Crush day at Crushday's...

[crushday]

Today is crush day and it could not have gone better. I had the surprise of Mrs. Crushday joining the festivities. The football game she is attending is a night game and she has plenty of time to get to her seats. She was a big help!

I was able to get about 85 gallons of must from the Cab Franc and 105 gallons from the Petite Sirah. I’m very happy with the volume of the grapes. Both look and smell great.

I did run some initial tests on the must. Here are the results:

Brix: Cab Franc average: 27.5
pH: Cab Franc average: 4.07 (tartaric added)

Brix: Petite Sirah average: 26.5
pH: Petite Sirah average: 3.55 (not planning any tartaric additions)

Everything is cleaned up and drying. Maceration is underway and I’ll likely pitch yeast Sunday night or Monday morning.

I’ll be co-inocculating yeasts on both varieties with Prelude (thanks @4score) and Avante a couple days later (Tuesday or Wednesday).

I’ll also be introducing CH16 to start MLF when the gravity is about 1.030, estimated next weekend.

I’m very happy with the results so far. The wines should be excellent!

Here are some pics…

 

[ibglowin]

Nice set up!

Today is crush day and it could not have gone better. I had the surprise of Mrs. Crushday joining the festivities. The football game she is attending is a night game and she has plenty of time to get to her seats. She was a big help!

I was able to get about 85 gallons of must from the Cab Franc and 105 gallons from the Petite Sirah. I’m very happy with the volume of the grapes. Both look and smell great.

I did run some initial tests on the must. Here are the results:

Brix: Cab Franc average: 27.5
pH: Cab Franc average: 4.07 (tartaric added)

Brix: Petite Sirah average: 26.5
pH: Petite Sirah average: 3.55 (not planning any tartaric additions)

Everything is cleaned up and drying. Maceration is underway and I’ll likely pitch yeast Sunday night or Monday morning.

I’ll be co-inocculating yeasts on both varieties with Prelude (thanks @4score) and Avante a couple days later (Tuesday or Wednesday).

I’ll also be introducing CH16 to start MLF when the gravity is about 1.030, estimated next weekend.

I’m very happy with the results so far. The wines should be excellent!

Here are some pics…

View attachment 78396View attachment 78397View attachment 78398View attachment 78399View attachment 78400View attachment 78401View attachment 78402View attachment 78403View attachment 78404View attachment 78405

 

[crushday]

I'm considering watering back both musts. The CF has a high Brix - 27.5. According to calculations, I would need to add 4 gallons (35 gallons of must) to drop it to 25. But, that's going to make the pH even higher.

The Petite Sirah has a Brix of 26.5. According to calculations, I would need to add 2.5 gallons (35 gallons of must) to drop it to 25. pH can likely handle this addition.

Any recomendations? I don't think I want the CF to be 17 ABV but I'm very interested in the potential concentration of flavors considering how low the juice/must ratio is.

I'm mostly OK leaving the PS as is but open to recommendations.

Today is the day to make changes...

What would you do?

 

[Kraffty]

Just thinking out loud here, I agree that the 17% feels too high but hate the thought of watering it down at all. Maybe split the difference and add just 1.5 or 2 gallons. Shouldn't affect your acidity much then. Looks awesome.

 

[4score]

I would water it back and use aciduated water.

 

[crushday]

Quick update: Ok, this is moving quickly...

I removed 2 gallons from each Cab Franc (two) 45 gallon fermentor because I needed to add 4 gallons of acidulated water to each (35 gallons of must). Adding that much water would take away precious headroom for the cap. Again, the Brix was 27.5 and I wanted more in the 24-25 range.

I added the removed 4 gallons to the 10 gallons I already had in a 25 gallon fermentor. I then added 1.5 acidulated water to the 25.

I also added 2.5 gallons acidulated water to each Petite Sirah (three) 45 gallon fermentors.

Earlier in the day I did sulfite to 50ppm.

Before the acidulated water rodeo started I noticed what appeared to be the beginning of a ferment. I checked the must temp and it was a balmy 72 degrees. I quickly pitched the Prelude. So, I guess I have an active ferment...did not expect that so quickly.

 

[Gilmango]

I just wanted to thank @crushday and all of the Roseville crew for this super informative and inspiring thread. I'm new to wine making and still doing kits but this is certainly inspiring me to get off my butt and get to a pick in Contra Costa which usually happen at 6:30 a.m. (90 minutes away), even though I have no press I will just figure it out DIY style.

 

[crushday]

I just wanted to thank @crushday and all of the Roseville crew for this super informative and inspiring thread. I'm new to wine making and still doing kits but this is certainly inspiring me to get off my butt and get to a pick in Contra Costa which usually happen at 6:30 a.m. (90 minutes away), even though I have no press I will just figure it out DIY style.

Gilmango, your words represent the intent of the string. So glad...

Depending on where you live, someone might have some equipment you could borrow or rent inexpensively. Either way, making wine from grapes is the best way to go. However, kits serve a great purpose and you'll always have enjoyable wine. Glad you're on here...

 

[crushday]

The football gods are smiling in Montana…. I said this on the first post of this string: “Mrs. Crushday is going to a football game that day (taking my son and his wife). Montana Grizzlies (wife’s alma mater) are playing the Washington Huskies. As hopeful as I am, I know the Griz don’t have a chance. #gogriz”

The Grizzlies won!! 13-7!! Montana hasn’t beat the Washington Huskies for 101 years. Today was the day…

 

[BarrelMonkey]

Here are some pics…

View attachment 78396

Congratulations on your trucking adventure! I'm loving that chute for offloading grapes - much better than jumping up and down with buckets.

