Help with pineapple wine, please!

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Thank you so much! This is really great advice. When you say they rack about every 3 months that means moving it from one carboy into a different carboy? I'll take your advice and wait until I'm more familiar with the process before trying that but want to add that to the guidebook I'll be making myself.
Yes, racking means moving from one vessel to another, and implies leaving any sediment (lees) behind. If you want to bottle early, and you are happy with how it is tasting, you may want to try some SuperKleer (DualFine or Claro K.C. etc.) to help it clear quickly. Whatever the tradename, the ingredients are Kieselsol and Chitosan, usually packaged as the correct dose for 5 or 6 gallons.
 
Yes, racking means moving from one vessel to another, and implies leaving any sediment (lees) behind. If you want to bottle early, and you are happy with how it is tasting, you may want to try some SuperKleer (DualFine or Claro K.C. etc.) to help it clear quickly. Whatever the tradename, the ingredients are Kieselsol and Chitosan, usually packaged as the correct dose for 5 or 6 gallons.
Can I use the primary with and airlock as a second carboy or should I try to avoid that if possible?
I just took the SG and its around 1.020. So now I should remove the airlock, cover the hole, make sure to stir daily and check the SG regularly until its time for the first racking?
 
Can I use the primary with and airlock as a second carboy or should I try to avoid that if possible?
I just took the SG and its around 1.020. So now I should remove the airlock, cover the hole, make sure to stir daily and check the SG regularly until its time for the first racking?
 

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Yes juice will typically have sugar. I sin though since you have to get your feet wet and a recipe is a good place to start, ,,,, i sin since some things I have worked on are on the grocery store shelf, ,,,, and it feels good to make better than commercial quality.
Okay! Thank you, I appreciate the advice. But you're saying that if the recipe calls for water that you replace the water with juice does that effect how much sugar you add? Does that work with every recipe?
how much do you like chemistry? a lot of wine is designing the mass (ingredient) balance.
 
Can I use the primary with and airlock as a second carboy or should I try to avoid that if possible?
The primary advantage to a carboy is that you can reduce contact with oxygen to an absolute minimum. This is most important once the fermentation is essentially complete. The surface area of the wine in a primary is about a hundred times greater than that in a carboy filled to the neck. So think of it this way: once the fermentation is no longer providing CO2 to displace the oxygen above the wine, leaving it a primary for one week will expose it to as much oxygen as leaving it a carboy for 2 years. I know this is simplifying things a lot, and there are many variables involved, but basically once the bubbling has really slowed down, and it no longer looks like soda just poured into a glass, you should think about getting it into a carboy under an air lock. A few days in the primary is probably OK, but not a few weeks.
 
Hey, here's a brew log from my attempt with Pineapple wine. I made the mistake of letting the ABV get to high and had to back sweeten it to compensate for the overpowering alcohol flavor.
What this log doesn't say is how I "brew" I pitch the yeast in straight from the pack and let the vessel sit about 2 feet from a small space heater set to 79 degrees for about 8 hours to kick off the ferment, then I let sit at room temp (in a closet) for the rest of the 6 days and 16 hours. by the end I get between 9 & 10 % ABV then stop the ferment with potassium sorbate and campton tablet, degas, clear, age, and bottle.

with this batch I made the mistake of giving it a few extra hours of warmth and got a high ABV of 14% and had to backsweeten to help the pineapple flavor to come through over the alcohol flavor. All in all it was pretty good but would likely be better at a lower abv

(In retrospect I didn't really need 2 tsp of pectin, 1 would have done it, but the juice was kinda pulpy and I wanted to get as much out of that as I could)

hope this helps19.jpg
 
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2 comments:
  1. then stop the ferment with potassium sorbate and campton tablet
    It’s great that this works for you, but I (and others) always recommend against it, mostly because it does not reliably stop an active fermentation. It is certainly not advisable for a beginner. The recommended way is to use the correct amount of sugar in primary to achieve the ABV you want, and ferment it dry. Then back sweeten to your liking. It is very repeatable, with no guess-work. It is safer, because the sorbate works much better with a very low (almost zero) concentration of yeast.
  2. then I let sit at room temp (in a closet) for the rest of the 6 days and 16 hours.
    Time is not a good indicator of fermentation progress, as there are way too many variables. I've read about fermentations completing in 3 days, and those that take 2 or 3 weeks. SG is the simplest and most accurate method. I would never put my primary away for a week. I stir it daily and check it for any problems such as off-odours (hence this thread), or stalled fermentation. Then they can be corrected before it’s too late. With your method, the OP wouldn't have discovered his problem until possibly too late to correct it.
Just my 2 cents. There is no wrong way to make wine, as long as it produces something you enjoy drinking, and does so safely.
 
I've made over 50 batches with this method and have had no problem and it works every time.
I simply gave this information for any help it may be. anyone is free to take it of leave it. Everyone seems to have their own method, and just because I have my own that works reliably for me doesn't mean I don't like to hear other's people methods to possibly pick up new tips and tricks. That is the spirit in which I posted.
 
