Recent content by Fingaluna

Franc1969 — Thank you! The PVI-PVP is different than PVPP (related, but different), but I'll check the PIWine site to see if they carry the PVI-PVP. Appreciate the lead! Cheers!

Hi All, I need a source for a small amount of PVI-PVP Finings such as Divergan HM or Stabyl MET. I need for 40L so roughly 20 grammes at most. Does anyone have a source for either of these? I found a source for 1kg, but that's much more than I need and it's quite expensive to buy that much...

Hi Folks, I have made a few different Magnotta wines. All are 21L pails of juice, with EC1118 yeast already added. Have made the Cabernet Sauvignon a few times with 1/2kg of sugar to bump up the Brix and 1/2kg of Elderberries and Zante Currants. Turns out pretty well for a table wine. Not...

If you can get good Light Toast American Oak, I'd go for it. The coconut hints from the Light Toast could be wonderful in a SB. I Oaked 12L of Magnotta (winery/juice supplier in Toronto) Sauvignon Blanc: Used 15g of Nevers Oak chips. Not enough - I should have done 30g. The downside is that some...

Cuz, in your photo with the warm water, I believe that you are reading the level shown at the top of the miniscus. With most of the higher end hydrometers I have used, the correct reading is the surface of the liquid (below the miniscus). All hydrometers will read differently between the surface...

JoP, You're very welcome. My background... I have been in the Beverage Alcohol industry since 1991, really mostly as a Technical Brewer / Brewmaster. Diploma in Brewing Technology from the University of Sunderland (UK). Diploma Brewer from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling...

A refractometer works very well for checking Brix (percent sugar, similar to specific gravity), but only uses a few drops... They are a bit spendy though. Might be something for you to consider down the line. Downside is that once fermentation has begun, you need to use a calculation to modify...

GoFerm is a yeast-based product. I believe that it may be similar to Yeast Hulls / Deactivated Yeast. Will give you additional micronutrients than DAP. DAP is good to add FAN if needed, while GoFerm is more for overall yeast health and rapid/complete fermentation.

Obelix, You are welcome. DAP is Diamonium Phosphate, which provides Yeast Assimable Nitrogen / FAN (Free Amino Nitrogen. FAN is required for cell membrane synthesis during yeast reproduction. FAN deficiency can significantly limit reproduction. Normal yeast pitching rates are typically "Seed...

Based on the "segmented" and tapered look to the floating things, I'd say they definitely look like larvae. You could rack into another carboy, leaving these behind, then pour them through a strainer to get a close look, but I'd say that unfortunately it does not look great. If you made your...

Some folks find that Bentonite increases their losses at racking fairly substantially due to "fluffy lees". I find this to be true. My guess would be an extra bottle of loss from the Bentonite, but maybe a bit less. The most effective way to use Bentonite is at the beginning of fermentation...

JoP, There is a very quick method to check, it's staining the rehydrated yeast with Methylene Blue stain, giving it a short time to degrade the stain, and examining the yeast in a heamocytometer under a microscope. Blue cells are dead, and the cells that degrade the stain are living. Sounds...

Stickman, Great point about TCA. Definitely an issue when using very strong Chlorine solutions, and potentially not rinsing or draining properly. Not an issue however with <200ppm and drained. Also related is the Cholrophenol issue, but again, not a problem at <200ppm. Agree that Chlorine for...

Another Canadian here too... Welcome!

Hi Forumites, Many reasonable suggestions here. Remember that cleaning and sterilising are two different tasks. CLEANING In my experience, the best way to clean glass / metal tanks / carboys is with an Alkali cleaner @ 1 - 2% (by weight), preceded by a rinse to get the loose junk out...