(Not loving that pH "meter" though, I'm afraid. I would be nervous about making decisions about additions based on that...)

 

[crushday]

(Not loving that pH "meter" though, I'm afraid. I would be nervous about making decisions about additions based on that...)

You can’t make a statement like without more context…. Please offer. I calibrated and tested. It’s a cheap pH meter, I know, and certainly you’d suggest something different. But, I’m assuming this one is going to be within a few 100ths…I’m open to the suggestion.

 

[Gilmango]

The football gods are smiling in Montana…. I said this on the first post of this string: “Mrs. Crushday is going to a football game that day (taking my son and his wife). Montana Grizzlies (wife’s alma mater) are playing the Washington Huskies. As hopeful as I am, I know the Griz don’t have a chance. #gogriz”

The Grizzlies won!! 13-7!! Montana hasn’t beat the Washington Huskies for 101 years. Today was the day…

And in three weekends U-Dub will somehow play better and beat my Cal Bears in Seattle. I'm trying a reverse jinx here but fear it to be true.

 

[BarrelMonkey]

You can’t make a statement like without more context…. Please offer. I calibrated and tested. It’s a cheap pH meter, I know, and certainly you’d suggest something different. But, I’m assuming this one is going to be within a few 100ths…I’m open to the suggestion.

Sorry, you're right, I should have provided context. I posted in this thread about my experience with that same pH meter. (It looks exactly like yours, down to the color!) My initial reaction was that it performed surprisingly well, but it subsequently failed to calibrate correctly. I didn't post in that thread, but I gave it one final chance a week ago when I bought a new pH meter: I couldn't get it to register the (freshly made) pH 6.86 buffer, it insisted on calibrating it as pH 4.00.

If you can calibrate it against 2 buffers (4.00 and 6.86) and those standards still measure the same (+/- a few 100ths) after your juice/must measurement, then maybe you can believe it - but based on my experience I think there's a danger you'll turn it on one day and find that it's useless.

As an aside, even if you have a high quality lab instrument, grape must is a somewhat hostile environment; lots of fine particles that run the risk of clogging your junctions. Professional labs centrifuge samples before testing, and while most of us don't have a centrifuge lying around it might be worth filtering samples through, eg a kitchen strainer (and maybe even, eg a coffee filter) before immersing your probe in them.

 

[Boatboy24]

Congrats on a successful crush and another travel adventure. Love that setup and would be curious to see more detail on how the must is getting from the crusher to the Brutes. Looks like you've got a pump going, but was curious - are they going into a preliminary catch bin before getting to the Brute?

Glad you decided to water back - at least on the CF. PS was borderline, but probably needed it as well. I think you'll be glad you did in the long run. (reminds me I need to double check my supply of tartaric)

 

[Johnd]

Looks like a nice haul of some great fruit! Like to see how others set up to do larger volumes of grape processing. I like the flow of your setup, sort in the barrel chute, into the C/D, but from there, I’m confused. With the C/D sitting on the ground with no bin under it, how’s the must getting up into the fermenters? I see a white corrugated hose which I suspect has a must pump on one end connected to a bin placed under the C/D discharge, but don’t see it in any pics, is that what you did?

FWIW, I’d have watered the CF back a smidge, but not the PS, I like em big and bold. My MLB always goes inn with the arrival of the first cap, like it to get a strong foot hold in the alcohol free environment, especially when my ultimate ABV is at or above the high end tolerance of the MLB.

Looking forward to following your progress!!

EDIT: LOL!! Looks like @Boatboy24 posted the same question while I was typing…….

 

[mainshipfred]

@crushday has all the cool equipment. Looks to me the must pump is an integral part of the C/D.

 

[crushday]

@crushday has all the cool equipment. Looks to me the must pump is an integral part of the C/D.

Yep, Fred’s right…. Introducing the Zambelli Gamma 15 - she slices, she dices…And a bugger to clean!

A few pics… (no need to point out the hazard of the plug. I’ll fix it…)

 

[crushday]

@Johnd - The chute looks a bit more ghetto than I was intending. I meant to cut the bottom and the sides of the drum for the chute LONG before I needed - but, alas…. The bolts I bought were too short as I didn’t accommodate for how the two ends would sit together. So, Irwin wins the day. I do intend on bolting the middle together with stainless bolts, washers and wingers for easy removal. Next time you see that chute she’ll be perfect.

 

[crushday]

First punch - check.

The PS is inky and awesome and all three fermentors have equal, well formed caps. None of the three batches of CF have a cap although the same yeast was pitched last night. Actually, I’m surprised by this. Sans the actual must, all things are equal. Same size fermentors, same external environment….

Can anyone explain why the PS took off and the CF is lagging?

A few pics…

First the cap of the PS. Looking good and smells amazing.




Next, the CF - untouched since last night. No meaningful cap. Hmmm…




The PS after punch. Color extraction is already great.

 

[crushday]

If you can calibrate it against 2 buffers (4.00 and 6.86) and those standards still measure the same (+/- a few 100ths) after your juice/must measurement, then maybe you can believe it - but based on my experience I think there's a danger you'll turn it on one day and find that it's useless.

I believe I can only calibrate it to 4.00, which as previously stated, I did. Between tests, the first few times, I did immerse into the buffer solution and it read 4.00 both times.

Sorry to hear about your experience. And, I assume you replaced the unit. Can you tell me about your replacement?