mango wine 990 is it ok?

[TheWineGuy]

So I started my mango wine , added yeast (bakers yeast) added ripe mangos no skin or seeds 5 lbs of sugar ( didn't take tempature or hydro reading ) I filled the rest up with water to just under 5 gallons with 5 inches or air space and put on my air lock I let it sit for seven days and bubbles stopped completely I took a hydro reading and its at 990 what dose that mean?

 

[jamesngalveston]

means you have a dry wine, it could ferment some more...take a hydro reading every day for at least 3, if no change on hydrometer it is finished fermenting. i would rack to another carboy, with mango,you wil lhave a ton of lees settling.
I racked off a 3 gallon batch today, and got 2 gallons , when that is cleared, i will end up with 1 1/2 gallons to bottle.

 

[TheWineGuy]

Wow great that was fast but next time I want more of a fruity flavor and not so dry how do you suggest? Also I know I didn't take a reading at the beginning so what's my alc. content?

 

[vernsgal]

simple syrup would sweeten-1 part warmed must to 2 parts sugar
or you could always make a mango f-pak which would give it a lot more mango flavor and natural sweetening.

 

[BernardSmith]

I am not sure that this figure really tells us very much apart from the fact that there is ostensibly no more sugar left in the must to ferment.
You don't say how many pounds of mangoes you used and so we have no idea of the total amount of sugar the fruit may have contained. I believe that 1 lb of mango meat (no skins or pits) typically contains about 2 oz of fermentable sugar and 2 oz of sugar will increase the SG of 1 gallon by about .005 or about .001 in 5 gallons. If you know the total weight of the fruit you used then you can estimate the total amount of sugar that was likely in the fruit that the yeast could ferment.
You added 5 lbs of sugar to the five gallons and that would mean that the added sugar would have given you a reading of 1.040 (or an ABV of 5.2 %.). I am not certain but I think you would want an ABV of closer to 10% or more in order to inhibit bacterial growth and spoilage, but the total ABV would depend on the quantity of fruit you used and the total amount of sugar contained in that fruit, so in fact if you have that information you could calculate the amount of alcohol is in your five gallons.
If you used only a few pounds of fruit the fruit flavor may be very weak because the flavor would be diluted by a large volume of water. The more fruit you use and the less water the more pronounced the fruit flavor will be. I've made mango wine only once but I used mango juice and did not add any water and as James said, an enormous amount of the juice will drop out as solid particles. I think I bottled half the volume of juice I started with

 

[TheWineGuy]

simple syrup would sweeten-1 part warmed must to 2 parts sugar
or you could always make a mango f-pak which would give it a lot more mango flavor and natural sweetening.

So what is an f - pak? And are you saying just add sugar and must warm it up and put it in secondary fermenter and let it do its thing ? (Sorry I'm new to this hope it doesn't get anoying)

 

[jamesngalveston]

Mango and peach are the hardest to flavor, IMO...
my 3 gallon batch of mango had 25 lbs of fruit..and i still just have a hint of mango.
Add sorbate before sweetning are f-pack
add campden are other if you havent.
sorbate,campden,f-pak,simple syrup, info on internet
as well as detailed recipes for all fruits and instructions.

 

[TheWineGuy]

Ok thank you for the information guys. Seems like I'm making this more difficult then it has to be .

 

[jamesngalveston]

It is really hard for those that can help not to have the whole story...sort of.
Try to tell everyone what your making, how much sugar,fruit,water. Take an sg reading when you add sugar...I think most try to start with a sg of 1.090, 1.095...that should give you 12 to 13 % abv when it finishes. maybe more.

 

[vernsgal]

Don't just add sugar. You have to read what BernardSmith posted. The dryness/sweetness of your wine depends on what your starting SG was. If you started with a low SG just because you ended with .990 doesn't mean it's not going to finish dry and or sweet. 5 lbs of sugar in the primary doesn't sound like very much to me.
What was your starting SG?

 

[TheWineGuy]

I didn't measure my starting SG.

 

[BernardSmith]

Vernsgal is making a very important point. The fact that your wine has fermented out all the sugars available to it is neither here nor there.There is nothing to stop you from adding more fruit and more sugar. The yeast is not likely to be dead but hungry for more sugar. They will likely gobble up any additional sugar from fruit or from sugar and so produce more alcohol and if you add more fruit - more taste. This is because it would seem that the level of alcohol of your wine is low and nowhere near the point that the yeast will die of alcohol poisoning. For what it's worth my rule of thumb is that if the must (the liquid before I add the yeast) is something I enjoy drinking , then the wine is likely to be OK but if the must is tasteless, then the wine won't taste any better.

