A stuck Must or two!

[Trigham]

Hello, All I started a cpl or bathces of mixed berries about a month ago, they were frozen Blue, Black, Straw, and Raspberries. fresh frozen in the fall. I thawed them out and started 2 batches with a blueberry recipe i followed to a T. The first thing that happened was the yeast didnt take. I waited three days for it to work and stil nothing. I took someones advice and added the yeasts directly to the top of the must in the primarys and low and beholdthey started to work. for 8 days I stirred and burried the berries from the surface to keep them moist and they basically stopped on the 8th day. no real problems to nowI was excited. I strained the berries in the straining bag and squeezed the juice from them into a new primary. ThenI transferred to the two carboys u see here!

 

[Trigham]

So everything seemed fine butI noticed that my toppers did not bubble any after the first night. HMMMMM what to do i waited for three days on advice again from someone and they still didnt start. So i folled the directions of the stuck must solution from the pretzel lady on the forum here and I added a cup of wine to the yeast mixture in a gallon jar the next morning and it killed the starter. hmmmmm what to do I decide dto try a new one and after allowing the starter to get started and start its fementing process over night I added just a table spoon of the stuck musts to the solution and wow they stopped again, im not sure what to do now??? Ill show u the starter below and it was after 12 hours of fermenting and frothing before I added teh tablespoon of stuck must to it and it flatted it out! please help. To let you know as well the must smells grreat and the sg is 1.010. please if u have a suggestion I would be greatly appreciative!!

 

[kutya]

Trigham:
It sounds like something is killing the yeast, did you add campden tablets to the must? What about pot meta? I wish I had more advice, and I'm sure someone will chime in here with more knowledge than I have. I'm thinking some pot meta ended up in there???? jh

 

[Trigham]

Trigham:
It sounds like something is killing the yeast, did you add campden tablets to the must? What about pot meta? I wish I had more advice, and I'm sure someone will chime in here with more knowledge than I have. I'm thinking some pot meta ended up in there???? jh

YesI added 6 tablets in the primary stages! and it sounds like that yes! but I understand a cup ful of the must ruining the starter but not tablespoon lol.I dont know what pot meta is to be honest!

 

[Dean]

What was your starting SG? Maybe the yeast strain you are using cannot work anymore. What yeast strain was it? Note that when building starters, that temperature differentials between the starter and the must can kill yeast very fast if the temperature difference is too great.

So, once we know the strain, and the SG you started with, we can probably help a little more.

 

[Trigham]

What was your starting SG? Maybe the yeast strain you are using cannot work anymore. What yeast strain was it? Note that when building starters, that temperature differentials between the starter and the must can kill yeast very fast if the temperature difference is too great.

So, once we know the strain, and the SG you started with, we can probably help a little more.

Thanks Dean, I used a Lavlin K1-V1116 and the starting sg wasI think 1.045, there is some mess over the numbers from making the wine I spilled some mixture on the paper I was writing on,

so I am guessing to be honest that it was that number but ifI remember correctly it was.

 

[kutya]

I use that yeast all the time, and a starting SG of 1.045 would be fine. That is a really low starting gravity? that would only give you ABV about 7% the way I figure it.... pot Meta is pottasium Metasulfate it's a yeast inhibator, used it finish a wine at the end so you don't have exploding bottles.. jh

 

[Trigham]

I use that yeast all the time, and a starting SG of 1.045 would be fine. That is a really low starting gravity? that would only give you ABV about 7% the way I figure it.... pot Meta is pottasium Metasulfate it's a yeast inhibator, used it finish a wine at the end so you don't have exploding bottles.. jh

As I stated the sg to be honest could have been 1.065or even 1.085but I am totally unsure becuase of the smudging on the paperI wrote the figures down.The recipe I used called for 15 lbs of berries and 5 lbs of sugar. So as in my concordes the sg with 5 lbs of sugar was ifI remember correctly 1.090 if not a little higher so I am assumeing it was 1.045 but really could have been 1.065 with all that sugar. But maybe easier if I say I dont know the starting SG

sorry

 

[grapeman]

What size batches are thes? 3,5 or 6 gallon each?


