Can I ferment without the chemicals?

[seth8530]

Yes, I've seen yeasts that were rated to go to 18% actually go to 20%. Didn't know the 3% rule, but that does jive with my experience..

3% was just something I figured would be on the safe side.

 

[jamesngalveston]

dang wordy, you scare me....
I have not eaten any fast food in 35 years..
Nothing from a box are a can.
I cook almost every night.
I think i can afford to enjoy my wine, I have saved from all those chemicals for years, might as well go out , drunk and happy.
I love it when you post answers..there always informative and fun...
Thanks.

 

[MangoMead]

I thought I was gonna get away without commenting on this thread, but NOOOOO!

Read this....

http://www.pesticideinfo.org/DS.jsp?sk=29143

Be sure to look at the CALIFORNIA stats at bottom.

And you are worried about chemicals? Then don't make or consume wine, period, is my advice. (Commercial wineries were actually filtering wines through ASBESTOS until the mid-80s.)

Oh yeah, let's not forget my other fav, the MSDS for the chemical we are creating!

http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9923956

Brother you do not have to tell me about pesticide use. I worked for years at a non-profit place focused on educating people about nasty chemicals and and how to avoid them and use non toxic or at least less toxic alternatives.

I'll lay one on you that I bet you have never thought about, those wood telephone poles that are pretty much everywhere in the states, don't touch them, try not to even stand near them. If you can smell it you are way too close. Don't plant anything you plan to eat within at least 10 yards from them. Without getting too close, look at one to see if there are what look like little plastic plugs set into the base. Periodically they come around and drill a hole into the pole and pump it full of a recharge dose of nastiness to extend its service life. And the stuff they use for wood is WAY scarier than anything approved for food use. Stay away from that green preserved wood too. Bad bad news.

But in this modern world one cannot avoid any of this completely. You have to pick your battles and be sensible. I have not let commercial wine pass my lips in maybe a decade. I don't like much like grape wine anyway so not a loss. In the last 3 years or so I could count the commercial beers I have had on one hand maybe, 2 hands for sure.

That is one of the reasons I want to get into this, I miss enjoying a cold adult beverage. All the beer here is pisswater commercial lagers (shudder). I won't drink a beer I can see through. My only option is to make my brew myself and if i'm doing that I'll be damned if I'm gonna add crap that is not absolutely necessary.

 

[jswordy]

The words "absolutely necessary" will vary depending on what you are making and how it is turning out. You'll see as you go along what you'll need to do and what you don't.

My point is that alcohol's MSDS far outweighs those of the commonly used substances to preserve wine. So I guess to be "safe," as you originally posted, you need to remove the alcohol from your wine. It's the most damaging component.

In my view, it pays to be aware but there comes a point where people start to live their lives in fear. I know many living like that - they fear electromagnetic waves, they fear radiation, they fear nearly all foods, etc., etc. I am not going to that place. Instead, I try to be an informed realist. If I am drinking at any level beyond zero, I am introducing a harmful substance into my body. That's a fact.

 

[MangoMead]

The words "absolutely necessary" will vary depending on what you are making and how it is turning out. You'll see as you go along what you'll need to do and what you don't.

My point is that alcohol's MSDS far outweighs those of the commonly used substances to preserve wine. So I guess to be "safe," as you originally posted, you need to remove the alcohol from your wine. It's the most damaging component.

In my view, it pays to be aware but there comes a point where people start to live their lives in fear. I know many living like that - they fear electromagnetic waves, they fear radiation, they fear nearly all foods, etc., etc. I am not going to that place. Instead, I try to be an informed realist. If I am drinking at any level beyond zero, I am introducing a harmful substance into my body. That's a fact.

Exactly, I'd rather have a little bit of chemicals than an infected brew, but if I can have a safe brew without the chemicals, that is even better.