How do you know if your must is rancid?

[ryankelley]

My lemon wine must has a sour smell. It took over a week to get fermentation going strong. While it's fermenting well now, the smell is kind of sour. Not sulfur like rotten eggs, just sour lemon. I'm wondering if the chopped golden raisins went bad in there. This stuff smelled great when I first started...it's seems like it's gone down hill fast.

If there's anything I can do to salvage the situation or diagnose the problem, please let me know.

 

[BobF]

My lemon wine must has a sour smell. It took over a week to get fermentation going strong. While it's fermenting well now, the smell is kind of sour. Not sulfur like rotten eggs, just sour lemon. I'm wondering if the chopped golden raisins went bad in there. This stuff smelled great when I first started...it's seems like it's gone down hill fast.

If there's anything I can do to salvage the situation or diagnose the problem, please let me know.

Hsrd to say at this point, IMO. Different concoctions go through different smell phases.

I say give it time.

 

[Wade E]

I dought there is anything wrong with it. Many people like the smell of fermentations while others cant stand it. I love the smell but my wife walk by and says what you just did or even worse, what the hell died in your room!

 

[arcticsid]

Perhaps a canary in a cage in the close proximaty may give you an answer. LOL. Never tweak a mans recipe until you tried it first!!! Especially if it has been tried and true, someone already did the tweaking for you.

The wine Gods are looking.

Troy

 

[ryankelley]

Perhaps a canary in a cage in the close proximaty may give you an answer. LOL. Never tweak a mans recipe until you tried it first!!! Especially if it has been tried and true, someone already did the tweaking for you.

The wine Gods are looking.

Troy

I'll get a canary today...

This is my second batch. I thought it lacked body the first time around, so I added golden raisins. Other than that, the difference is fresh squeezed juice instead of bottled and campden as a precaution.

 

[non-grapenut]

I have had some troublesome citrus wines with the same problem...multiple splash rackings with degassing and aging 6mos-1yr is the trick. Don't give up on this.

 

[ryankelley]

I have had some troublesome citrus wines with the same problem...multiple splash rackings with degassing and aging 6mos-1yr is the trick. Don't give up on this.

Splash racking? I haven't heard of that before.

 

[Julie]

Pouring from one fermenter to another and it splashes around, same as degassing.

Whenever I make a fruit wine, I just love the smell initially but once it is done fermenting that smell seems to go away. I am not sure about a sour smell but the fruit smell is not as strong, I always thought that was becasue all the sugar is now alcohol.

Anyway don't give up with all the work you are putting into this wine I bet it is going to be great.

Good Luck
Julie

 

[arcticsid]

I'm with Julie, I think it'll be just fine. Just picked up the bottled lemon juice a few hours ago, as soon as the fermenter is empty, I'm gonna start the "pee", gonna follow the recipe for pee to a tee. (Damn, I AM a poet!LOL) Looks pretty good.

That splash racking may very well do the trick. One of the first wines I made, don't remeber what it was, was giving me trouble, one of the members suggested the splash racking and it took right off.

Do you ferment your primaries under an airlock?, I would not, the yeast wants that oxegen, leave it in an open container covered with a cheese cloth or a clean towel. Some may disaggree, but through all the arguments about this, I am convinced to leave it open until you transfer it to the secondary, Thats my take.

Good luck, be sure to keep us posted.

Troy

 

[ryankelley]

I'm with Julie, I think it'll be just fine. Just picked up the bottled lemon juice a few hours ago, as soon as the fermenter is empty, I'm gonna start the "pee", gonna follow the recipe for pee to a tee. (Damn, I AM a poet!LOL) Looks pretty good.

That splash racking may very well do the trick. One of the first wines I made, don't remeber what it was, was giving me trouble, one of the members suggested the splash racking and it took right off.

Do you ferment your primaries under an airlock?, I would not, the yeast wants that oxegen, leave it in an open container covered with a cheese cloth or a clean towel. Some may disaggree, but through all the arguments about this, I am convinced to leave it open until you transfer it to the secondary, Thats my take.

Good luck, be sure to keep us posted.

Troy

Troy,
I did ferment my first batch with an airlock and this one as well. I had no problems with the first batch, but the wine room (closet) was closer to 80 degrees in August. My wine book says to use a close primary for whites and an open one for reds. I thought of this more as a white.

The first one I made in August came out good, but for my taste I wanted more lemon, more body, and less back sweetening. Out of 30 bottles, I gave away 5-6 and only have 2-3 left I'm saving to take to my in-laws. This was my first homemade wine I actually liked.

Considering the ease, the cost, and the end product, Skeeter Pee is a winner. Take a look at my label:

 

[arcticsid]

Cool, we consider the Mosquito our unofficial state bird here, they are quite vicious. So when it comes time for my label, I will have as much fun designing it as I will making PEE.LOL

Even sounds fun. Just stirred up an Apple/Passion Fruit/Mango a couple hours ago, so I may not start to pee for a week or so. I'll let you all know.

Keep on Keepin on,
Troy