Having a hard start. Advice needed.

[Calvus]

So I was going to kickstart this with a peach slurry of Cote des Blancs but the timing just wasnt there because I had to move on and clear primaries for some accidental fruit thawing issues. Anyways. I still had the RealLemon and said what the hell and made some invert sugar, added 64oz of the lemonjuice, water, tannin, nutrient, and energizer. I waited 48 hours while beating it silly 5-6 times. Got a good strong yeast starter going and here is how the rest progressed:

Starting SG 1.080

09-27-11
Mixed ingredients in primary

09-29-11
Pitched Red Star Champagne yeast starter

10-01-11 SG at 1.072
Pitched second Red star Champagne starter with must acclimation

10-02-11 SG still at 1.072
Pitched Cote des Blancs ½ pkg yeast starter with 1 tsp nutrient and ½ tsp energizer

As you can see I am an impatient guy. There are some very subtle signs of fermentation but the SG this morning is maybe hanging around 1.070 and I am thinking that the yeast is failing to thrive. My final though is to get get the 2lbs of raspberries out of my freezer and mix that with some raz preserves and make a quick "slurry" and then pitch that whole thing in once it ferments down to 1.020 or so from 1.080. This process should take 5 days I would imagine if I mixed this and pitched yeast tomorrow.

Am I being too impatient or should I just make a good established slurry and have a Raz-Pee in the end.

Edit: I should probably add that this is sitting at about 70 degrees and I dont have a brew belt... and I probably wont go and get one.

 

[Calvus]

Alright, I came home tonight and measured the SG at 1.070 again and it shows 0 signs of movement. It just looks... flat. So here is what I am going to do.

3/4 gal water
Sugar to 1.085
2lbs blackberries
1lb raspberries
1tsp nutrient
1/4 tsp energizer
3/4 tsp pectic enzyme
1/16 tsp Kmeta

Ill make a yeast starter in the morning of either Pasteur Red or Montrachet. Dunno yet but it will probably be the Montrachet unless someone talks me out of it. Then Ill pitch the starter in the evening. Essentially I am making one massive yeast starter for the pee that refuses to start. When around 1.030-1.020 Ill start adding pee to the concoction a half gallon at a time until the 5 gal primary is full. If all is well at that point then Ill mix everything together and hopefully ferment the now 7 gallons of mixture dry. If that dosent work then Ill start making blood sacrifices to Dionysus.

 

[docanddeb]

The batch I just started actually REEKED of Sulfites as I whipped the lemon juice. I've never smelled it that bad before. It took right off with the slurry though.
Making the starter...

since you are having trouble, I would make the starter and slowly add a cup of the lemon mixture to it after the initial starter is bubbling away. Keep adding a cup every hour or so.... making sure the bubbles come back. If they don't right away... give it longer before adding. It will slowly acclimate the yeast to the acidic environment. It could take a while, but it should start this way.

Debbie

 

[Arne]

Make sure it is warm enough. S.P. tends to have to be in the upper 70's to about 80 or so in order to get going. Not everytime, but once in a while. Arne.

 

[Calvus]

Thanks for the advice Deb and Arne. I will definatly add the lemon to my berry starter a few cups at a time to acclimate the two together and I will try and get the temp up a few more degrees.

Good news is today that the lemon mixture is showing some signs of fermentation but the SG is maybe 1.068 still. So no real change but the top of the mixture is slightly effervescent so that's good right? I probably just should be patient and let the few hardy yeast cells do their work.

My berry starter with is percolating away pretty good now and is burning through sugar so I anticipate being able to start mixing in lemon tomorrow. Hopefully the SG is down in the 1.030-1.040 range. Should be a good combo. Blackberry/raspberry pee. And not just slurry, a 1:5 mix.

Although, when I mix these two together the Champagne and Montrachet will have to do battle. The Montrachet will have a definite advantage.

 

[Sirs]

lol I''d say your biggest problem is patience it was pobly doing fine with first yeast but then you add another and next day still another??? you gotta give yeast time to do something if I was you I'd sit back a few days and just let it go and see what it does sure it may be slow slow is not bad trying to rush it is everytime you add more stuff you increase your chance of causing problems. Anything with sugar in it will ferment you just have to give it time and have patience with it. So try the big 3 P's patience patience patience

Sorry don't mean to sound critical but you can't hurry any kind of fermentation

 

[Calvus]

Yea, you are right Sirs. I am still new at this so when things dont take off immediately I freak a little. Im probably too use to things fermenting dry in less than a week. The lemon mixture is now at 1.066 so something is fermenting. I just need to sit back and relax.