Fermentation over?

[bladeofthemoon]

Hey everyone... im not sure if im stuck or not so i thought i'd ask. i have put my wine in the 2ndary fermenter after taking out the pulp and squeezing it into the juice cause the SG was at 1.010( the book said to shift into the 2ndary fermenter at this point and squeeze the juice out of the pulp and remove the pulp.) . I have attached the fermentation lock and everything. it's been 5 days or so and initially there was a little foam on the surface, very little, and there was some amount of bubbles rising in the water bottle which i was using as a fermentation lock. But now, it is deathly silent and there isnt any bubbles rising at all ( i looked at it for about 30 min and still nothing.) so is the fermentation completely over? should i take off the lock and use a hydrometer to check the SG and smell to see if it hasnt gone bad( kinda the smell of rotten eggs?? )??

 

[Luc]

I can not recall your recipe, but do you know the original SG.
It might just be that the SG was so high that the level of alcohol tolerancy has been reached for the yeast.

Then again you stated there were some bubbles after racking.
So did you measure SG again ???
At what level is it now.

It might just have finished......

About the rule in the book:
If a guideline is to get the wine from the pulp at 1010 or 1020 and it takes 3 weeks for fermentation to get to that point it might be very bad to follow that rule.
Fermenting on the pulp for that long can leach so much tannin into the wine that the wine will be undrinkable.
Pulp fermenting should be done for 3 days to a week depending on the kind of must. Not depending on the SG.

Remember: just because it is in a book does not make it true.

Luc

 

[cpfan]

should i take off the lock and use a hydrometer to check the SG

YES. Visual signs of fermentation are not reliable.

Steve

 

[bladeofthemoon]

I can not recall your recipe, but do you know the original SG.
It might just be that the SG was so high that the level of alcohol tolerancy has been reached for the yeast.

Then again you stated there were some bubbles after racking.
So did you measure SG again ???
At what level is it now.

It might just have finished......

About the rule in the book:
If a guideline is to get the wine from the pulp at 1010 or 1020 and it takes 3 weeks for fermentation to get to that point it might be very bad to follow that rule.
Fermenting on the pulp for that long can leach so much tannin into the wine that the wine will be undrinkable.
Pulp fermenting should be done for 3 days to a week depending on the kind of must. Not depending on the SG.

Remember: just because it is in a book does not make it true.

Luc

well the wine is an apple and honey wine and the SG was supposed to be 1.020 at the time of racking and i checked it to make sure it was. It took about ummmmm i think 5-6 days. after racking, there was bubbling in the fermentation lock for about 2-3 days. its now the 4th day and there is no bubbling. at this point the SG is 1.000. so now do i rack it into another container and top it up with cold water? cause according to the book, the final SG should be 0.990-0.995. At that stage i should add the finings ( which i dont have so imma use food grade gelatin which i hope will do the same thing. ) what do u guys suggest?? also what temp should i keep?? currently its about 30'C, room temp.

YES. Visual signs of fermentation are not reliable.

Steve

i checked. its at SG 1.000

 

[cpfan]

Patience. Another week or two won't hurt it.

 

[bladeofthemoon]

lol.... er... patience is not really my virtue, so i kinda transferred it to a new container and put a cork in it. hehe. also, the thing is, i have about 7 liters of liquid and its a 10 liter container so about er... 1/4 of it is empty. i dont think i can top it with about 2.5 liters of cold water can i??

in anycase im thinking that lets wait for a week or two and see if the sg falls to 0.990-0.995 and then add the gelatin finings (which i am still awaiting ure approval for. its the jelly making gelatin. ) and etc etc.

 

[cpfan]

That sounds like too much airspace.

Knox gelatin by chance? I have no experience with it, but here's a link to a thread on it.
http://www.winepress.us/forums/index.php?showtopic=33477&hl=knox

BTW, I just picked up a litre of isinglass to use as a clearing agent in some smaller batches. Even though my recently bottled Fruitopia wine is crystal clear without any clearing agents. Of course, about 2 months from start to bottling.

Steve

 

[bladeofthemoon]

man u guys are so lucky cause i cannot get a hold of any of these things.

 

[Wade E]

What was your starting sg and what yeast did you use, that will help us determine if this wine is tuck or if the abv has out done your yeast strain.

 

[bladeofthemoon]

My starting SG was 1.095. i used a bread yeast.i dont think you guys will know the yeast brand cause its an indian brand. er... whats tuck or abv out doing the yeast strain?? oh btw, it smells fine. winey.

 

[Wade E]

That fermentation is most likely over as bread yeast doesnt usually have to high of a tolerence to alcohol. Stuck is when your fermentation just stops due to malnutrition or temperature, abv out doing the yeast is when the alcohol produced thus far has exceeded what the yeast can tolerate before it falls victim to too much alc. Sometimes bread yeast will go further but for the most part your right about where it usually quits, if you dont want residual sugars in your wines then you will have to start with a lower sg like 1.080-1.085. It will produce less alc but should finish dry at that sg.