The recommended way is to use the correct amount of sugar in primary to achieve the ABV you want, and ferment it dry. Then back sweeten to your liking
I personally hate dry wine. my way works well for me. I start with a S.G. of 1.1 and end with 1.03 after 7 days that requires little to no back-sweetening to be drinkable. Your way I would be adding cups of syrup and may taste good after.
It’s great that this works for you, but I (and others) always recommend against it, mostly because it does not reliably stop an active fermentation
seems pretty reliable to me. I never had a problem. I've never seen a single bubble in my airlocks after 24-48 hours in the clearing vessels.

It is safer, because the sorbate works much better with a very low (almost zero) concentration of yeast.
I filter from my primary through a 1 micron filter sock (yeast is 3 microns) which is probably why my method works so well and very little if any of the yeast makes it through the sock.

again, everyone seems to have their own way. what works for you or me may not work for someone else.
 
my method is a modified version of this guys method.



when I started I watched countless youtube videos and read many webpages and this was that simplest method I found
.
I refined it with countless pieces of information from websites, fellow winemakers, and lots of experimentation.

I wouldn't tell anyone to use my method. I would tell everyone to find their own method.
 
@Kentuckyhomebrewer, I apologize if you took my meaning wrong. I did not mean to offend you. I should not have used words like “always” and “never.” My post was meant to provide the OP with some warnings about using the method you do, and to provide an alternative. You may understand the consequences of wine that referments in the bottle, but it’s possible a beginner wouldn’t (this is the OP’s second batch). You may know how to ensure that fermentation is complete, but I doubt the OP does. You filter your wine to help remove the remaining yeast. I guarantee the OP doesn’t. You are absolutely correct that everyone makes wine differently and that we are all free to choose the method that suits us best.

@ethan123p, I did not mean to imply that Kentuckyhomebrewer was doing anything wrong. Do your own research and come up with your own method that works for you. If you do use a method that stops an active fermentation, make sure it really is stopped before bottling, or you may have a big mess to clean up.
 
It's ok. I forgot to mention the filter sock in the original post so I can see why you said that.
personally I've only had a problem with wine re-fermenting in the bottle when I bottled a gallon jug of Carlo Rossi into improperly sanitized bottles. The corks blew and I had a mess to clean up.
 
It's ok. I forgot to mention the filter sock in the original post so I can see why you said that.
personally I've only had a problem with wine re-fermenting in the bottle when I bottled a gallon jug of Carlo Rossi into improperly sanitized bottles. The corks blew and I had a mess to clean up.
well, well, well,, another ridge runner hillbilly, with a sweet tooth, gawd I'm laughing so hard, I'm a fear I'll hurt myself, there is but one rule,, suit yourself,,,, a few years back i got on here to learn how to modernize my country wines, or in hill folk talk,,, take most of the work outta my wine crafting, god I'm grinning ,, oh the fuse i raised, still do now and then, hehe,,, , @KCCam is a good hearted person, and well , we cant help it they weren't born hillbillies, but hey @KCCam is from them woods up there in Canada, in wine making there is a million and 1 ways that,,, that Dog Will hunt,
for me drinking dry wine is akin to drinking hot unsweet tea, burrrr,,, will be looking forward to seeing your post
Dawg
 
well, well, well,, another ridge runner hillbilly, with a sweet tooth
Lol, nah, I'm a Kentucky transplant. New York Italian from the 'burbs down here on the retirement plan lol. Wine is in the family tradition for me. I used to get a little glass on holidays as a kid and as an adult we drink it every night with dinner, whether it's spaghetti with meatballs or hot dogs and tater tots, a glass of red wine is good for the health. I just like sweet wine. If it don't taste good it ain't worth drinkin'.
 
Lol, nah, I'm a Kentucky transplant. New York Italian from the 'burbs down here on the retirement plan lol. Wine is in the family tradition for me. I used to get a little glass on holidays as a kid and as an adult we drink it every night with dinner, whether it's spaghetti with meatballs or hot dogs and tater tots, a glass of red wine is good for the health. I just like sweet wine. If it don't taste good it ain't worth drinkin'.
i lived a year at Smith's Point, now called William Floud, parkway, never been a pie eater after leaving there, Gawd, i still look for a old pot belly Italian or Sicilian, Brick over, oh do i miss east coast pie,
Dawg
 
i lived a year at Smith's Point, now called William Floud, parkway, never been a pie eater after leaving there, Gawd, i still look for a old pot belly Italian or Sicilian, Brick over, oh do i miss east coast pie,
Dawg

Holy Crap, Dawg! I lived in Moriches for a year! And in that general area for 5 years (but most of it on the North Shore).
 
Lol, nah, I'm a Kentucky transplant. New York Italian from the 'burbs down here on the retirement plan lol. Wine is in the family tradition for me. I used to get a little glass on holidays as a kid and as an adult we drink it every night with dinner, whether it's spaghetti with meatballs or hot dogs and tater tots, a glass of red wine is good for the health. I just like sweet wine. If it don't taste good it ain't worth drinkin'.

I will admit that I did not see that one coming! :b
 
Lol, nah, I'm a Kentucky transplant. New York Italian from the 'burbs down here on the retirement plan lol. Wine is in the family tradition for me. I used to get a little glass on holidays as a kid and as an adult we drink it every night with dinner, whether it's spaghetti with meatballs or hot dogs and tater tots, a glass of red wine is good for the health. I just like sweet wine. If it don't taste good it ain't worth drinkin'.
hey you wanna go snipe hunting, :i
Dawg
 

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