>Yeast can't ferment starch directly This isn't really true. Saccharomyces cerevisiae can't generally ferment starch directly, but various forms of Brettanomy

>Yeast can't ferment starch directly This isn't really true. Saccharomyces cerevisiae can't generally ferment starch directly, but various forms of Brettanomyces can. Wild yeast and bacteria that can ferment starch are pretty common -- a turbid mash (which leaves a bunch of starches in the wort) is still used before putting the wort into a cool ship to be inoculated with wild yeast and then fermented in barrels. Granted, a true wild sour usually takes a few months to a few years to ferment out all the starches and develop the flavors that are so interesting, but "Yeast can't ferment starch directly" is an oversimplification.