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@Rice_Guy My initial recipe had 225 lbs of blueberries and 40 gal of water if that helps. Based on your and @Rembee 's advice I think I will skip the buckets and go straight into carboys. I won't have enough for all of them for another racking, but I should have enough carboys to make it work...

TA test came today and measured at 8.4. I added about 1/2 cup of bicarb total and the pH is right around 3.0 now so I'll leave it at that for the moment. Our buckets are just 6 gal plastic ones with a lid and airlock but they're supposed to be made for brewing. We do have glass carboys as...

That's a good point I definitely didn't think about. I'll try to get a more accurate reading tomorrow using your method. The fermentation seems to be going well so maybe it isn't as bad as I was afraid. I started with a gravity of 1.082 and I'm down to 0.998 on day 12. When does oxygen start to...

Cool thanks, I was hoping it would be that simple. I was definitely not expecting this problem, but I'm glad I have the pH meter now. The recipe called for acid blend, and I only added half what it called for specifically hoping to avoid this problem. I figured I could add more acid later when I...

Thanks to everyone who assisted me in my previous thread. I did get a large batch of around 60 gallons/220ish lbs of blueberry wine going, and I think it's proceeding pretty well so far. We're on day 12 after inoculation, and my SG reading is finally at 0.998, so assuming it holds steady I'll...

Isn't this problem largely avoided by using berries mashed in mesh bags and removed after primary?

@sour_grapes my current working recipe for ~50 gallons is ~200 lbs blueberries 2 cup acid blend 1/2 cup pectic enzyme 1/2 cup yeast nutrient 2.5 tbsp tannin

I'm pretty sure this is the fermenter I'm working with if that helps. It looks like the same tank shape, although our stand is little different. So if I'm understanding, it's better suited for secondary fermentation. Is it permissible to mix different primary batches into one secondary vessel...

Hmm, now there's an idea I never would've considered. So you'd recommend starting ferm in a couple of these, then after primary finishes (presumably about the same time) rack them both into the conical together?

@Snafflebit and @Rice_Guy I may have been a bit unclear - there is only one large fermenter, which is a 98 gal conical. The rest of our available containers are 6.5 gal fermenting buckets, and some 5 or 6 gallon glass carboys. Unless you're suggesting to start multiple small batches for primary...

Thanks for all the replies, I've made a good bit of progress and am feeling more confident now. A couple more questions: I'll be using a conical fermenter that were pretty sure is 98 gallons. I know it needs some head space, but I'm not sure how big of a recipe to shoot for. I assume 80-90...

So I work on a small permaculture farm doing various tasks and have recently decided/got permission to take on winemaking as my side project. They have done it before, just to play around and have a setup with a 50 gallon fermenter, a ton of 5 gallon carboys, and most of the materials. I'm...