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7munkee

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I have a 5 gallon batch of Pineapple wine going. I followed a recipe form EC Kraus. About a day after I added the yeast, my must started to foam BADLY. I know you are supposed to expect some foaming, but it has been foaming out of the carboy for 2 days straight now. I have lost about a gallon of volume from it with no signs of slowing.

Is this normal???
 
You just gave the reason for NEVER fermenting in a carboy. Some yeasts do produce a lot of foam so depending on the yeast you are using it may be completely normal Some combinations and conditions just produce more foam than others. Safest thing is to ferment in bucket and make sure that you have at least 4-6 inches from the top of the wine to the lip of the bucket BEFORE you pitch the yeast. Cover the bucket with a cloth NOT a lid and if you tie the lid down securely the cloth may get wet but is should contain the foam IF you leave enough space between the surface of the wine and the lip of the bucket.

Just make this clear if you have 6.5 gallon bucket and you have 5 gallons of wine in there you have a remaining space for another 1.5 gallons of liquid. If you have a 6 gallon carboy not only do you have 1/3 less volume, you have choked down the opening for gases to escape as the foam level rises. Just not near enough surface area in a carboy plus you have an airlock in the way of the gas trying to escape.
 
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No airlock. I used pineapple juice though, so I assumed I would just ferment in the carboy and they rack into another carboy.

I have not used an airlock, just the open top. I had a cloth over it but the cloth became soaking wet and I removed it. Was worried about bacteria.

Its funny, because I have made apple and grape the exact same way without the excessive foaming. Those were just me winging it but this is the first time I followed a recipe.

Lesson learned. Thank you.
 
i use food grade 14 gal barrels and brute trash cans, on the bottom you'll see the letters showing that brute trash cans are food grade, home depot is a decent place th find them the lid comes with or at least they did, and,, I'd get the round Dollie bottom , allowing you to move it around if need be, good luck
Dawg
 
some must/ juices have high particulate (example 2020 choke cherry and Dole canned pineapple juice) and combined with yeast cells will trap the gas creating your observed foam. Industry uses a process called DAF (dissolved air flotation) as a tool for removing particulates so for choke cherry it was every day scoop foam/ solid matter out.
Its funny, because I have made apple and grape the exact same way without the excessive foaming. Those were just me winging it but this is the first time I followed a recipe.
as @Scooter68 said use an open bucket
 
I am having the same result for the pineapple wine I have started. I am only making 1 gallon of it using the Brewers Orchard Pineapple Puree and RC 212 yeast (they didn't have any EC 1118 left). It has a very thick layer of foam at the top. Should this be removed or can it be stirred to dissipate?
 
The foam is solid material that will be removed to make a clear wine. There is no gain by mixing it back in just to remove it later.
I am having the same result for the pineapple wine I have started. I am only making 1 gallon of it using the Brewers Orchard Pineapple Puree and RC 212 yeast (they didn't have any EC 1118 left). It has a very thick layer of foam at the top. Should this be removed or can it be stirred to dissipate?
 
What are you using for the primary container?
It is ok to stir it and punch down the foam cap.
Hopefully you are fermenting in a bucket or a pail. Never remove the foam. It is part of the fermenting process and contains a lot of your yeast that have risen up in the foam.
Stir it up at least once a day if not twice a day while fermenting.
 
I just started it so yesterday was the first day it started fermenting in high gear. I am using the 1 gallon (a little over 1 gallon) big mouth bubbler from the Wine Xpert kit (without the lid, just a cloth over top of it for primary). I figured once I successfully make a wine that I like, I will start with a larger batch.

Since we seem to have differing opinions above, is there any reason to not stir this back in knowing that it will get removed later? I don't want to mess up the fermentation, if that's even possible with either method (removing the foam or stirring it back in).
 
