Hips & haws

[MadCow]

Hi folks

I've started a gallon rosehip wine and a gallon that's a mix of hips and haws.

I let them ferment in the primary for a week then racked into demijohns. I added a camden tablet, some pectolase and some citric acid - which I suspect I should have added earlier.

After ten minutes or so they both blew off the airlocks and started foaming pink slurry!

They've calmed down a bit now but are still very angry looking. Is this normal behaviour for rosehips or have I done something really stupid?


MadCow

 

[arcticsid]

YIKES!!

I make wine from the flowers that come before the hipd.

Kind of like Glayds Knight, she always came befire the hips! LOL

Don't know what to suggest on this, you need to provide more details.

 

[MadCow]

Heh!

I just mashed up the hips and haws and added the sugar and yeast in normal way. They only started to go wild after I added the pectolase, citric acid and camden combo. Probably shouldn't have put them all in at same time??

They're settling down a bit more now but still look like lava lamps with bits of glob floating up and down inside. It's like the laboratory of a mad professor!

They're very active but obviously fermenting away so I might just leave them to it and see what happens.

MadCow

 

[Flem]

You may have racked them into the demijohns too soon. What was the SG when you racked to secondary?

 

[MadCow]

You may have racked them into the demijohns too soon. What was the SG when you racked to secondary?

Er... I'm new at this so didn't think about testing the SG.

I left it a week in the bucket before racking and it looked normal at that stage - obvious fermentation but no raging slurry.

 

[Arne]

My guess when you racked to secondary, you gave it a big shot of oxygen. The yeasts all yelled we can breath again and went to town. Volcano out the top. Been there, sorry about your mess. Let her ferment, it should be ok. Arne.

 

[Flem]

MadCow, always, always, always use your hydrometer. Before, during and after fermentation, the numbers you get are extremely important in wine making. It is the most important tool you have to determine the stages of fermentation. Good Luck!!!

 

[MadCow]

Thanks folks.

Will start using the hydrometer instead of just looking at it and thinking, 'I wonder what that's for?'

Definitely a learning curve!

MadCow