Fermentation at 27 degrees

[sampvt]

I have a room that I make my wine in and at night it gets pretty cold so I bought heating belts and a fermentation tray. I noticed that my Kenridge wine kits were fermenting quicker and the sg was dropping below 993. I racked off on day 7 (not day 8 as they recommended) and its still fermenting. The sg on one of the brews is now down to 990 but the mix does not taste particularly dry or bad. The instructions say let brew for 12 more days but I fear this brew will drop well below 990 at this rate.

I know that my temps are a tad too high but I am faced with a fluctuation from 10 to 20 degrees without the belts or 27 degrees constant. Which should I plum for and any tips.

 

[jswordy]

27 degrees F? You are right o keep temps up with belts, etc., in that case.

I don't care what the temp is, when the fermentables are done, it will quit. The chief problem with very high temps is the fusel alcohols and other off flavors the yeast can produce. You don't say what yeast you are using, from which I could decipher the temp range for that strain, but generally speaking, as long as you are detecting no ill tastes or smells, I say carry on.

Please be sure you are properly reading when taking your hydrometer readings. It may not be unheard of, but I have NEVER personally seen a wine go below .990.

 

[sampvt]

27 degrees F? You are right o keep temps up with belts, etc., in that case.

I don't care what the temp is, when the fermentables are done, it will quit. The chief problem with very high temps is the fusel alcohols and other off flavors the yeast can produce. You don't say what yeast you are using, from which I could decipher the temp range for that strain, but generally speaking, as long as you are detecting no ill tastes or smells, I say carry on.

Please be sure you are properly reading when taking your hydrometer readings. It may not be unheard of, but I have NEVER personally seen a wine go below .990.

I have had this wine on for 7 days now and whilst there are a few bubbles through the airlock, there are only one or so every minute and less sometimes.

The reading on my hydrometer now is actually 990 this morning and I have tried 3 different meters and I know how to read a hydrometer, ive spun it had it in a proper reader vessel and even in the fermenter. I can post a picture if you wish.

This is a Kenridge £60 kit and the instructions say leave for 8 days, rack off at 1010 and leave for 12 more days to ferment out and when the airlock shows no sign of activity when the sg drops to around 995.

Mine has gone down to 991 and is effectively finished in 8 days. That's my problem. Ive taste tested it today and its pretty much ok with no vinegar or sulphur traces. Its actually fruity and lying between med and dry on my taste buds.

I didn't save the yeast packet after putting it on so I cant tell you what yeast it is but its a Kenridge classic gewurstheimer (spelled wrong) german white and cost me £60, hence my worries.

There wasn't much lees left behind after the racking and obviously the mixture is still very cloudy and its still dropping lees into the vessel. Its sitting at an alcohol content of around 12.5 now (OG 1082 SG now of 990) What should I do as this isn't a cheap brew.

Thanks for all your input guys.

 

[Julie]

Are you talking Fahrenheit or celsius? You should not have any activity at 27 degrees if you are talking Fahrenheit!

Your really will not go below .990, at this point it is dry. If there is still bubbles coming from the airlock, you would need to degass.

 

[Bartman]

27 degrees celsius = 80.6 degrees Fahrenheit - that's a fairly high ferment temperature,but it sounds like you are okay. Yeast ferment more slowly at cooler temps (like 15 degrees C), but usually do okay up to 27 degrees C. You're at the top end of the 'acceptable' temperature range, which may also contribute to 'total' fermentation.

It might be difficult to do a side-by-side ferment of the same juice at different temperatures to see if a given yeast and must yield the same alcohol level, but someone could give it a try...

 

[sampvt]

27 degrees celsius = 80.6 degrees Fahrenheit - that's a fairly high ferment temperature,but it sounds like you are okay. Yeast ferment more slowly at cooler temps (like 15 degrees C), but usually do okay up to 27 degrees C. You're at the top end of the 'acceptable' temperature range, which may also contribute to 'total' fermentation.

It might be difficult to do a side-by-side ferment of the same juice at different temperatures to see if a given yeast and must yield the same alcohol level, but someone could give it a try...

Ive spoken to Kenridge direct and they said that the temp is irrelevant because if the yeast didn't like the 27 degrees c, it would die and the sg wouldn't be as low as it is. So it looks like this yeast they use is operating fine given the readings and it also looks, according to them, that I have achieved a maximum fermentation and a maximum ABV without spoiling taste and nose.

They were actually quite nice and advised me to rack and degass it as the bubbles in the airlock were probably gas related issues. I was also promised a new kit if it spoiled by doing an early stabalisation, so I cant loose. Im happy.

 

[JohnT]

Ive spoken to Kenridge direct and they said that the temp is irrelevant because if the yeast didn't like the 27 degrees c, it would die and the sg wouldn't be as low as it is. So it looks like this yeast they use is operating fine given the readings and it also looks, according to them, that I have achieved a maximum fermentation and a maximum ABV without spoiling taste and nose.

They were actually quite nice and advised me to rack and degass it as the bubbles in the airlock were probably gas related issues. I was also promised a new kit if it spoiled by doing an early stabalisation, so I cant loose. Im happy.

For most yeasts, you really want to maintain 70 - 90 degrees f (21 to 32 C).
80 degrees F is perfectly fine.

You need to keep in mind that the process of fermentation will produce heat. That heat could spiral your fermentation out of control until the heat kills off the yeast. A fast ferment is also not such a great thing when it comes to the final product.

Many here practice temperature management, checking the temp periodically (every 12 hours for me) and adjusting the temp as needed. I always shoot for about 70 degrees at the start and allow the wine to climb to 90 during peak fermentation. Others like to maintain a much lower temperature, never climbing out of the 70s and lengthening the time of fermentation to as much as 3 weeks. These "hot" and "cold" fermentations produce two different flavor profiles in the final product.

So, in my own lengthy way, I am saying that temperature is very important and should not be ignored.

 

[jswordy]

I am glad we got the temp issue solved. Please add to your profile that you are from the UK. That would help.

I agree with JohnT, it's perfect temp.

Glad you are on the right track now. On to secondary!

 

[sampvt]

This is the best pic I could get given the state of my phone. Trust me the level is below 990 now.

 

[winemaker_3352]

As Julie stated, if you are still seeing bubbles it is the CO2 coming out. It is time to degass it.

 

[sampvt]

OMG this degassing malarkie is nuts. I have a drill attachment and I am getting 3 inches of creamy head after every degassing session and I am not whipping it up from the top.

The rod is well down and I am reversing the drill as well. Looking at the bucket its like looking at the biggest Guinness in the world. When will it end, my backs killing me. I must have been at it on the hour every hour since 11am. I am knackered. It better be bloody good, lol.

 

[heatherd]

Let it sit for awhile undisturbed.