 

[Deezil]

Personally, I think you got lucky lol.

Didnt measure you starting SG, and used baker's yeast? Someone's watchin out for you! No mention of yeast nutrients, but the mangoes probably brought something to the table.

Any idea how much fruit you used? Bernard can guesstimate your starting SG, so we can ballpark your ABV and atleast find out if you're safe for storage or not (10% ABV + usually) Without knowing your Starting SG, you cant calculate your ABV.

A common formula for ABV calculation:

Starting SG - Finished SG / .735 = .####
.#### = ##.## %

An Example:

1.085 - 1 = 0.085
0.085 / .735 = .115646
= 11.56 % ABV

Instructions on the basics of an F-pack can be found here but this is done towards the end of the process, after the wine has been stabilized with k-meta + sorbate. If you havent added potassium sorbate yet, adding more sugar just makes more alcohol. Sorbate keeps the yeast from continuing to reproduce and feed on this sugar.. So you can sweeten the wine because the yeast wont consume it.

I would chalk this up as a learning experience and an understanding that you got lucky lol. Were I you, I'd make sure I knew how to work the hydrometer, adjust the reading from temperature differences.. Then pick up a Titritable Acidity kit, for like 10 bucks at the local brew shop, and learn how to take TA (acidity) measurements.

If you can get testing those two aspects down, then you can begin to understand the concept of Balance. To achieve a finished wine that is fruity, and not so dry, you have to find the balance between the alcohol level, the acidity level, the amount of fruit used, and the amount of residual sugar/sweetness in the end.

If the alcohol level is too high, it hides the fruit; if the acidity level is too high or too low, it will make the wine seem muted or dull; if you dont use enough fruit then there's no flavor to bring forth; a certain amount (changes with the type of wine) of sweetness usually helps to bring out hidden flavors within the wine but too sweet and you cant drink much without a stomach ache while not enough sugar keeps those flavors (generally the fruity ones) hidden from out palette.

When you achieve the right balance, you'll have a wine that has the flavor of the fruit you used, enough alcohol to keep it from spoiling, and enough acidity and sweetness to flesh out that flavor.

Let me know if I can be of more help

 

[TheWineGuy]

Wow I'm a lucky man lol I understand what you huts mean for the most part I'm still learning lingo and everything else but it will come. I might just take this through another racking and bottle and call it done with this batch and start on a new one using concentrates this time a lot easier then the whole fruit peeling crap I will also refer to the chart you pointed out

 

[Deezil]

Yeah, it takes time.. Dont let it scare/overwhelm you, it'll get clearer with time & repeated readings. There's a tutorials section of the Forum, that you can read through.. Numerous How-To's to read there.

I wouldnt rush this batch, just because its a learning experience. You might as well learn everything you can from it. If you have a LHBS (local homebrew store) that you can stop by for a TA kit, I'd do that and test this batch to get familiar with the process, the chemicals and reading the outcome. Better to learn on this batch, than another batch that you might have more pride in.

You could skin/seed some more mangoes - not fun, i know - and toss those into the wine, although you might want to rack back to a bucket instead of a carboy for this - and those mangoes will add additional sugars, restarting fermentation and upping the ABV some so it has a better ability to resist spoiling

You can also practice the use of potassium metabisulfite (K-meta) + potassium sorbate, to 'stabilize' the wine for sweetening.

And then there's waiting for the wine to clear; I wouldnt even consider bottling it if you cant read a newspaper through it (obviously this doesnt apply as much to darker wines like blackberry). You can try using a 'fining agent', although you might want to start with Pectic Enzyme - also available at the LHBS. The pectic enzyme will eat up any pectin that was within the fresh fruit, which can cause a haze/inability to clear.

Bentonite is another useful additive to become familiar with, a natural clay that attracts certain proteins and things, that also cause different hazes.

If pectic enzyme and bentonite dont result in clear wine, theres additional 'fining agents' that can be used for various reasons... Kieselsol+Chitosan, gelatin, isinglass, etc..

You can learn volumes from this single batch, if you play with it... Ask here first if you have any hesitation so we can help you learn the right habits and not the wrong ones.. And this batch can end up working out a lot of your "winemaking jitters", with the right lessons learned at the right times..

Please, dont forget... Patience is key!

 

[vernsgal]

It does take time to learn everything. Take your time and read lots. As for using concentrates instead of fresh fruit, IMO, I would much prefer the fresh fruit .

 

[TheWineGuy]

Wow you all have been more then helpful I really appreciate it and the funny thing is I have a lot of those ingredients already just was afraid to use them because I didn't know when to put them in ie. 1st , 2nd ect