Beeswine
The NCYC is frequently asked for information on a culture we have which is known as 'Bees Wine'. This was a fermented drink which was most often produced in home kitchens and was probably most popular in the 1920's to 1950's. The culture was usually kept in a glass container by a window and grown in a mixture of water, brown sugar and black treacle (there are several variations on the exact ingredients used). It was usually drained once a week and fresh water and sugar were added. As the culture naturally multiplied any excess was either discarded or passed on to others to begin new 'Bees wine'.According to our old records 'Bees Wine' is a mixture of yeasts and bacteria. The bacteria are Lactobacilli and an unknown Gram positive rod that forms a gelatinous sheath that coils and traps the other cells in it.
This is also responsible for a thick 'scum' which forms on the surface of the liquid. The yeasts that have been isolated from the mixture include Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Brettanomyces anomalus and Hansenula anomala.
The whole mixture is sometimes known as 'Saccharomyces pyriformis' which is a synonym for Pichia membranaefaciens, a yeast that is available from many culture collections including the NCYC. However, although this yeast is often mentioned in connection with the 'Bees Wine', our records give no indication that it is a component of the mixture. Furthermore, any culture of Pichia membranaefaciens obtained from a culture collection would be a pure single yeast strain and would not give the same results as the mixture.
The gelatinous lumps formed in the 'Bees Wine' rise and fall as carbon dioxide is produced and released. Sugar, black treacle and ginger are fermented to produce a mildly alcoholic, rather sweet drink. Lemon/orange peel is sometimes added to improve the taste.
'Bees Wine' has several variations and is also known as 'Ginger Beer Plant', 'Palestinian' or 'Californian' Bees or 'Balm of Gilead'.
The NCYC still keeps a culture of 'Bees Wine' in the laboratory although this is purely for scientific interest and none of the present staff have tried to make the 'wine' itself from the culture.
Due to health and safety considerations we are no longer able to supply the culture to the public as its exact composition is unknown to us.
Possibly the only commercial source of the 'mix' of organisms that form the 'Bees Wine' culture, rather than a pure yeast culture, is the Deutsche Sammlung von Microorganismen und Zellkulturen GmbH in Germany. The following link should connect directly to the entry relevant in the DSMZ catalogue.