OK, We started our first batch of wine ( ever) as fast as possible because we wanted to use our fresh blueberries. But the temperatures here in the North East were too high ( about 85 ). It was up to 85-88 for the first day or so. Our yeast took off, two day hydrometer reading was at 1.075 or so. In the meantime, we put the bucket in a tub of cold water and put towels on it and brought the temperature down to 75-72 ( tried to do it as gradually as we could. Our airlock has never worked - not once, and I've tried everything. But now, halfway through day four our reading is only at 1.060. Everyone says we should be done by tomorrow evening to rack to pull the fruit pulp...But now I'm not sure if we'll get there. Should I be adding nutrient? We're still getting bubbles when we stir, but less than the beginning. Right now it's still an open ferment ( it's been half and half )But we opened it up to try to aerate it. Are we going to have to toss it and start over? ( I froze 15 lbs just in case ).....I guess a specific question would be......how fast should my hydrometer readings be dropping to tell if it's stalled? If I took one at 10 this morning should it have dropped if I take it again now? ( 3 PM? )...should I wait and take one at 9 tonight?
Is our fermentation stalled?
- Thread starter calhce
- Start date
Help Support Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum:
Scooter68
Fruit "Wine" Maker
1) Airlocks on plastic buckets are not the issue - the bucket seal itself frequently leaks. (You can test this by pouring a little distilled water on the seal area of lid when it's upside down (off the bucket) then pop the lid back on wait a few minutes and then check the airlock. (Also wet the grommet for the airlock as well)
1a) BUT airlocks on fermentation buckets are a point of frequent discussion. Some use them, some use a cloth cover over the bucket and maybe tie it down to keep out any determined flying bugs (I'm in the latter group now - started out using lids and airlocks).
1b) Airlocks themselves are not a great indication of fermentation due to leaky seals and some very slow fermentation processes. If you stir and see some foaming action things are working.
2) That temp was quite high and was the cause of the rapid take-off of the fermentation. Lowering is a good idea but some yeasts are not affected by that temp. You don't say which yeast so it's impossible to know if you killed it by the high heat (not likely if it fermented at all.)
3) What about the pH level - blueberries often have a lot of acid in them and can inhibit OR along with other conditions stall the ferment.
4) Four (4) days is not a long time - IF you are getting some drop in the SG then things are progressing just a lot slower now.
5) What yeast did you use and what was the starting SG and pH? Also nice to know the volume you are talking about.
6) Blueberries are a pretty good reliable wine source - sometimes low on flavor until aged and/or backsweetned
DON"T PANIC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Anyone who hasn't made a mistake or had a glitch either hasn't made wine or has a very bad memory.)
(I've had a ferment take 3+ days to get started and about 8 days to finish. And had one ferment to dry .990 in 4 days - Scary fast. )
KEEP A LOG! The best thing you can do to help others help you and to remember what you did right and wrong. Update them as soon as you do anything and include your readings.
1a) BUT airlocks on fermentation buckets are a point of frequent discussion. Some use them, some use a cloth cover over the bucket and maybe tie it down to keep out any determined flying bugs (I'm in the latter group now - started out using lids and airlocks).
1b) Airlocks themselves are not a great indication of fermentation due to leaky seals and some very slow fermentation processes. If you stir and see some foaming action things are working.
2) That temp was quite high and was the cause of the rapid take-off of the fermentation. Lowering is a good idea but some yeasts are not affected by that temp. You don't say which yeast so it's impossible to know if you killed it by the high heat (not likely if it fermented at all.)
3) What about the pH level - blueberries often have a lot of acid in them and can inhibit OR along with other conditions stall the ferment.
4) Four (4) days is not a long time - IF you are getting some drop in the SG then things are progressing just a lot slower now.
5) What yeast did you use and what was the starting SG and pH? Also nice to know the volume you are talking about.
