Brand spankin new with questions.

[astrologica]

So I started my first batch ever on last Tuesday night with a batch of grape that seem to take forever to ferment. Left it to sit one night in a Carlo Rossi 4Liter bottle with cheesecloth on top and the second night added the yeast.
It's not bubbling in the airlock but it's visibly bubbling on the surface of the must.

2nd batch the next night same type of bottle but apple wine from winesap apples shredded in a food processor. Same process. Had to reyeast last night and this morning it was bubbling over the cheesecloth so I transferred to a 5 gallon primary fermentation bucket with an airlock. No bubbles in airlock as of now and since the bucket isn't clear, I'm not sure what is happening.

3rd batch the following Saturday night of watermelon in a 5 gallon carboy was put together all in one night WITH the yeast and airlocked. Next morning it was bubbling like crazy and has been since. It's purrrrdy.

4th was Sunday morning grape from concord (neighbor's vines) and isn't doing much in the jug (4L C.R.).

5th was Sunday night and is bubbling like crazy in the jug but not moving the airlock much.

Thinking of reyeasting the 1st one since the airlock isn't doing anything. The must is obviously bubbling but shouldn't it have affected the airlock by now. Same with the 4th batch. If it doesn't start bubbling in the airlock in the next couple of days, I'm thinking of reyeasting it.

Just got a big bag of apples and already thinking of buying another bucket.

Incidentally all wines have the original fruit mush in each container.,

 

[Deezil]

Sounds like you could use a hydrometer, to test and see whether your sugar levels are moving or not

Could probably also benefit from a Titritable Acidity kit because that might be your issue with the ones not starting - the acidity might be off..

Kinda hard to tell, would need to tackle each batch independently to work through your procedure a bit - what wine yeast did you use? or did you use bread yeast or something?

Any yeast nutrients? pectic enzyme? k-meta or ascorbic acid/vitamin c?

Also check your seals.. If the must is bubbling and the airlock isnt, you might not have a tight seal.. You should atleast see pressure in the airlock, if the must is bubbling

 

[astrologica]

I have a hydrometer but am feeling intimidated about using it. Kinda the way I was about starting winemaking in itself. The grape wines are done with Lalvin 212 and the others are 1122 or something like that (Lalvin as well). The first two batches (grape, then apple) we put in fruit, sugar, water and a crushed Campden tablet. The second night we airlocked them. I'm thinking the tablet seriously hampered the yeasts ability to get things going. With the Sunday morning wine, I might just be too impatient. I know I need to learn to use the hydrometer tho. Gotta take the first plunge. I swear sometimes all the things I read make the art seem too much and just daunting.

 

[Deezil]

Dont let it overwhelm ya... There's the Art part, and then theres the Science part

The hydrometer & TA kit = Science part

Hydrometer is really really easy - its moreso being careful you dont break it than it is learning to use it.. Its just really fragile.. But basically you want to float the hydrometer in the liquid/must/sample - some people use a tall cylindrical plastic test tube for this, some people do it right in the carboy (but i dont think a C.R. bottle is deep enough)...

So you add your must/juice to the test tube, float the hydrometer in it & then give the hydrometer a spin to dislodge any bubbles that might have attached to it... And you wanna make sure that its not touching/sticking to the sides of the test tube cause that'll throw your results.... The must, where its touching the hydrometer, will make sort of U-shapes, when you look at it from a level-perspective... The accurate reading is at the bottom of the U shape

U|___|U

There a "Notepad" illustration for you
Been a long time since i made one of those

You're doing more art than science right now, and theres really no right or wrong way to do all this (except when we make something undrinkable ) but the science just helps the art become repeatable

The biggest factor, that even the long-timers are rediscovering (JohnT for example) is that its all about having fun & loving what you're doing - thats the most important part of this, to do right .. The rest of it just gets in where it fits in

 

[saramc]

One of the other factors that could be causing the slow to no ferment is the fact that you are in jugs with airlocks. The majority of winemakers allow the must to ferment with good aerobic access which allow the yeast to establish good strong colonies. Think food grade container with wide open top, like a bucket. Then when your starting S.G. has dropped by at least 2/3 they tend to transfer to a carboy and apply airlock.
Yeast can survive with oxygen or without oxygen...again it is a science thing.

