LAgreeneyes
Senior Member
- Joined
- May 17, 2013
- Messages
- 345
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- 11
ROFL! Sorry, I do not mean to laugh at your trouble, but you most certainly have angered the wine gods!
This is the wines way of telling you it would much rather go somewhere else other than that cramped up carboy you seem to have tried to unsuccessfully imprison it in.
During the primary stage of fermentation the wine will release quite a bit of CO2. What has happened is that it has generated enough co2 to push the pinaple particulates and juicy solids up out of the top of your carboy and through the airlock.
I recommend that the primary fermentation be done in a large open wine safe container to avoid things like this happening. Also, another benefit is that in the primary stage of fermentation yeast likes air thus, you make the yeast happy by stirring it and putting air into solution up until the 1/3 sugar break ( fact check please).
BTW! Good luck with your wine, I hope I did not come off a little unsypathetic
LOL--and I agree with Seth.
Some cultures are big foamers, too.
Actually the best thing to start in is not a carboy but a food grade bucket. You can get them from your local home brew store (LHBS). The 7.9 gallon one with the lid works best.
I guess I could understand you trying to ferment this in a carboy under airlock--that retains the volatiles very well, increasing flavor and nose. But most ferments need to be done in an open container with no lid. Get it in a bucket--keep the temp low.
Low ambient temp is one thing--but on a ferment that you're trying to do in a low temp environment to retain volatiles, it's best to use ice bombs. Frozen water in a milk jug or plastic pop bottle.
OHHHH, we're not unsympathtic at all!!! I think all of us here have had a culture over-run their primaries. Been there!!!
Start in the bucket and when it gets to around 1.030 you can rack it safely to the carboy (the vigorous fermentation should be calming down at that point) or you can let it go dry at 1.000 or below.
I would rack it to the bucket now, just be sure the bucket and rack is cleaned well and sanitized.
Stir it once or twice a day. Take an SG on it in 4-5 days when the activity of the CO2 is getting low. When you're at 1 SG or under, get it into the carboy with an airlock.
Also don't put the lid on the bucket being this is wanting to go nutz on the foam use a towel with a bungie cord or something to hold it in place to keep it from sagging into the must.
Just curious--what culture did you use? Foam is no problem--some cultures are big foamers.
Ok. Sounds good. Thanks
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