OMG !!!!!!!! What Did I Do Wrong?

[LAgreeneyes]

I started a batch of pineapple wine on last night and I woke up to this volcano. What could I have possibly done wrong and how can I fix this problem?

Thanks.

 

[seth8530]

ROFL! Sorry, I do not mean to laugh at your trouble, but you most certainly have angered the wine gods!

This is the wines way of telling you it would much rather go somewhere else other than that cramped up carboy you seem to have tried to unsuccessfully imprison it in.

During the primary stage of fermentation the wine will release quite a bit of CO2. What has happened is that it has generated enough co2 to push the pinaple particulates and juicy solids up out of the top of your carboy and through the airlock.

I recommend that the primary fermentation be done in a large open wine safe container to avoid things like this happening. Also, another benefit is that in the primary stage of fermentation yeast likes air thus, you make the yeast happy by stirring it and putting air into solution up until the 1/3 sugar break ( fact check please).

BTW! Good luck with your wine, I hope I did not come off a little unsypathetic

 

[Turock]

LOL--and I agree with Seth.

Some cultures are big foamers, too.

 

[LAgreeneyes]

ROFL! Sorry, I do not mean to laugh at your trouble, but you most certainly have angered the wine gods!

This is the wines way of telling you it would much rather go somewhere else other than that cramped up carboy you seem to have tried to unsuccessfully imprison it in.

During the primary stage of fermentation the wine will release quite a bit of CO2. What has happened is that it has generated enough co2 to push the pinaple particulates and juicy solids up out of the top of your carboy and through the airlock.

I recommend that the primary fermentation be done in a large open wine safe container to avoid things like this happening. Also, another benefit is that in the primary stage of fermentation yeast likes air thus, you make the yeast happy by stirring it and putting air into solution up until the 1/3 sugar break ( fact check please).

BTW! Good luck with your wine, I hope I did not come off a little unsypathetic

ROTFL

LOL.

I needed that laugh.

So, there is still hope huh? LOL. So you don't recommend keeping it in the carboy? I"m still new so not sure I understand what to do at this point.

You're good. You didn't come off unsympathetic at all. I needed that laugh.

Back to the drawing board.

 

[LAgreeneyes]

LOL--and I agree with Seth.

Some cultures are big foamers, too.

This wine must really be upset with me.

 

[LAgreeneyes]

I noticed that when I put everything in the carboy that there was some foam. Is that a bad thing? Should I have made sure there was no foam in there before capping it?

 

[Winenoob66]

Actually the best thing to start in is not a carboy but a food grade bucket. You can get them from your local home brew store (LHBS). The 7.9 gallon one with the lid works best.

 

[LAgreeneyes]

Actually the best thing to start in is not a carboy but a food grade bucket. You can get them from your local home brew store (LHBS). The 7.9 gallon one with the lid works best.

And I have a bunch of them at home. I got them from Lowe's.

How long should I leave it in the bucket and when should I move it to the carboy?

Thanks

 

[Turock]

I guess I could understand you trying to ferment this in a carboy under airlock--that retains the volatiles very well, increasing flavor and nose. But most ferments need to be done in an open container with no lid. Get it in a bucket--keep the temp low.

Low ambient temp is one thing--but on a ferment that you're trying to do in a low temp environment to retain volatiles, it's best to use ice bombs. Frozen water in a milk jug or plastic pop bottle.

OHHHH, we're not unsympathtic at all!!! I think all of us here have had a culture over-run their primaries. Been there!!!

 

[Winenoob66]

Start in the bucket and when it gets to around 1.030 you can rack it safely to the carboy (the vigorous fermentation should be calming down at that point) or you can let it go dry at 1.000 or below.

 

[Winenoob66]

I would rack it to the bucket now, just be sure the bucket and rack is cleaned well and sanitized.

 

[Turock]

Stir it once or twice a day. Take an SG on it in 4-5 days when the activity of the CO2 is getting low. When you're at 1 SG or under, get it into the carboy with an airlock.

 

[Winenoob66]

Also don't put the lid on the bucket being this is wanting to go nutz on the foam use a towel with a bungie cord or something to hold it in place to keep it from sagging into the must.

 

[Turock]

Just curious--what culture did you use? Foam is no problem--some cultures are big foamers.

 

[LAgreeneyes]

I guess I could understand you trying to ferment this in a carboy under airlock--that retains the volatiles very well, increasing flavor and nose. But most ferments need to be done in an open container with no lid. Get it in a bucket--keep the temp low.

Low ambient temp is one thing--but on a ferment that you're trying to do in a low temp environment to retain volatiles, it's best to use ice bombs. Frozen water in a milk jug or plastic pop bottle.

OHHHH, we're not unsympathtic at all!!! I think all of us here have had a culture over-run their primaries. Been there!!!

Thanks for the information. I will move it to another container.

I learn something new every day. :')

 

[LAgreeneyes]

Start in the bucket and when it gets to around 1.030 you can rack it safely to the carboy (the vigorous fermentation should be calming down at that point) or you can let it go dry at 1.000 or below.

Ok. Sounds good. Thanks

 

[grapeman]

If you got the bucket at Lowes make sure it is not a 5 gallon one as that one isn't big enough. The 7.9 gallon bucket allows you to do a 6 gallon batch and have enough headspace to keep from overflowing. You can just set the cover on it with no airlock. Place a towel or something over the small hole so it can breathe.

 

[LAgreeneyes]

I would rack it to the bucket now, just be sure the bucket and rack is cleaned well and sanitized.

Ok. Thanks.

Stir it once or twice a day. Take an SG on it in 4-5 days when the activity of the CO2 is getting low. When you're at 1 SG or under, get it into the carboy with an airlock.

Gotcha. Thanks

Also don't put the lid on the bucket being this is wanting to go nutz on the foam use a towel with a bungie cord or something to hold it in place to keep it from sagging into the must.

Ok.

Just curious--what culture did you use? Foam is no problem--some cultures are big foamers.

Culture? What does that mean?

Ok. Sounds good. Thanks

 

[Winenoob66]

Culture = Yeast strain
he is asking what yeast did you use.

 

[BernardSmith]

I know many people on this forum tend to rack from the bucket into a carboy with a bung and airlock fairly early in the process - when the wine in the bucket has dropped to just below 1.030 but one problem you can have when you do that is that much of the yeast may be living towards the bottom of the wine and if you rack off the lees you may be leaving behind a large percentage of the active yeast culture to together with a lot of the nutrients the yeast uses to repair their cells. I would go with Turock's advice and rack from the bucket into your carboy when the wine is closer to 1.000 rather than when there is still as much sugar in there to give you a gravity reading of 1.030. If you rack too early I think that is one reason why fermentations sometimes stall.