Wild Fermentation

Before commercial yeast existed, all fermentation was wild. Bakers and brewers relied on ambient microorganisms floating in the air and living on surfaces, so every region developed its own flavors.

Belgian lambic beers still work this way, cooling hot wort in an open vessel overnight. The wild yeasts and bacteria that settle in produce funky, sour flavors no lab strain can copy.

Kombucha uses a SCOBY — a rubbery mat of bacteria and yeast that floats on top — to turn sweet tea into a tangy, fizzy drink full of organic acids and probiotics.