Using Campden preferment is an important additive, specifically when using fruit that potentially has wild yeast(s). Without the Campden you could have wild yeasts competing against the wine yeast.

Try to avoid relying on an airlock for proof of fermentation. If anything, you can look for fine bubbles that trail up the sides of the containers. Think mini champagne fizzy type bubbles, you can actually hear the sizzle of the ferment. I cannot tell you how many ferments I have made that the airlock has very inconsistent activity--even though the seals are good, etc. But the hydrometer tells it like it is, and if you buy the right kind of wine thief you can drop the hydrometer right into your wine thief instead of using a sample container.

Very valid points noted above.

Oh, with your yeast choices, make sure that you are following the manufacturer's recommendation when pitching. Some are meant to be added dry just across the top of the must and/or stirred in, while others are meant to be hydrated with a certain protocol and then just poured across the top of the must with/without stirring. The packets will say, and if not listed I would visit the mfg. website. It all has to do with formulation of that yeast. Very very important for success when pitching yeast.

Equipment wise: you will want to eventually invest in a pH probe--this when combined with components from the TA kit will allow you to quickly and consistently determine the TA.

Please keep us up to date...I will be most interested to see if your watermelon survives or not. Many, many batches have been trashed due to spoilage. It will look fine, smell fine, taste fine and then overnight it smells off, tastes horrid and gets an icky film on it/in it.

Have fun with your ferments.

 

[astrologica]

Oh geez, the watermelon has been doing great. I hope it doesn't go south. The grape wines are just very slow fermenting. I've resisted the urge to reyeast the first one. It's still slowly fizzing but still no proof in the airlock. I'm starting to think I should have given more time before air locking them. Thanks so much for the input. I'm such a noob.

 

[saramc]

Fingers crossed that your watermelon does well for you. As a noob that is one accomplishment if that works out for you. You can still take the airlocks off the other wines if you want, and once the S.G. is around 1.030-1.010 you can put them back on. In fact, if you take the airlocks off, give the wine a stir once or twice a day, that will incorporate some oxygen into there. Othewise, as long as you see the fine bubbles coming up the sides I would not worry---low and slow is fine.

 

[astrologica]

I just reread your post mentioning low and slow fermentation is fine. I reyeasted a batch that only had the tiny bubbles and no airlock action. Now I feel like a fool. What effect will it have if you reyeast when you shouldn't?
Live and learn. Thanks again.

 

[Duster]

astrologica, it looks as if you have already been given tons of good advise.
I did not see where anyone mentioned the temp of your must, maybe they did and I just skimmed over it.
I would keep the watermelon as cool as possible for spoilage reasons however the rest of them I would raise the temp slightly by placing them in a warmer room for a day or two and see if that helps.
a Hydrometer is a must for wine making and you will need to just get over the "confusing" aspect if you want check fermentation, and sugar levels. For beginners, just remember the higher it floats, the sweeter it is. and since sugar + yeast = ABV so after the yeast is pitched you should expect to see it float lower and lower until it will not drop any more.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Airlock activity is no sign of fermentation.

Maybe your bungs are loose.

 

[astrologica]

I've come to the conclusion that watermelon wine is high maintenance. It's the expensive ho of winemaking. I did find Jack Keller's recipe and realize that campden tablets and cooling in a fridge the 1st 24 are a must, er a definite/no compromise. Watermelon is definitely not for people who are very busy with many things that cause them to procrastinate to rack btw. It's a learning experience. Fortunately, I hope to have a plentiful supply of watermelons next summer and more opportunities to screw this up, er, try again.