Heron Bay HB Bergamais Fermentation Stop and Start

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bluecorporal

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I put a HB Bergamais Kit on to brew 3 days ago. I prepared the must according to directions. The initial SG was 1090.

On day 2, I noticed there was not a not of fermentation going on. A bit of froth on the top. I stirred the must as per instructions and got bubbling in the airlock for about 6 hrs and then stopped again.

On day 3 (Today) I measured the SG it was about 1080. Stirred the must again and got some more bubbling in the airlock.

This my third kit I have made and I have not encountered this situation before. Is this normal? Comments or suggestion appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Welcome to the forum, bluecorporal - I think you're the first member I've seen from the land of Danny!
A couple of things - the must needs lots of oxygen at this point to ferment, so if you didn't vigorously stir the juice/water when you initially mixed it, you should give it really good mix now. Also, the must needs to be warm for a good ferment so it should be 22-23 degrees C to get it going good. As long as the yeast was still viable, this should do it.
Keep in mind also that visible signs of fermentation are not always reliable ( reference Cpfan!) so keep using your hydrometer to track progress. I usually leave my hydrometer right in the bucket during fermentation for a quick read and saves cleaning it each time.
Good luck.
 
Followup

Just for fun, I called the 1-800 number on the box, to see if I could get some tech advice.

The gentleman from HB said that some kits were quiet and slow and I should leave it alone and see what happens.

Not entirely happy with this answer, I went to the store where I bought the kit and explained the situation to him. He told me to pitch another packet of yeast in to the must. Somewhat skeptic, I did that yesterday and my brew is bubbling away like a coffee perculator and the SG is down to 1055.
 
Dugger:

I couldn't have said it better.

BlueCorporal:

Different kits will ferment differently. Your sg had dropped, so you were fermenting. IMO, you wasted a $1 on a packet of yeast, but if you're like me that's not the most you've wasted lately.

Steve
 

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