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fermenting Adding new pepper mash to 2 week old mash
- Thread starter richrab
- Start date
Yup, it's perfectly fine especially if the old mash is already "cooking" which it definitely should be by two weeks. Actually, when I make mashes I like to take a tablespoon or two of brine from an earlier ferment and just add that to the mash and stir it in. Like a direct injection of lactobacillus to get it jumpstarted really quickly.
I would stir it a bit too when you put it in, not just dump the new stuff on top. That way all the lactobacillus can get mixed in equally and not just have a new mash on top the old. Preferably just try to do it quickly and cleanly as possible and should be no problemo.
I would stir it a bit too when you put it in, not just dump the new stuff on top. That way all the lactobacillus can get mixed in equally and not just have a new mash on top the old. Preferably just try to do it quickly and cleanly as possible and should be no problemo.
Downriver
eXtreme
Although it's probably "ok", I'm not a fan.
First, it's generally agreed that oxygen is bad for a ferment. Every time you "take the lid off", you're introducing more oxygen and increasing the chance for spoilage.
Second, the typical progression of a ferment is active fermentation, followed by aging. If you continue to introduce fresh peppers into the batch, you're going to have both conditions happening at once, creating chaos.
Third, the pH is gonna be bouncing all over the place. Different strains of LB develop, bloom, and then fade as your ferment moves down the pH scale and becomes more acidic. LB that are active at a pH of 4.5 are completely dormant (if not dead) at a pH of 3.5. By introducing "fresh" peppers into the ferment, you're calling dormant LB into action (again), and the currently active LB are suddenly shut down. I have no idea what the result of this process would be since I've never done it. Off flavor ferment? Stuck ferment? Spoiled ferment? Stinky ferment? Best ferment ever? .... Dunno lol.
Forth, my guess is the flavor profile of a ferment that has additional fresh product added during the fermenting process will be different than a traditional ferment with no additions. If repeatability of a flavor profile is important, it may be much more difficult (if even possible) to achieve in the "hybrid" model.
These are just some thoughts and opinions off the top of my head and are simply being offered as "food for thought" - no more, no less. ymmv
First, it's generally agreed that oxygen is bad for a ferment. Every time you "take the lid off", you're introducing more oxygen and increasing the chance for spoilage.
Second, the typical progression of a ferment is active fermentation, followed by aging. If you continue to introduce fresh peppers into the batch, you're going to have both conditions happening at once, creating chaos.
Third, the pH is gonna be bouncing all over the place. Different strains of LB develop, bloom, and then fade as your ferment moves down the pH scale and becomes more acidic. LB that are active at a pH of 4.5 are completely dormant (if not dead) at a pH of 3.5. By introducing "fresh" peppers into the ferment, you're calling dormant LB into action (again), and the currently active LB are suddenly shut down. I have no idea what the result of this process would be since I've never done it. Off flavor ferment? Stuck ferment? Spoiled ferment? Stinky ferment? Best ferment ever? .... Dunno lol.
Forth, my guess is the flavor profile of a ferment that has additional fresh product added during the fermenting process will be different than a traditional ferment with no additions. If repeatability of a flavor profile is important, it may be much more difficult (if even possible) to achieve in the "hybrid" model.
These are just some thoughts and opinions off the top of my head and are simply being offered as "food for thought" - no more, no less. ymmv