thepatient
Junior Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2013
- Messages
- 4
- Reaction score
- 0
First off, this is a great community. I've gotten a ton of useful information so far and haven't really needed to post any questions, as most of them have already been asked and answered a few times over. It seems that everyone has their own opinions and styles, and so I'd like to share what I've got going so far and would be happy to hear any input or suggestions.
Day 1: Started a Reserve du Chateau 4-week Cabernet Sauvignon kit, per instructions. Initial SG was 1.087 and temp was around 74.
Day 4: After three days of inactivity, I concluded that I shocked/killed the yeast by rehydrating in water that was too hot (lesson #1). A trip to my local shop yielded a thermometer and some new yeast. Repitched and got almost immediate results that day.
Day 11: After 7 days of pretty active fermentation down to SG 1.000, I syphoned to my secondary. I did a couple rounds of degassing that first day, but then basically just let it sit and settle for a week, not worrying about the SG or temp (which stayed around 72-74).
Day 21: Finally checked SG (0.995). No more noticeable settling, a thin layer of lees on the bottom and a small ring of tiny bubbles around the top of the carboy. I'm thinking fermentation is about finished, but will confirm with another day or two of SG testing. Though the kit is a 7-21-28-day, I'm planning on something closer to a 7-20-40-90 timeline, which to my understanding won't hurt anything.
After a couple more days of constant SG's, I'm going to de-gas and add my fining/clearing agents from the kit and get it ready for bulk aging in the basement where it's cooler. I'm planning on re-racking first to get it off the lees and avoid stirring them up again when degassing. To my understanding, it's more sensitive to oxygen at this point, so from here on out, I'm going to add a layer of CO2 to the carboy/bottle, let it sink, and then fill from the bottom.
The couple times I've tasted it so far, it's been kind of boring, so I picked up some French oak chips. I know a lot of people prefer cubes or spirals during bulk aging, but chips in a cheesecloth sock should be ok, no? I'm planning on keeping them in for about a week, then tasting every couple/few days, just to make sure they don't overpower.
I've also seen suggestions for adding sulfite/k-meta (is that the same thing?) if it's going to age for extended periods. If I'm planning on bottling around day 90, will that be necessary?
Thanks in advance. Love the site and looking forward to learning more.
Day 1: Started a Reserve du Chateau 4-week Cabernet Sauvignon kit, per instructions. Initial SG was 1.087 and temp was around 74.
Day 4: After three days of inactivity, I concluded that I shocked/killed the yeast by rehydrating in water that was too hot (lesson #1). A trip to my local shop yielded a thermometer and some new yeast. Repitched and got almost immediate results that day.
Day 11: After 7 days of pretty active fermentation down to SG 1.000, I syphoned to my secondary. I did a couple rounds of degassing that first day, but then basically just let it sit and settle for a week, not worrying about the SG or temp (which stayed around 72-74).
Day 21: Finally checked SG (0.995). No more noticeable settling, a thin layer of lees on the bottom and a small ring of tiny bubbles around the top of the carboy. I'm thinking fermentation is about finished, but will confirm with another day or two of SG testing. Though the kit is a 7-21-28-day, I'm planning on something closer to a 7-20-40-90 timeline, which to my understanding won't hurt anything.
After a couple more days of constant SG's, I'm going to de-gas and add my fining/clearing agents from the kit and get it ready for bulk aging in the basement where it's cooler. I'm planning on re-racking first to get it off the lees and avoid stirring them up again when degassing. To my understanding, it's more sensitive to oxygen at this point, so from here on out, I'm going to add a layer of CO2 to the carboy/bottle, let it sink, and then fill from the bottom.
The couple times I've tasted it so far, it's been kind of boring, so I picked up some French oak chips. I know a lot of people prefer cubes or spirals during bulk aging, but chips in a cheesecloth sock should be ok, no? I'm planning on keeping them in for about a week, then tasting every couple/few days, just to make sure they don't overpower.
I've also seen suggestions for adding sulfite/k-meta (is that the same thing?) if it's going to age for extended periods. If I'm planning on bottling around day 90, will that be necessary?
Thanks in advance. Love the site and looking forward to learning more.