Need help with new seyval.vinegar odor

[stutzcattle]

I have 34 gallons of serval that I just started and it has a small slight vinegar odor when I remove the cover from the fermenter and ferm hasn't started yet.

Here's the details....

Started on 9-11

Brix...20
Balling...20
TA...9.2
pH...3.3

Added 30 ppm campden
Added 17 tsp fermax
Pitched yeast that day


Only change now is pH is 3.4

This is my first big batch and I don't want to ruin it. What do I do? I have to be gone a few hrs so I added 25 ppm more of the campden and skimmed the top off as there was a yeasty coating about 1/4" thick.

Now what?

 

[stutzcattle]

A little more info...

New clean fermenter, temp is steady at 55F, fruit was clean and in good shape.

 

[stutzcattle]

Any ideas here? I racked it off and added 15ppm SO2 additionally. It's in an airtight container with an airlock.

 

[Julie]

Are you sure you were smelling vinegar? Is it fermenting?

 

[stutzcattle]

Julie--
I don't think it's fermenting. The balling hasn't changed much in 5 days. I racked it and don't smell the vinegar anymore. My wife doesn't smell it, so it could be a nervous Nelly new winemaker......Hopefully.

 

[ckvchestnut]

I'm no expert but 3 things come to mind. 1 - you pitched the yeast on the same day as adding the campden. I don't know what the minimum wait is but I always thought it was 24 hours or so to allow the campden (sulphur) to evaporate and not kill the yeast. 2 - you added in more campden after adding the yeast, you may have killed it off I you hadn't done so with the first dose of Camden. Wait 24 hours from the one you added the campden and then pitch new yeast. Did you make sure you started the yeast in warm 100 degree water first? Did you add yeast nutrient? 3 - the temp of your juice might be too cold for your yeast. I would bring it up to around 65 or 70F. Hope that helps!

 

[stutzcattle]

I'm no expert but 3 things come to mind. 1 - you pitched the yeast on the same day as adding the campden. I don't know what the minimum wait is but I always thought it was 24 hours or so to allow the campden (sulphur) to evaporate and not kill the yeast. 2 - you added in more campden after adding the yeast, you may have killed it off I you hadn't done so with the first dose of Camden. Wait 24 hours from the one you added the campden and then pitch new yeast. Did you make sure you started the yeast in warm 100 degree water first? Did you add yeast nutrient? 3 - the temp of your juice might be too cold for your yeast. I would bring it up to around 65 or 70F. Hope that helps!

Yeah, I pitched it too early. I'll wait until tomorrow night to re-pitch. I'll have to check my strain, but the edelweiss I have going is fermenting very nicely at 55 degrees.

 

[ckvchestnut]

Ok then that's fine, have you done a lot of batches at that temp? Just curious if it takes around the same fermenting time to go dry? Or of it just takes a little longer? At any rate, hopefully pitching new yeast will do the trick!

 

[stutzcattle]

I obviously overreacted. Fermentation is now going very nice and I'm dropping brix at about .7/day.

 

[ckvchestnut]

Awesome! I'm excited about my elderberry wines. Haven't made anything since last fall. It's fun making wine at home! Best of luck with yours!

 

[jamesngalveston]

skimmed the top off as there was a yeasty coating about 1/4" thick.

dont skim anymore of the cap off.....stir in back in to the must once a day

 

[stutzcattle]

Thanks James. There hasn't been any film in the last four days and ferm is in the log phase. It was down to about 11 percent this morning.