I can only go off of my own experiences and my best practices of how I have made and handled my own wines IMHO.
I have never removed foam from the top of my primary(s).
IMHO, the primary fermentation stage is the place for O2 incorporation, stirring, squeezing fruit bags and yes, even having the occasional foaming. It is in our secondary fermentation or as I would rather call it, the clarification stage that we will be allowing the wine to settle and clear. Then rack off these solids and lees as they settle out of solution.
This is why I love this forum, it is full of experience, opinions and knowledge.
Which makes for a healthy environment to develop our own best practices as we travel through our journey of wine making!
 
I prefer a primary with a volume at least 50% greater than the must volume. This prevents overflow problems.

Any fruit with small particulate solids will foam over. I haven't had a problem with grapes, as it appears the cap is too heavy for the CO2 to lift up, other than to form a solid cap.

I made a 2nd run apple wine (juiced a bushel of apples, then decided to make a second run from the apple pulp), and it overflowed 3 days in a row. This is when I formed the "50% greater" opinion.

@7munkee, another reason for using a bucket is that you want to punch down the cap at least once per day. This prevents the camp from drying out and having mold/mildew grow on it.
 
, , is there any reason to not stir this back in knowing that it will get removed later? I don't want to mess up the fermentation, if that's even possible with either method (removing the foam or stirring it back in).
* keeping the foam will not mess up the fermentation, if this was grape and I was extracting from the skins I would be keeping the foamy pulp, ,,, likewise if large particulate fresh fruit and I was extracting flavor I would let it there for about five days just like grape pulp
* yes you will pull some yeast, by day two there are so many that i feel, ,, who cares
* a generations old french technique for creating a sweeter apple cider is to remove as much of the nitrogen material/ plant solids/ yeast and create a stuck fermentation, it is harder to control than adding sorbate but it works
* you are using a canned fruit puree which has reduced particle size so your extraction rate should be fast, ,,, the good stuff is largely in the liquid phase as purchased from the store
* in the situation where I run fruit pulp I transfer all liquid into a nylon filter bag someplace around 1.020/ 1.010 where it is still actively producing CO2, I have a plastic press which helps liquid yield, the foam will have higher moisture than pressed pulp
* winemaker 81 has a good point about aerobic micro growth on an exposed cap, ,,, grape skins have to be kept wet, ,,, no matter what you chose you have to minimize micro issues

I picked up a 5 liter big mouth in April , will be interested to hear how you like it, My intent is use it as a primary going to a 4 liter jug which racks into a 3.8 liter jug
 
The food grade Rubbermaid Brutes are really good for fermenting. I have a few 32 gallon models which I use for fresh grapes. The handles make them easy to pick up with 150 lbs of grapes in them. For smaller batches, I intend to purchase a couple of 10 to 12 gallon Brutes.

I purchased the large ones with lids, as I crush grapes at the delivery point and transport home in the Brutes. I use packing tape to secure the lids for transport, and cover with beach towels during fermentation.
 
The food grade Rubbermaid Brutes are really good for fermenting. I have a few 32 gallon models which I use for fresh grapes. The handles make them easy to pick up with 150 lbs of grapes in them. For smaller batches, I intend to purchase a couple of 10 to 12 gallon Brutes.

I purchased the large ones with lids, as I crush grapes at the delivery point and transport home in the Brutes. I use packing tape to secure the lids for transport, and cover with beach towels during fermentation.

Question: what are the ratings on the bottom of the Brutes you have? I picked up a couple of white Rubbermaid Brutes from Home Depot and they're classified as LDPE 4. Wondering if that's what you've used. In the past, I've used similar looking tanks (i.e., food-grade plastic garbage cans) that I purchased from More Wine, but the shipping charges are almost as much now as the containers themselves, so I'm hoping the Brutes will work as replacements. FYI, the ones I've used in the past say NSF STD. 2 on the bottom.
thanks,
Bob
 
i have 7 or 8 of the bigger brutes, most in storage, all are food grade, , the one i am using at the moment is heading to storage as soon as empty and cleaned, all have lids and round attackable dollies ,, I'm dropping back to using a couple food grade 55 gal drums i picked up a few week back, they have lids and i can put furniture dollies under them ,, chicken broth was shipped in them.
Dawg
 

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