ABV% too high...help

[claywine]

So I started my second batch of Dragon Blood but with pineapples and more sugar since I wanted to take the alcohol up a tick but I'm thinking based on the smell it might be getting too much so I would like to stop fermentation. I started at a 1.1SG and it's currently at 1.020SG. Can I stop it anytime I want with the Camden tablets then rack to carboy?

Thanks

 

[salcoco]

very hard to stop. I would let it ferment dry let it clear then taste. if to much abv bench trial adding sugar syrup to sweetness desired. add sorbate to halt any refermentation.

 

[claywine]

If I let it ferment out and the pineapple tastes is lessened because of the high alcohol can I back sweeten with pineapple concentrate instead of sugar to help get the taste back?

 

[Scooter68]

ABV too high?? Naw - if you started at 1.100 and it ferments dry (SG .990)O you'll only be at 14.44%. A kick for sure but anything below 15% is still just a moderately strong wine.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[claywine]

Well no turning back now I guess. So when it's done fermenting if I find a lot of the pineapple taste is gone is it a good idea to back sweeten with pineapple juice instead of sugar?

 

[cmason1957]

Doesn't pineapple juice usually have some pulp in it?? That may be an issue for you. I find most fruit wines taste better at something less than 12-13% ABV and plan accordingly, but YMMV.

 

[salcoco]

pineapple juice might work, just do a bench trial and see what dosage is required. I would also do a small batch about 2 cups worth and see it doesn't get cloudy .

 

[Scooter68]

pineapple juice might work, just do a bench trial and see what dosage is required. I would also do a small batch about 2 cups worth and see it doesn't get cloudy .

That's the concern I have with using more fruit at the end of the aging to back-sweeten. If there is pulp or it gets cloudy from the juice, you are back to waiting for it to clear or using fining agents. My view is the less chemicals used the better. So I figure if I used the right amount of ripe fruit in the first place the flavor will be there it just may need a little sweetening to reveal it.

 

[claywine]

I guess there is no turning back now. So I racked into the carboy when the SG was 1.010 and added Camden and sorbate but it's still bubbling away pretty fast. Am I pretty much waiting for it to go dry now? As wine ages does it bring out the taste of the fruit more or alcohol? I will probably back sweeten with simple sugar since there won't be a chance of getting cloudy again.

 

[Tnuscan]

I guess there is no turning back now. So I racked into the carboy when the SG was 1.010 and added Camden and sorbate but it's still bubbling away pretty fast. Am I pretty much waiting for it to go dry now? As wine ages does it bring out the taste of the fruit more or alcohol? I will probably back sweeten with simple sugar since there won't be a chance of getting cloudy again.

I would have waited for it to go to dry, the sg staying the same for 3 days in a row. Usually 0.990 , Then add the campden tab, and sorbate.

 

[claywine]

That was the plan, but I thought I could stop it fermenting early but looks like it didn't phase it. I can barely smell the fruit as it is now so I'll see what happens.

 

[Scooter68]

Give it some time. Fruit smells are lighter in wine than a fruit juice anyway but just allow it age a while.

 

[claywine12204]

So I'm getting concerned that after adding potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulphite nothing happened.

When I made my first ever DB batch and added the two I saw the bubbling stop almost immediately, but this batch has gone 24 hours now and the bubbles are not slowing down at all. Now obviously the first batch I did not add the two until it was completely dry, this batch I added it at 1.10 in an attempt to stop it. Do I need to add more or will it now stop on it's own once dry?

 

[cmason1957]

So I'm getting concerned that after adding potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulphite nothing happened.

When I made my first ever DB batch and added the two I saw the bubbling stop almost immediately, but this batch has gone 24 hours now and the bubbles are not slowing down at all. Now obviously the first batch I did not add the two until it was completely dry, this batch I added it at 1.10 in an attempt to stop it. Do I need to add more or will it now stop on it's own once dry?

You have just learned an important lesson, Potassium Metabisulphite and Potassium sorbate won't stop an active fermentation. They just stress your yeast out. It will stop fermenting, eventually, but not right away. Potassium sorbate is birth control for the yeast, it keeps it from budding and making more yeast. Wine yeast just laughs at Potassium Metabisulphite, it will control wild yeasts, maybe.

One thing you can do is get your wine really cold, like around 32 F or colder. That will really slow down the yeast and maybe will stop them from fermenting, but I don't place much faith in that.

 

[claywine]

Ok thanks! I will just wait it out then. Will the active fermentation prevent it from clearing during this process?

 

[Tnuscan]

Ok thanks! I will just wait it out then. Will the active fermentation prevent it from clearing during this process?

@claywine When the Sg. gets down around 1.010 to 1.000, rack to a fresh carboy let it finish fermenting. This may take a week or two usually. When the Sg. is under 1.000 it will be 0.999 to 0.990, when it sits @ the same Sg, any where among these numbers for 3 days in a row it is time to Rack off of sediment and back into a carboy. ( Pull out a little wine and add each of these 3 to the small amount of wine, then gently pour back in carboy and stir). Add K-meta, sorbate and clearing agents, stirring in well, even degassing between additions of sorbate and clearing agent, then you can let it sit for another week or two to clear. After you feel it has cleared, rack again, then sweeten to taste, wait a few days after sweetening to make sure there is no futher fermentation, some are eager and want to bottle, but it's best to let it sit another month or so, then bottle.

 

[tweak]

pineapple juice might work, just do a bench trial and see what dosage is required. I would also do a small batch about 2 cups worth and see it doesn't get cloudy .

It probably will by cloudy or slightly hazy... I added some Pineapple juice to some wine to backsweeten and couldn't get the haze out until I added some Pectic Enzyme and brought the temperature up a bit. After doing that, it cleared up after setting for a few months more.

 

[Tnuscan]

It probably will by cloudy or slightly hazy... I added some Pineapple juice to some wine to backsweeten and couldn't get the haze out until I added some Pectic Enzyme and brought the temperature up a bit. After doing that, it cleared up after setting for a few months more.

Did it add the pineapple taste and smell to it?

 

[claywine]

Since I've added the Pectic Enzyme already does it harm the wine adding more when I'm ready to back sweeten?

 

[tweak]

Did it add the pineapple taste and smell to it?

Yes, there was a hint of pineapple flavor, but I didn't use a lot to backsweeten.