BlackBerry wine

[silverbullet07]

Thanks. I placed the lid and air lock on this afternoon. It is blowing a bubble every 2-3 seconds as of now. It has been dropping every time i check it. Last check was 1.000. I will check the SG again thursday (7 days Since pitching yeast) and see if it hit that .990.

 

[KCCam]

Thanks. I placed the lid and air lock on this afternoon. It is blowing a bubble every 2-3 seconds as of now. It has been dropping every time i check it. Last check was 1.000. I will check the SG again thursday (7 days Since pitching yeast) and see if it hit that .990.

It may not hit 0.990. You are now waiting for it to be the same reading 3 days in a row.
And the air lock bubbling is not an indication of fermentation. It can bubble for a long time after fermentation is complete as CO2 comes out of solution (degassing).

 

[silverbullet07]

After reading that I should rack to secondary with in 5-7 days, I went ahead and raked it. This stuff is still really thick. Reminds me of a smoothie. It it normal for blackberry be so thick coming off of primary?

 

[KCCam]

After reading that I should rack to secondary with in 5-7 days, I went ahead and raked it.

Whenever you read about time in wine-making, it’s to give you an idea what to expect. Every wine is different. Even with the same ingredients, every batch can be different. The SG is the ultimate indication of how your fermentation is doing. 1.000 is a very common point to rack to secondary, as oxygen is becoming your enemy instead of your friend, regardless of whether it takes 3 days or 3 weeks to get there. Fruit wine generally has a lot of lees, and many people leave it in the primary until fermentation is complete. Racking to secondary then leaves more gross lees behind. But many do exactly as you have to give oxygen less chance to get to the wine. I would check the SG every day now, and when you get the same reading 3 days in a row, rack it again to a clean carboy, or if you only have the one, then to the primary, and back to the carboy after cleaning it.

It it normal for blackberry be so thick coming off of primary?

I’ve only done kit wines and Dragon Blood myself, but your pictures look fine. An active fermentation and CO2 coming out of solution tend to keep everything suspended. As the fermentation slows down and the wine begins to degas, the sediment will start to drop and the wine will start to clear.

Since your wine is still giving off a fair bit of CO2, the large headspace you have is probably OK, but if it were mine, I would top up the 2 larger vessels to get the wine up a little closer to the neck.

Lookin’ good. Good luck.

 

[silverbullet07]

Thanks. I had put my lid and airlock on and had planned to let it sit in it until it was finished. But then started reading about this 5-7 day rule where you should not leave the wine on the lees longer. So I started worrying. Thought it would be best to rack it. most of the stuff was floating it seemed not much on bottom.

When I racked it over, I had filled it up more at the beginning and it made me a little nervous the way it was bubbling and i racked a little off. I plan to rack it again when it completely finishes and some of the thick Lees settling some. Today I can see where the lees seem to be dropping.

 

[Scooter68]

As long as your airlock is bubbling at least once a minute I think the headspace is not a problem. You have plenty of CO2 keeping Oxygen infiltration from happening. IF you top up and the ferment decides to get active even for an hour you could wind up with a foam fountain so as long as it's bubbling let it be.
Biggest issue now is taking an SG reading. Drawing out a sample is going to be a bit messy and cleaning a wine thief of that sediment is not a lot of fun.
Just a future note, Disregard ANY recipe timelines about fermentation duration. EVERY batch is different even if you make two batches from one bucket of juice or juice concentrate, the smallest details can change the rate of ferment. That's probably one of first and most common mistakes when starting out, so you just chalk that up to lessons learned.
Normally when I rack my fruit wines are a lot less loaded with lees but as long as things start settling AFTER fermentation is finished there's no problem, you just get to have more fun cleaning carboys. Once the bubbling slows to less than one 'burp' a minute I bet you will see clearing happening pretty quickly.
Hardest thing for me to learn with this hobby is the "P" word.* That's why it's in my signature line. Patience will put you miles ahead and save a lot of work So hang in there, You've made wine now the waiting game starts.

* Patience

 

[silverbullet07]

@Scooter68 thanks for all the details and help. I guess I should have left it in primary for a little while longer. The nasty lees are starting to pile up today. It will be a mess to clean for sure. Something to see in the bottom. Is that parts of the blackberries and the yeast? Nasty looking. Will that keep compacting down? The one qt jug is about half full.

 

[mikewatkins727]

Though cleanup can be a bit messy, it's not all that bad. Just don't let it set very long.

