrional value, and threw it all into a tightly-sealed tupperware container while it was still warm. I then placed it into my backback for later consumption. Now it's two days later, I'm at work, and hunger is gnawing at my insides. I have no money, but discover the container of food in my backpack, where it's been sitting for a couple of days in a fairly warm environment. I chow it all down, noting that it tastes - and smells - funky. Sour, bitter, but not altogether bad. Additionally, the zucchini slices look and taste more like pickle slices.

It's 30 minutes later now, and I swear to God I have a little bit of a buzz on. Is it possible that the food fermented somehow and the yeast broke down some of the quinoa into alcohol? That's ridiculous, right? I mean, there's just no way. Is there? Does yeast work that quickly? Am I ridiculous for even asking? (Seriously, though, unless I'm mistaken, I am a little tipsy even as I type this. Maybe it's just general wooziness, or maybe I'm crazy.)

Also: why does my zucchini seem to have pickled? Could someone offer a scientific explanation?