can not get my apple wine to ferment

[RDavidP]

Back on October 16 I made a German Apple wine for a demo. I pressed about 50lbs of apples, a mixture of Johnathan, granny smith, macintosh, honey crisp, golden delicious, gala, and maybe one more variety. This gave me almost 3gallons of juice. I then added two more gallons of store bought juice to make 5 gallons. The ingredients in the store bought juice are listed as apple juice from concentrate, filtered water, and ascorbic acid. No other ingredient listed, no mention of preservatives. I then added 2lbs of corn sugar as per the recipe here for German Apple wine, and stirred to dissolve the sugar. Since I used fresh pressed apple juice, and was doing it outside, I hit the juice with some potassium sulphite, 1/4tsp per gallon for sanitizing is what the packet said. I waited 24 hours and added a packet of Montrachet. The gravity was 1.070. Several days and absolutely no change or activity. The gravity was still 1.070. I figured maybe there was still some sulphite left, so I gave it a good vigorous stir, and added another packet of Montrachet a bit later. Still nothing. I checked the gravity, still 1.070. Checked the pH at 3.6 and the temperature of the actual juice is 70 degrees F. I carried a sample of the juice to my local brew shop. The guys there, some being beer judges, said that the juice was still ok, i.e. no infections, but still smelled of sulphite. I then bought a drill mounted lees stirrer. I sanitized it, and stuck it down the opening of the carboy and let her rip. I kept it going for a good two minutes. I covered the carboy opening with cheese cloth, and waited 24 hours. I then stirred it with the lees stirrer for two minutes again, covered with cheese cloth, and then added another packet of Montrachet 12 hours after the last stir. I gave it a couple of more days, checked the gravity. Still sitting at 1.070. pH is still 3.6 and the temp. of the juice is 70 and the room temp is 73. I decided to put in maybe a teaspoon full of Fermaid, and stir it in. Few days later, still nothing. I know my yeast is good, all in date, rehydrated by the directions on the packet. I make sure the rehydrating water is the right temperature. I just do not know why this apple wine is not fermenting. Only thing I can think of is possible preservatives in the store bought juice, but none were listed in the ingredients on the jugs. Any excess sulphite should have dissapated by now I would think.

 

[winemaker_3352]

Well - if you used 1/4 tsp per gallon - you add about 6X too much.

You only need about 1/4 tsp per 6 gallons. That much sulphite can prohibit the yeast from activating.

Stir it vigorously a few different times - get the O2 mixed in - it will help dissipate the SO2.

I would get a good starter yeast going right now with some store bought grape juice with no sulfites or sorbate or even benzoate in it and get that going good and then start slowly introducing your must into it to get your yeast acclimated to a higher sulfite level. Start with maybe a quart and once thats going good add 1 cup of your must. If that gets going good add another cup. Keep doing this until youve at least dbled your starter and hopefully by then you will have gotten your S02 level down enough.

 

[RDavidP]

Well - if you used 1/4 tsp per gallon - you add about 6X too much.

You only need about 1/4 tsp per 6 gallons. That much sulphite can prohibit the yeast from activating.

Just for the record, I did read the directions on my packet of Potassium Metabisulphite. It indeed did say 1/4 tsp per gallon to sanitize the must. Well, it certainly did. :< Even after all this time of not even fermenting, the juice still has not spoiled. I thought that much did seem very excessive, but that is what the packet said. While I get my starter going, I am probably going to splash rack the apple juice out of the carboy and into one of my fermenting buckets just to have more air space. I will get in there with my big wire whip and beat the heck out of it, and then cover it with cheese cloth instead of the lid so that air can get to it and the sulphite dissapate.

 

[winemaker_3352]

Just for the record, I did read the directions on my packet of Potassium Metabisulphite. It indeed did say 1/4 tsp per gallon to sanitize the must. Well, it certainly did. :< Even after all this time of not even fermenting, the juice still has not spoiled. I thought that much did seem very excessive, but that is what the packet said. While I get my starter going, I am probably going to splash rack the apple juice out of the carboy and into one of my fermenting buckets just to have more air space. I will get in there with my big wire whip and beat the heck out of it, and then cover it with cheese cloth instead of the lid so that air can get to it and the sulphite dissapate.

Yup - that should work.

Also - 1/4 tsp per gallon does make a sanitizing solution - but that is different than the required amount to be added into the must.

 

[FishNiX]

Also - 1/4 tsp per gallon does make a sanitizing solution - but that is different than the required amount to be added into the must.

bingo. the sanitizing solution indicated ont he packaging is for sanitizing your equipment, not the must.

 

[Wade E]

Both wrong!!!!!!!! 1/4 tsp per 5-6 gallons of must is correct but 1/4 tsp per gallon to make a sanitizing solution is way off! You need 3 tbls per gallon for sanitizing! Splash racking should work.

 

[FishNiX]

hmm, yeah I guess that's right (I use 2oz/gal of kmeta for sanitizing... which is more than 1/4tsp certainly). i wonder what is indicated on the package then?

 

[winemaker_3352]

Both wrong!!!!!!!! 1/4 tsp per 5-6 gallons of must is correct but 1/4 tsp per gallon to make a sanitizing solution is way off! You need 3 tbls per gallon for sanitizing! Splash racking should work.

LOL - i stand corrected

I was actually thinking 1/4 cup - although that is a tad bit more - i think equals 4 tbsp.