 

[Scooter68]

Yes, some compacting will continue, how much is hard to say. I would just be sure that fermentation has stopped completely before you rack again. The "Three days - no SG Change Rule" applies. When that occurs OR the SG hits .990 rack again. Usually you will have to rack at least one more time after that next racking to get rid of 90+ % of the lees. It is not unusual to see noticeable lees for 6-9 months into aging. After that point what you will probably see is just a dusting of lees on the bottom of the carboy when you rack.
Just remember the next racking - when fermentation is over - is when you need to be very careful to leave as much of the lees behind as possible. Even if that means 1/4 to 3/4 inch of clear looking wine is left in the carboy. You can always take that out knowing you will suck up some lees and put it into one of your extra carboys you have there. Then put that into the fridge to settle it faster and get back more of the wine. The cold helps drop out the sediment quicker. If your big carboy isn't topped off before you get that leftover wine separated out in the fridge don't worry about that if you get if topped off in no more than a couple of days. Just remember CO2 gassing off will continue after fermentation ends and the evidence is usually very fine streams of bubbles coming up from the bottom of the carboy.

As I said this is a long learning process and what works one time might not work the next time you find different ways to get to the desired end result. From the looks of those carboys things are settling down pretty quickly now.

 

[silverbullet07]

I checked SG and it hit .990. I will rack it off the lees tomorrow. Let it settle a little more overnight.

My thoughts on the taste of the wine, it is dry and little sour. You can really smell the alcohol. You can get a hint of blackberry. The abv is 13%. But it is drinkable.

I don’t think I add Camden tabs this next racking do I? I think I wait until it is clear and right before bottling?

 

[Scooter68]

Campden tablets (AKA K-Meta) should be added as soon as fermentation ends. So when you rack tomorrow add the crushed tablets. OR if you have the powdered form (K-Meta) add one fourth (1/4) teaspoon per five/six gallons. I make 3 gallon batches so I add 1/8th teaspoon at the end of fermentation. I'm lazy and just put the powder into the empty carboy and let the swirling of the racking mix it up.* I do NOT add Potassium Sorbate until just before I back-sweeten and bottle. Sorbate has a limited shelf life and is said to be capable of giving off flavors to a wine as it gets along in age (How long??? I don't have any numbers) So I would suggest just hit the batch with the K-meta at this first post-ferment racking and then again every 3 months until you finish aging the wine. If you rack and then one month later decide to bottle at that time. Some folks would say no need to add more K-meta but if you wait past 1.5 months dose the wine again before bottling.

* I would not suggest doing that with crushed campden tablets as they don't dissolve as well. For them (in my 1 gallon batches) I crush them then disolve them in an ounce or two of warm water and put that into the clean carboy before I rack


AND CONGRATS on reaching the end of fermentation. Now the waiting begins.

 

[silverbullet07]

I was able to rack a full 3 gal carboy. I used 3 campden tabs.

I have a pint that I stuck in the fridge to use as top up. Thanks for everyone’s help.

so it will sit in this carboy about 3 months before racking again?

 

[KCCam]

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You might find an increase in temperature could push wine into your air lock. 5°F will raise it about 1/2”.

My thoughts on the taste of the wine, it is dry and little sour. You can really smell the alcohol. You can get a hint of blackberry. The abv is 13%. But it is drinkable.

Try a little sugar in it. A small amount can make a big difference in bringing the fruit forward. Sugar will also reduce the effect of the sourness. Of course time can definitely improve it as well.

so it will sit in this carboy about 3 months before racking again?

Sounds good.

 

[silverbullet07]

Thanks. I will keep an eye on it. My temps never get above 70f were it is. It should lower in the next month. It stays pr constant.

 

[Scooter68]

Even with fairly constant temps, I'd consider lowering that level to about the botton of the "Ring" to give yourself a little safety margin. I know it's not much difference but sometimes that little bit save a lot of cleaning up and drawing in fruit flies.
(Oh and it looks very good.)

 

[silverbullet07]

I can do that. Thanks!

 

[silverbullet07]

I lowered the volume a little in the carboy. I have this almost full pint mason jar left. Does this have to much air space? I may need to find a smaller jar. I wanted to use it as a top up later when racking.

 

[sour_grapes]

I lowered the volume a little in the carboy. I have this almost full pint mason jar left. Does this have to much air space? I may need to find a smaller jar. I wanted to use it as a top up later when racking.

View attachment 65913
View attachment 65914

One solution to your problem that I have used is to freeze the small jar until you need it later. Obviously, it won't settle and age the same, but it won't oxidize, either!

 

[silverbullet07]

Is this still to much head room? Also, can I cap this off or does it need a airlock? SG is .990 So fermentation should be done.

 

[Scooter68]

If that's in a fridge you can do away with the airlock (Use a sealing cap) and it should be as safe from oxidation as your you room temp wine in the carboy.