Making Brandy (without distilling)

[mlawson]

Okay so I was getting a little big for my britches and thought I would try my hand at brandy--at least the kind without distilling. I got it to the point to put in carboy but it sure is SWEET and doesn't seem to be fermenting! It measures around 5% alcohol if I'm reading this thing correctly. Is it because of too high of sugar to begin with? Should I try to restart fermentation? Thanks guys!
Recipe: http://www.rochesterwinemakers.org/winemaking-information/winemaking-recipes/strawberry-brandy/

 

[Julie]

i read that thread and all you are doing is making a low alcohol wine. bread yeast will not ferment correctly, it will stop too soon. and the definition of brandy is wine that is distilled. sorry!

 

[mlawson]

UGH! Do you think I can restart it properly with champaign yeast and orange juice?

 

[richmke]

I suppose you can pour in a Champagne Cocktail (still has active yeast), and it might eventually start fermenting.

Have you added any K-Meta or Sorbate? If not, you can try restarting fermentation with EC-1118 yeast (under a $1 at the LHBS).

 

[seth8530]

EC-1118 is commonly refereed to as champagne yeast. However, what I might recommend you do is some more reading on the tutorial section.

As mentioned before, brandy is distilled wine. However, fermented juice is wine. So, maybe not brandy but perhaps some sort of wine.

To be honest, I think the recipe you are following is bad. Wine making is much more of a process than a series of set steps one must follow.

You can try and restart the wine by making a starter with ec-1118 and pitching it on in. However, like I said before do a bit more reading over here and we will get you on the right track.

 

[loumik]

Sg???

Wonder what the recipes writer used to get a SG of 1.950? My hydrometer only goes up to 1.160.

LOUMIK

 

[Tenbears]

Wonder what the recipes writer used to get a SG of 1.950? My hydrometer only goes up to 1.160.

LOUMIK

I think that was supposed to have been 1.095

 

[WellingtonToad]

Like some of the others, I am not a fan of the recipe you are using but let's see if we can help.
Firstly, bread yeast will only get to a maximum of 15% abv. The other problem is that it gets there really slow.
You could try to re-inoculate with another yeast, but I think the initial inoculation will dominate and prevent the re-inoculation. The result is "just wait".
The best way to determine whether the yeast is working is to take SG readings over a few days, and compare. (remember bread yeast is slow)
Don't give up, put it all down to experience and learning the tricks.

 

[calvin]

I did an experimental batch of wine with a starting gravity of 1.135. It fermented dry with 1118 yeast. (About 18% abv). However it does not taste good. At all. I'm sure I could have used a different recipe and had better results. There are yeast varieties that claim will tolerate up to 20 or 22% alcohol. "Turbo yeast". Try a Google search. I think it is intended for those making distilled spirits and does not make good tasting wine. Maybe it's worth playing with? Maybe not? You won't know for sure unless you try.