6) Blueberries are a pretty good reliable wine source - sometimes low on flavor until aged and/or backsweetned
DON"T PANIC !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Anyone who hasn't made a mistake or had a glitch either hasn't made wine or has a very bad memory.)(I've had a ferment take 3+ days to get started and about 8 days to finish. And had one ferment to dry .990 in 4 days - Scary fast. )
KEEP A LOG! The best thing you can do to help others help you and to remember what you did right and wrong. Update them as soon as you do anything and include your readings.
Last edited:
Arne
Senior Member
I would add some nutrient to the ferment. Helps keep it healthy. Add it now, when the s.g. gets below 1.040 or so is not the time to add it. Arne.
Yeast is Montrachet ( Red Star)....It's a 5 gallon batch - 14 lbs of blueberries, 9 lbs of sugar. with pectin, tannin, acid blend and yeast nutrient. I'm at 1.050 at 5 Pm with a temp of 72. So I'm still going, but many sites recommend getting the fruit off at the end of five days which gives me about two hours to get to 1.030. I've got the lid off and a cloth now that it's cooler ( I had wet towels and a fan on it for a couple of days )...am I still OK now that fermentation is slowing down? or should I put the lid on? Energizer will just pick it up a little? Effect the taste? or just keep it healthy? Thanks so much for the advice. First time through is nerve racking.
Take a deep breath and slow down. Don't fret the days, let the wine get to 1.020-1.030 before you take out you berries and press them. The longer they're in the better the flavor extraction. I leave mine til 1.010ish.
I see you've already used yeast energizer, which kind and how much? Might not need to add more.
Temps anywhere in the 70's will be fine, don't kill yourself, Montrachet is good 50-85F. Higher temps will ferment faster, lower is slower. Keep covered, but not air locked. Keep us posted on your progress.
Scooter68
Fruit "Wine" Maker
Think you will be surprised at how little pulp or 'fruit' remains. Did you put the fruit in a mesh bag or just loose in the bucket. If the fruit is loose in the bucket it just means you'll have more lees to deal with in the bottom of your bucket.
The yeast nutrient isn't going to impart any tastes or have any after effects - I'd add that right away.
Don't worry about the 5 day thing. You have plenty of time for it to drop on down.
Didn't see an initial SG reading ??
Again you're doing fine it's a little slow but it's progressing.
One last thing - Especially if the berries are not in a bag - Remember not to just stick the racking cane all the way to the bottom of the bucket. Measure the length of it compared to the bucket depth and when you start the transfer keep the bottom of the cane about 3-4 inches from the bottom of the bucket.
IF the berries are loose, be prepared to do some straining of the last 3-4 inches of the bucket. If they are in a bag just move the cane down slowly as it gets toward the end of the transfer and stop when you start getting nothing but very cloudy must into the cane. Having the berries loose just means an extra racking to get rid of the courser lees. The only concern is to get rid of the seeds (Very small on blueberries and strawberries) in the first racking. The skins aren't a bad thing and a good stainless steel fine mesh strainer should catch the vast majority of the seeds.
The quantity of berries you have is on the light side - I don't go for the "all berries no water" school of thought but I normally use at least 4-5 pounds of fruit per gallon. IF you want to increase that poundage for this batch let us know that in your next post - there is a way, or two.
The yeast nutrient isn't going to impart any tastes or have any after effects - I'd add that right away.
Don't worry about the 5 day thing. You have plenty of time for it to drop on down.
Didn't see an initial SG reading ??
Again you're doing fine it's a little slow but it's progressing.
One last thing - Especially if the berries are not in a bag - Remember not to just stick the racking cane all the way to the bottom of the bucket. Measure the length of it compared to the bucket depth and when you start the transfer keep the bottom of the cane about 3-4 inches from the bottom of the bucket.
IF the berries are loose, be prepared to do some straining of the last 3-4 inches of the bucket. If they are in a bag just move the cane down slowly as it gets toward the end of the transfer and stop when you start getting nothing but very cloudy must into the cane. Having the berries loose just means an extra racking to get rid of the courser lees. The only concern is to get rid of the seeds (Very small on blueberries and strawberries) in the first racking. The skins aren't a bad thing and a good stainless steel fine mesh strainer should catch the vast majority of the seeds.
