Numbers

[Boatboy24]

Just finished getting (or attempting to get) the numbers on my Amador Gold Petite Syrah grapes. I'm getting SG of 1.092, pH of 3.8, and TA of 5.7g/L. I have a pHep 5, and haven't really been happy with it - I just don't trust it for a few reasons. My question is based on the TA, does the pH make sense? Both would indicate to me that I need acid. I plan to re-do the measurements tomorrow before I pitch the yeast. Thanks!

Jim

Edit: I have the must in two, 6gal buckets right now. One is about two inches from the top, and the other, about 4. I'm assuming it'd be a good idea to split these up into a third bucket for now. Let me know if you think otherwise.

 

[ShawnDTurner]

Yep.............to me it looks inline with the P.H. You will need to adjust before pre- fermentation with Tartaric acid. You need to be between 3-4 and 3-5. If you are going to Malo, which is recommended for petite Syrah. I would lean toward 3.4 or 3.35 as the PH will rise when Malic acid is consumed. These are my thoughts...others will chime in. Good Luck........... Cheers

 

[ShawnDTurner]

Yes..........You will not have enough room. I have different fermentation vessels, 14 gallon as well as a 32 gallon Brute trash can.

 

[Boatboy24]

Thanks Shawn.

One more thing: I dosed each bucket with 1/4 tsp of KMeta. Is that about the right dosage? I'm pretty sure I had a wild ferment going before I added the meta and want to be sure I can slow things down enough before I pitch tomorrow.

 

[ShawnDTurner]

1/4 th is the standard. This should suppress, until you pitch your yeast. Cheers

 

[ibglowin]

If you have a gram scale the amount needed for a 50ppm stun dose is 0.33 grams/ gallon of must. If the grapes are of poor quality then more than that is recommended.

Also I would not go lower than pH 3.6. That gives you room to drop a bit further overnight and still be OK. I say this from my own personal experience. Sometimes it can take 24 hours for pH to become stable after adding acid. Lots of chemistry happening for the first 24 hours after you crush and everything locked up in the grape gets released slowly into the must.

 

[ShawnDTurner]

Mike...is correct....add half and then wait and re-test. This way you will not over shoot. Cheers

 

[Boatboy24]

What a difference a day makes! SG is at 1.100 and color has improved dramatically. Acid was largely unchanged: 5.8g/L as opposed to the 5.7 I got last night. My pHep5 read pH 6.18, so I think its officially a POS. I began adjusting with tartaric and will pitch yeast later tonight. I moved all the must into my new 20gal Brute and have D80, D254, RC212 as possible yeasts. I'm leaning toward D254, but am looking for comments if you have any. Part of me is tempted to do two starters with D80 and D254 and pitch both.

 

[ibglowin]

D254 is one of my favorites. If I had to pick one most of the time that would be it.

 

[Boatboy24]

D254 is one of my favorites. If I had to pick one most of the time that would be it.

That's what I went with. Cap beginning to form this morning.