Disaster averted!

[ChuckD]

So me and my wife started our apple wine this evening. We ground 110 lbs of apples and put them in a 20 gallon Brute with 6 gallons of apple juice. I added the pectic, k-meta, yeast nutrients and tannin then started dumping in sugar.

I had several totes of supplies I got in a real good deal and one had bags and containers of sugar so I dumped in two 6 pound bags then started dumping the container. The texture seemed a little off so I licked my finger and tasted it… Citric Acid! Luckily I hadn’t mixed in the sugar, which was raw so it was tan colored, and I was able to scoop the white citric powder off the top. 5 lbs of citric acid probably would have ruined the whole batch.

I just finished going through the tote and tossing anything not labeled!

 

[cmason1957]

Good choice on the purge. No label, no clue what it is. Only thing I have not labeled is my sugar and since that is in a 6 gallons that juice came in, I feel that is probably safe.

 

[vinny]

So me and my wife started our apple wine this evening. We ground 110 lbs of apples and put them in a 20 gallon Brute with 6 gallons of apple juice. I added the pectic, k-meta, yeast nutrients and tannin then started dumping in sugar.

I had several totes of supplies I got in a real good deal and one had bags and containers of sugar so I dumped in two 6 pound bags then started dumping the container. The texture seemed a little off so I licked my finger and tasted it… Citric Acid! Luckily I hadn’t mixed in the sugar, which was raw so it was tan colored, and I was able to scoop the white citric powder off the top. 5 lbs of citric acid probably would have ruined the whole batch.

I just finished going through the tote and tossing anything not labeled!

Close, that woulda been a heart breaker. I don't think there is a maybe there. Pretty sure that would have been just a touch to tart to compensate with sugar.

 

[ChuckD]

Good choice on the purge. No label, no clue what it is. Only thing I have not labeled is my sugar and since that is in a 6 gallons that juice came in, I feel that is probably safe.

I also found a large bag of sodium bicarbonate and about two pounds of sorbate. I assume the yeast nutrients have a long shelf life.

 

[ChuckD]

Close, that woulda been a heart breaker. I don't think there is a maybe there. Pretty sure that would have been just a touch to tart to compensate with sugar.

At this point my Brute is three inches from the top and I still need to add about 15 lbs of sugar and some more liquid. I plan on splitting the batch in half and trying 71b in one and EC1118 in the other

 

[BigDaveK]

At this point my Brute is three inches from the top and I still need to add about 15 lbs of sugar and some more liquid. I plan on splitting the batch in half and trying 71b in one and EC1118 in the other

I start my dessert wine with 71B for glycerol and ester production then switch to 1118 and step feeding to up the alcohol. I hope to experiment more with yeasts this year so I'll be interested in which batch you prefer. Please update later.

My mom made fabulous nut rolls and poppy seed rolls. Lot of work. She used salt instead of sugar one time. A mistake and lesson I obviously can't forget.

 

[winemaker81]

At this point my Brute is three inches from the top and I still need to add about 15 lbs of sugar and some more liquid. I plan on splitting the batch in half and trying 71b in one and EC1118 in the other

Absolutely, split the batch! Last time I made Apple wine, I juiced a bushel of apples and fermented the juice. I looked at all that glistening pulp, and said, "What the heck!" So I made a second run wine, which came out good. However ... that apple pulp floated high and overflowed the fermenter, twice. My "no more than 3/4 full" rule came from that experience.

Good Judgment comes from Experience.
Experience comes from Bad Judgment.