Anyone ever start fermentation with grapes?

I had no idea grape skin was known to harbor yeast. I imagine a grape IPA would be fantastic, and now I'm wondering why I've never heard of such a beer.

 

Yeast is on everything. Almost everything. The question is what will you get, which is why Pasteur's discovery and then isolation of yeast cells was so important. I've made many beers just using the lactobacillus delbrueckii that's already on the yeast, but grapes do sound interesting.

 

Cool. I'll be watching this thread with great interest.

 

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/p/brewing-articles.html
http://bootlegbiology.com/diy/capturing-yeast/

and lastly paging @OldSock

 

Google "Milk The Funk Wiki" and prepare to have your mind blown

 

Grape Ape is a grape IPA and a cartoon character.



It also happens to be a killer strain of weed.

 

ISO

ISO

... ISO

 

Also, DFH 61

 

This brewery that I discovered last week during a visit to Oregon is located in a barn at a winery and does brew beers with grapes as an ingredient, but I don't know if the yeast is used for the fermentation. None of the beers that I drank were 'wild,' and I didn't have their zin saison because it wasn't available at the bar where I tried the beers, but the brewery makes some damn fine beers. https://www.facebook.com/connerfieldsbrewing/

 

There were a couple mentions of using yeast from grapes in American Sour Beers, specifically Brooklyn and LoverBeer.

JC tried it back in his blogging days as well: http://trilliumbrewing.blogspot.com/2010/10/yeast-hunting-update.html

 

http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/year-round-brews/sixty-one.htm