The quantity of berries you have is on the light side - I don't go for the "all berries no water" school of thought but I normally use at least 4-5 pounds of fruit per gallon. IF you want to increase that poundage for this batch let us know that in your next post - there is a way, or two.
Last edited:
Oh right, I forgot the beginning Sg was 1.090....the yeast nutrient is(was)..Carlson Yeast Energizer - 2.5 tsp. We didn't use a fermentation bag ( was mentioned as optional in our recipe - I've already bought one for the next batch ). Thanks soooo much for the advice , I've been stressing and googling about that for a few days now, how to strain without disturbing too much. We hadn't gotten one to start and they all said it was optional...until it came to the first racking, then no one seems to tell you how to strain off the fruit anywhere without it. ( Definitely looking forward to using it next time around ). I did taste just a sip of the must tonight - and although it smells a little musty as you start, it tastes very fruity and promising - maybe slightly baked , hard to tell. But we did freeze 15 more lbs. of blueberries and I'd be interested to hear how to add more...If I add more energizer, how much...and do I stir it in? I can't thank you both enough for the advice!!!
Scooter68
Fruit "Wine" Maker
Sounds like you should have enough energizer.
Did I miss seeing the pH reading(s) That can slow, stall or stop a fermentation if it gets too acidic. Blueberries are a little higher in acid than some fruits but normally that becomes a problem with a higher ration of fruit per gallon. But if you have a pH higher than 3.7 or lower than 3.2 it could affect the fermentation. (Remembering that lower pH numbers are more acidic.)
As to adding more blueberries the 'easiest' would be to start a one gallon batch with a very high ration of blue berries like about 8 lbs for one gallon. That would average up your other 4 gallons to 4lbs/gallon. Just cut the numbers of the other ingredients proportionately. When the new catches up with the old in the process - After both have finished fermentation, combine the old with the new. And you can check out that new fruit bag in the process.
You could start the new ASAP and don't worry as much about temp - keep it below 80 and it should be fine. The newer batch will probably be much more acidic so don't add any acid blend until you've tested the batch remembering that the target numbers are between 3.4 and 3.6. (A little higher or lower isn't a killer (3.35 or 3.63 etc))
Bottom line we try to be exact with these wines but things don't always go the way we expect - just keep tabs and adjust gradually not in large leaps or doses and things should work out. I've had wines after fermentation with pH numbers in the 2's and they mellowed out without any intervention after about 2-4 months and bottled with pH in the mid-3's
Oh Yeah on the strainer guidance, a fine mesh stainless steel strainer will catch most everything you need to get out during that first racking for the secondary stage of fermentation.
Did I miss seeing the pH reading(s) That can slow, stall or stop a fermentation if it gets too acidic. Blueberries are a little higher in acid than some fruits but normally that becomes a problem with a higher ration of fruit per gallon. But if you have a pH higher than 3.7 or lower than 3.2 it could affect the fermentation. (Remembering that lower pH numbers are more acidic.)
As to adding more blueberries the 'easiest' would be to start a one gallon batch with a very high ration of blue berries like about 8 lbs for one gallon. That would average up your other 4 gallons to 4lbs/gallon. Just cut the numbers of the other ingredients proportionately. When the new catches up with the old in the process - After both have finished fermentation, combine the old with the new. And you can check out that new fruit bag in the process.
You could start the new ASAP and don't worry as much about temp - keep it below 80 and it should be fine. The newer batch will probably be much more acidic so don't add any acid blend until you've tested the batch remembering that the target numbers are between 3.4 and 3.6. (A little higher or lower isn't a killer (3.35 or 3.63 etc))
Bottom line we try to be exact with these wines but things don't always go the way we expect - just keep tabs and adjust gradually not in large leaps or doses and things should work out. I've had wines after fermentation with pH numbers in the 2's and they mellowed out without any intervention after about 2-4 months and bottled with pH in the mid-3's
Oh Yeah on the strainer guidance, a fine mesh stainless steel strainer will catch most everything you need to get out during that first racking for the secondary stage of fermentation.
Last edited:
Similar threads