What is the room temperature? What is the must temp?


The first thing I would do is uncover those carboys until you get it going or see if it is done. If your temperature is borderline, it may have cause it to stall out. If you had a high SG, it could be finished. The size batch would help determine if this is possible. The must stopping the starter could just be your wine has a high alcohol content and that is stopping the yeast.


Without more information, the cause of your problem is hard to determine.

 

[Trigham]

What size batches are thes? 3,5 or 6 gallon each?


What is the room temperature? What is the must temp?


The first thing I would do is uncover those carboys until you get it going or see if it is done. If your temperature is borderline, it may have cause it to stall out. If you had a high SG, it could be finished. The size batch would help determine if this is possible. The must stopping the starter could just be your wine has a high alcohol content and that is stopping the yeast.


Without more information, the cause of your problem is hard to determine.

TY Appleman, The batches were supposed to be 5 gallon each, the must temp is or was about 75 degrees constant. they are in a furnace room so the temp stays warm or stays the same for the most part steady. after I strained the berries they did get a little cooled but i used a warming belt and the blankets to bring them back up tp 75 degrees. fo r the most part they stayed steady. perhaps they had a high alcohol content your right and if they did finish within 8 days is that possible? if so do i just leave them rack at a cooler temp for 6 months >?

 

[NorthernWinos]

Have you taken the S.G. now????? Maybe your wine is finished already.....Just a thought.

 

[masta]

As NW suggested I would recheck the SG of each carboy at this point. Just because you don't see lots of action in the airlock doesn't mean the fermentation has stopped completely.

 

[grapeman]

I'm also leaning toward the fermentation being done. Check the SG for at least 2 days in a row. If it remains the same and is anywhere close to 1.0 then it is probably done. If it is a little high and you are afraid of it starting in the future use a stabilizer on it.

 

[Trigham]

As NW suggested I would recheck the SG of each carboy at this point. Just because you don't see lots of action in the airlock doesn't mean the fermentation has stopped completely.

Ill check in half hour when i go home but it was 1.010 a coupleof weeks ago.. ill let u know ina short bit

 

[Trigham]

I'm also leaning toward the fermentation being done. Check the SG for at least 2 days in a row. If it remains the same and is anywhere close to 1.0 then it is probably done. If it is a little high and you are afraid of it starting in the future use a stabilizer on it.

Ok apple, ill go home in a half hour and check em both and let you know asap. but is it possible to be done that fast after the yeast working is the question I have to ask?

 

[grapeman]

If it has been a couple weeks since it was at 1.010, then it certainly had plenty of time to finish. I usually start my wines in the furnace room and when I rack it move them to the other room where the temps stay about 65-68 degrees. Checking the SG will verify it is done.

 

[Trigham]

Ok guys I juct checked the sg of both and it was 1.000 for the two of them. I also checked the sg of my concordes that have been sitting for 6 months and they are 1.000 as well.right on the red line all three were!!

 

[NorthernWinos]

You got wine!!!! Just leave it alone and let it clear....and stop worring...have a glass of wine....cheers!

 

[Dean]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, I've had K1V go all the way up to 21% before. Even if your SG was 1.095 (since 9's can look like 4's when wet), you are far from pooping out the yeast. Also because it is K1V, it creates a chemical that kills other strains of yeast. Even the name, K1V, the K stands for killing factor. If the SG is at 1.000, I'd say you have little ways to go yet. I'd wait at least 1 more week or longer. I've had ferementations almost seem to stall then work to completion at a much later date. Almost ended up with bottle bombs on that one. Luckily, one bottle started to push its cork out and I noticed.

 

[Trigham]

Ok ok update, I had a neighbor come over with his alcohol tester, the concordes are 13.7 and the mixed berries are only just below the 9 level.


He told me I should rack off the sediment in the mixed berries and allow them to sit. same same right. how doI get the alcohol level up or is it ok like that or will it rise on its own during its racking period?


the concordes were still a little bitter tasting he said and needed another racking and again use about half a pint of concentrate with a half cup of sugar and half cup of warm water. I did this about 6 weeks ago already, so my question is shouldI do it again or just let it set???