 

[bladeofthemoon]

cool.... so basically i now rack it for a week or two and then after checking to see if the SG has reached 0.995, i add the gelatin and then after 10 days, i get ready to bottle.... does that sound about rite? sry for asking the same thing again and again, its just that its my first wine and i guess after i get this rite, i will be a lot more confident ( i know i will be, happens with everything else that i do for the first time. hehe )

 

[Wade E]

I would add sulfites to protect the wine, degas the wine and then add the gelatin and dnt ask me anything about the gelati as I have nevr used it. if your wine holds a lot of gas it will not clear and to dgeas your wine try and do it whil the temp is around 75* as at thi temp C02 is much easier to get out.

 

[bladeofthemoon]

cool. i'll do that. sulphites-->gelatin-->filter/siphon-->bottle.. oh and what does bottle age =4 months mean?? does that mean i should drink after 4 months?? or i should drink it up before 4 months are over??

 

[arcticsid]

Jello Shots

Blade I used to be one of those fisherman you may have seen on the "The Deadliest Catch" I once went to sea with one of a hell of a hangover from drinking jello shots. Drink what you made and start another batch. We love ya man, but you are trying to hard to confuse yourself with all these chemicals, etc. Mix vodka with "Jello" it's not good. Take some juice, some yeast, some sugar and some sulphites, we'll help you make some wine.
Take Good Care,
Troy

(PS, I tried pretty hard to research what the laws were over there regarding making your own wine and had a pretty tough time finding any info. I don't see why a "home brew supply" would have any trouble sending you what you need) Tell us what you have found out, and I for one would be happy to research further and see if we can get you the supplies you need. I am guessing it is not a big problem. What is the city you are in or close too? Hell, I'll send you the stuff, only thing is most of the chemicals you are hearing about come in a crystal form and they are white. Go figure the confusion. Please respond.

 

[arcticsid]

I'll make a couple calls for you

I have a few things to do tommorrow but I would be willing to make a few calls for you to see what can be sent your way from the US(can't speak for Canada, etc.) I just recieved a catalog from Midwest Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies. They're in Minnesota and looks like a great catalog. I haven't even had a chance to look through it yet to see if they offer any international shipping. I will tell you this however...I live in Alaska, and for them to send me 1 pound(weight) it is like $6US. I want to help you. Check out there website at www.midwestsupplies.com, even if you don't order form them you'll get an idea whats available to you.
Troy

 

[arcticsid]

Now I Stick my Neck out Far

Blade, I made a few calls for you. First I called the supply company I mentioned. The only reason they don't ship internationally is that they are so busy with domestic orders, they don't have to. I then called the US Customs and they have no problem with sending the chemicals( I hate that word), you need for making wine to India. I spoke with the Consulate for India in San Francisco, and they tell me there is no problem sending these supplies to you either. And just to verify that I called the Consulate for India in New York, and they to told me sending you these supplies is not against any regulations or law as far as the Indian Government is concerned.

If we were to talk about anything commercially I have the name of the person at the Consulate for India in New York.

I will give you my e mail address and my phone number. Drop me an email and I will see what shipping charges etc you will need. I want nothing for this and wil not ask. Any transactions will be done between you and the supplier. If you want supplies I have found them for you. I am happy to help you.

If you are serious, I expect a call from you or at least an e mail


[email protected]
907-479-0789
Troy M. Sauve

 

[Boozehag]

Wow you guys are helpful. If I ever needed anything I cant get here Ill know to look you up!

 

[bladeofthemoon]

hey guys, i was out on a business trip. so couldnt respond. troy, i'll call ya up, just gimme a time for u. mornings? or evenings?? afternoon's i'll be asleep as it will be 2-3 am here.

but guys, i seriously thank you guys a lot. literally the best forum ive been a part of. oh and lemme respond here as well.

first of all, ure right. im getting confused and panicky. thats not like me. i am normally in control and when i start losing it , i usually remind myself, that im someone who's gonna be a grand master someday. so i cannot keep loosing control
thanks about the calls you made. i had an idea that it would not be a problem as i had spoken to my lawer who handles our business cases and he said that it should be fine. also, india is still a little relaxed about home brewing as long as you dont sell it commercially without a licence. and seeing as im not plannign to sell it anyhow, it should be fine. i had ordered with beer-wine.com and they cancelled my order. i called up and spoke to someone at homebrewing.com and they said that they dont ship to india as it isnt possible or convinient for them.
still, for all the effort you have made for me, i'll call you up just to personally thank you and hopefully we can become friends. i always love having friends from other countries.

 

[arcticsid]

Blade, as I have said before. most of the suppliers here won't dp it because of the inconvienience. I want to help you to prove that helping a stranger is how you pay back the help you have yourself recieved from a stranger yourself. Selling it commercially?, hell we better at least get a batch to completion first. LMFAO now!!!
Troy