Daft Newbie question; first fermentation...
Robin Somes
I've got 3 gallons of sloe wine fermenting away vigorously; it's been
going for two weeks now. The temperature is steady but not high - maybe
only 15 or 16°C - so I anticipate things would take longer than they
would at a higher temperature. I used 3lb of fruit and 2lb of sugar per
gallon, and plan to add another 1lb sugar/gallon when I strain it and
put it in demi-johns. The recipe (in CJJ Berry's 'First Steps in
Winemaking') says to do this after 10 days, a different recipe says 2
weeks - but I'm reluctant to do anything while it's still bubbling and
frothing like mad.
Do I wait until it dies down, or do I carry on regardless?
TIA,
robin
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J Dixon
SLOWLY as it will cause a volcano effect especially if you are in a carboy
and not a pail etc. I also would add that you should buy a hydrometer to
take alot of the guess work out of what point your fermentation is at. The
cost less than $10. which is good because I seem to break one every couple
months some how!
HTH
John Dixon
<T20...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:e3pnru01dorke16lo...@4ax.com...
> I'd add your extra sugar now. It will only add to fermentation
> activity and make it take longer to clear if you add it after things
> are already settling down.
>
> I'd also consider bringing the fermentation temperature up to 20 deg.
> C (about 70 deg. F) to help the yeast and avoid a stuck fermentation.
>
> If you keep your fruit in fruit bags, you can avoid the need to strain
> the wine and it makes it a lot easier to rack it the first time.
>
> Don
> ==========================================
>
> On Sun, 27 Oct 2002 11:00:05 +0000, Robin Somes
> <ro...@badminston.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
> >
> >I've got 3 gallons of sloe wine fermenting away vigorously; it's been
> >going for two weeks now. The temperature is steady but not high - maybe
> >only 15 or 16°C - so I anticipate things would take longer than they
> >would at a higher temperature. I used 3lb of fruit and 2lb of sugar per
> >gallon, and plan to add another 1lb sugar/gallon when I strain it and
> >put it in demi-johns. The recipe (in CJJ Berry's 'First Steps in
> >Winemaking') says to do this after 10 days, a different recipe says 2
> >weeks - but I'm reluctant to do anything while it's still bubbling and
> >frothing like mad.
>
Robin Somes
<jdix...@nospamadelphia.net> writes
>Robin, You got good advice from Don, but a word of caution: Add your sugar
>SLOWLY as it will cause a volcano effect especially if you are in a carboy
>and not a pail etc. I also would add that you should buy a hydrometer to
>take alot of the guess work out of what point your fermentation is at. The
>cost less than $10. which is good because I seem to break one every couple
>months some how!
:))
Many thanks for the hints, and Don too. Found a hydrometer from a
beermaking experiment years ago - it seems to read 1023, if I'm reading
it right. The must is in 5-gallon bin, so there is a bit of room spare
for volcanic effects without the need for mopping - fingers crossed.
I'll add the extra sugar today (slowly...), find some means of warming
the place up a bit, and persist for a while longer.
Thanks again for your help; I'll hang around here a while - seems jolly
friendly.
cheers,
robin
--
Jack Keller
low-alcohol wine. The third pound of sugar per gallon will either (a)
result in a high alcohol wine if fermented to dryness, (b) result in a
sweet wine if the yeast finishes (dies of alcohol toxicity) before
dryness, or (c) results in a stuck fermentation because of the "sugar
shock" to yeast already stressed by having used up most of the
available nutrients and feeling the effect of the alcohol they have
produced. Which of these three options becomes reality depends on
which yeast strain you used and how much nutrients you added.
I recommend you add the sugar in stages (in 1/3 pound increments),
along with 1/4 teaspoon of yeast nutrient per gallon, while the
fermentation is still vigorous. When it slows dramatically, the yeast
will already be experiencing a wholesale die-off and increasing their
population to an vigorous level of fermentation will be difficult.
Simply note the specific gravity before you add sugar and then again
after you have stirred it enough to dissolve it thoroughly. That will
allow you to monitor what is happening, and if the fermentation sticks
or the yeast reach their alcohol toxicity level too soon you can leave
out any unadded sudar and will not be left with a sickly sweet wine.
Make sense?
That, at least, is what I would do after having done it Berry's way
myself.
Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/
Robin Somes
Keller <winem...@lycos.com> writes
<snip>
>(a) result in a high alcohol wine if fermented to dryness,
>(b) result in a sweet wine if the yeast finishes (dies of alcohol
>toxicity) before dryness,
>or (c) results in a stuck fermentation because of the "sugar shock" to
>yeast already stressed
>
>I recommend you add the sugar in stages (in 1/3 pound increments),
>along with 1/4 teaspoon of yeast nutrient per gallon, while the
>fermentation is still vigorous. When it slows dramatically, the yeast
>will already be experiencing a wholesale die-off and increasing their
>population to an vigorous level of fermentation will be difficult.
>Simply note the specific gravity before you add sugar and then again
>after you have stirred it enough to dissolve it thoroughly.
Predictably, I didn't see your post till after adding the sugar...
So far so good; it's still bubbling away quite merrily. SG was at 1023
before adding the sugar, and went up to 1053. I've now added 3 nutrient
tablets, and await developments :)
>That will allow you to monitor what is happening, and if the
>fermentation sticks or the yeast reach their alcohol toxicity level too
>soon you can leave out any unadded sudar and will not be left with a
>sickly sweet wine. Make sense?
Perfect; thanks for your eloquent explanation.
cheers,