Juice bucket blast-off

[cimbaliw]

Picked up three L'uva Bella buckets yesterday. Got them in a place to warm up and gave them a stir this morning. Right now they're all fermenting to a point that the loosely placed lids are getting pushed up by the foam. Any idea on how much, if any, overflow I should be concerned about?

BC

 

[sour_grapes]

I don't know the answer to your question, bit you could use FermCap to reduce the foaming.

 

[Julie]

You shouldn't have overflow, I didn't on any of mind. What did you get?

 

[cimbaliw]

Thanks Paul, the LHBS doesn't have ferm cap but they do have ANTI-FOAM AGENT POWDER. I had no idea such agents existed. I'll put some rags down overnight and reassess the need in the morning.

BC

 

[cimbaliw]

Thanks for the reply Julie. I got Carmenere, Malbec and a Syrah. Do you tweak yours or leave them be?

 

[Runningwolf]

I also got a call today from a customer whose pails were fermenting over the top. Pails that come from Luva Bella's are very generously filled well over the 6 gallon mark.

 

[Julie]

I got Malbec, zinfindal and a Sangiovese, they were filled pretty much to the top, I decided not to do much on stirring, they ferment very well without stirring and without brew belts. Acid levels are always inline before fermenting but I have added tartaric after fermentation in the past and I plan on adding finishing tannins.

 

[blueflint]

I find that all my reds are much more vigorous fermenters than my whites. I pull 3 1/2 quarts off my whites and put that in a 4 liter glass jug, ferment the balance in the 6 gallon bucket, no overflow problem (ferment the glass jug too). On my reds, I transfer the 6 gallons into a 7.9 gallon fermenter and sometimes still slightly overflow. I am not sure if the yeasts used with the reds are more aggressive or what??? I ferment my reds and whites at the same temps, usually start in the 60's and ramp up to the low 70's.

I have decided from now on, I will ferment the reds in a larger 10 gallon "Brute" until they get down to 1.020, by then the aggressive behavior is over.

Overall...with reds, get them into a larger fermenter...do not try them in the bucket they were delivered in...and even a 7.9 gallon fermenter is not big enough at times.

Good luck. Oh, my Chilean buckets are Petite Sirah and Pinot Gris.

-Tony

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I also like fermenting in a larger headspace are - so typically I will put them in a larger fermenter container

 

[cimbaliw]

As with many things in wine making, the tincture of time is a strong ally. Checked on the buckets this morning, no more massive foam, just the pleasant sizzle of happy fermentation.

Me Likey

 

[kevinlfifer]

I picked up 5 pails, I removed the lids and placed them on "crooked". I left them alone until sg @ 1.02, then splash racked into the carboy with raisins and tannin. I had no spill over at all. NO STIRRING in the bucket.

The problem I had is that the pails are filled to more than 6 gallons, so I had to scramble for extra 1 gal containers for the surplus. I have a few 1 gal blends. That will be interesting.

 

[Julie]

I picked up 5 pails, I removed the lids and placed them on "crooked". I left them alone until sg @ 1.02, then splash racked into the carboy with raisins and tannin. I had no spill over at all. NO STIRRING in the bucket.

The problem I had is that the pails are filled to more than 6 gallons, so I had to scramble for extra 1 gal containers for the surplus. I have a few 1 gal blends. That will be interesting.

I am interested in yours, please post up how they turn out.

 

[Floandgary]

Read a long time ago to remove 1/2 gallon or so from primary (buckets and kits) to allow for aggressive initial fermentation. To be added back when racking to secondary. And yes, Lu'Va Bella is generous!!