I'm not complaining but.....

[PinotJoe]

My buddy John and I bought our juice from the same vendor at the same time. We both put the juice into glass carboys. I used an "S" type air lock and he used the two piece model. We were working together, this was John's first time and my second.

John got a nice ring of gas bubbles at the top of his carboy but very little action coming out of the air lock. Mine worked perfectly.

We stired John's wine to stimulate action and that worked for a short while, then we moved it into his kitchen (from the garage) for warmth (we live in Southern California) and that got it going for about one day and then nothing, not even bubbles. We started fermenting in late October.

Well last night we got together at his place and took an SG reading of 0.990 ! The sugar was gone! We sampled it and there was no doubt we had alcohol. I used an onling calculator to measure it at 18.89%! We stopped fermentation and racked it into a carboy for aging.

I inspected the bung and the air lock and could see nothing to indicate damage or a means for the gas to escape..........so how did the gas escape? ........Where did we go right?

 

[JohnT]

Sometimes the two piece model will simply ride up just enough while a steady stream of CO2 escapes (and stay there ). this is normal.

 

[PinotJoe]

Come to think of it.............it DID do that! Thank you brother!

 

[cpfan]

PinotJoe...

That's a pretty high alcohol content. Starting sg around 1.132?

Did you add extra sugar?

Steve

 

[LJPelletier]

Almost 19% ABV? Mmmm

 

[PinotJoe]

PinotJoe...

That's a pretty high alcohol content. Starting sg around 1.132?

Did you add extra sugar?

Steve

The juice the vendor sold us was in it's secondary fermentation (about four days). You could literally slap a gas trap on the plastic carboy (type used for selling water) it came in and make wine. John and I transfered the juice into glass carboys for the remainder of the fermentation. This is when we took our SG reading...............however, John and I have very little experience reading hydrometers so it is questionable that the 1.130 is accurate........that being said, when we tasted the sample the other night I could feel the alcohol in the back of my head! . Yes, indeed!

Who knows, maybe the vendor did add sugar or too much sugar. John's wine fermented to exhustion because we are inexpierenced. But we are getting better and we are having fun!

Last year I made wine from Welch's concentrate for the purpose of learning and making mistakes and I did.................made lot's of mistakes and I still ended up with wine (<10% ABV). This year I seem to have manufactured rocket fuel.

Joe

 

[LJPelletier]

Last year I made wine from Welch's concentrate for the purpose of learning and making mistakes and I did.................made lot's of mistakes and I still ended up with wine (<10% ABV). This year I seem to have manufactured rocket fuel.

Joe

Actually you would have to distill it several times to fuel a rocket

 

[Wade E]

If it was fermenting when you bought it then getting a good accurate reading then is much harder as the C02 will suspend the hydrometer.

 

[arcticsid]

Joe,

you should try to make a wine for those with bladder dissorders.

You could call it, "pinot more"!

LOL

 

[PinotJoe]

If it was fermenting when you bought it then getting a good accurate reading then is much harder as the C02 will suspend the hydrometer.

Is there a way to get a rough guess as to how much alcohol we have after fermentation?

 

[PinotJoe]

Actually you would have to distill it several times to fuel a rocket

I could always make grappa

 

[PinotJoe]

Joe,

you should try to make a wine for those with bladder dissorders.

You could call it, "pinot more"!

LOL

I should name it after myself then.................Joe Pinot More?

 

[Julie]

Is there a way to get a rough guess as to how much alcohol we have after fermentation?

Sometimes the place you buy from will know what the sg is when they get it in, did you by chance tried to call them and ask?

I am wondering if the sg was 1.013, instead of the 1.113. A lot of people get confused on this when first reading a hydrometer.

 

[North_Ga_Jug-Or-Not]

Just like a hydrometer, you can purchase a tool that will tell you the alch. content. Its breaks it down to "Proof", and you can do the math from there...ex. 200 proof is 100% alch. Works the same, just float it, wish I knew the name off hand but it eludes me at the moment.

 

[Putterrr]

Just like a hydrometer, you can purchase a tool that will tell you the alch. content. Its breaks it down to "Proof", and you can do the math from there...ex. 200 proof is 100% alch. Works the same, just float it, wish I knew the name off hand but it eludes me at the moment.

What you are describing is a Proof and Tralles Hydrometer.

This instrument is only suitable for distilled not fermented spirits

Cheers

 

[North_Ga_Jug-Or-Not]

What you are describing is a Proof and Tralles Hydrometer.

This instrument is only suitable for distilled not fermented spirits

Cheers

Didnt know that, I had assumed it worked for either just on principal. Appreciate the lesson, always looking for them.

 

[Plmac]

How about a Vinometer for ball park % ?

 

[grapeman]

How about a Vinometer for ball park % ?

You are as well off with a dartboard as a vinometer. They are notoriously innacurate.