Pear wine help

[silverbullet07]

I just squeezed out 3 gal of seckel pear juice. It is really thick like apple sauce. So thick my hydrometer will not sink and take a reading. What should I do?

Thanks

 

[Daboyleroy]

Strain it

 

[silverbullet07]

I chopped and froze the pears and added to a mesh bag And squeeze the juice through, It is real liquidity. There are no chunks. Just real thick. If I left the hydrometer it stays. If I push the hydrometer down and it stays. Does not float.

Guy on homebrewtalk had me measure a sample and add measured water to dilute it. So if I measure a 100ml sample and add 200 ml water it would scale. So if I measure 1.010 and I added 2 parts water to 1 part juice would that be 1.030?

it looks pretty just thick.

 

[KCCam]

So if I measure a 100ml sample and add 200 ml water it would scale. So if I measure 1.010 and I added 2 parts water to 1 part juice would that be 1.030?

Mathematically, yes.

 

[sour_grapes]

Guy on homebrewtalk had me measure a sample and add measured water to dilute it. So if I measure a 100ml sample and add 200 ml water it would scale. So if I measure 1.010 and I added 2 parts water to 1 part juice would that be 1.030?

Yes, as @KCCam notes. However, you need to be careful how you interpret this. The suspended solids would contribute (in an unknown way/amount) to the SG.

Another possibility is to push a mesh kitchen strainer down into the must, and try to collect some liquid from the "well" you create. This should be low in suspended solids.

 

[silverbullet07]

I have been heating water to dissolve the sugar In my other wine. If I do not want to add water to dissolve the sugar should I take some juice out to heat and dissolve or would it be better to stir straight into the batch?

 

[KCCam]

I have been heating water to dissolve the sugar In my other wine. If I do not want to add water to dissolve the sugar should I take some juice out to heat and dissolve or would it be better to stir straight into the batch?

Heating fruit can cause the pectin to set. I’m not sure what temperature that happens at. Dissolving sugar in hot water makes it easy to ensure the sugar is completely dissolved. You could add the sugar directly to the must now, especially if you’re stirring daily during primary fermentation. It could throw your SG reading off if it doesn’t dissolve completely, but as we’ve discussed, that will likely already be off somewhat anyway. You could also wait until the pectic enzyme and fermentation make your must less viscous and add the sugar later.

 

[silverbullet07]

I have added the campden tabs yesterday and pectin enzyme last night. If I let the juice sit a few days, will it break down? or would there be any benefit to pour all the juice back through a mesh bag?

any suggestions what I should do? I’ve added a little sugar but waiting to get good SG reading Before going forward.

 

[Rice_Guy]

* for a start, if you added one teaspoon pectase, add ten more
* you have a mixture which is able to spoil therefore you have to deal with it, not wait at room temperature. The dilution technique is what I would do as a lab technique to estimate sugar. The specific gravity scale is linear therefore the math is straight forward. Choices:
1) pectin enzyme will react at refrigerator temperature, one choice is to hold it the week you typed with lots of enzyme at 4C or 36F.
2) it will ferment as a thick slurry, for uniformity I would stir it for the first two or three days. Low pH (3.2) will assist in stability. You should be able to recover most of it,, ex 90%, it may take two years to clear in the bottle but is probably the best home process.
3) there is a process of freeze concentration which essentially is take a jello like material freeze it and then let the liquid fraction weep out, expected yield would de in the 50% range.
4) In the pilot plant I would build a filter cake as diatimous earth (fruit pulp could do it too) put it in a basket press and let the juice percolate through the filter cake. A vacuum receiver would speed the process, the material will flow therefore a pressure press system will be hard to put together. From a factory yield this is best choice.
5) dilute with another juice or cider so that the viscosity decreases and solids drop out, I would add bentonite to speed this. Yield 80% or better
6) ? ? Will think about this one, it’s been dealt with in some crops, ,,, what home tools would you have ? ?
7) filter bag a second time, if you build a filter cake it would work, otherwise it will run through the pores again like the first time. With a filtration system as paper filter media it will tend to blind, time will let a lot of liquid through but pressure increases the rate of blinding. Yield one day 25% and a week 80% ie,,,, a walk in fridge would help.
8) heating, pectin will form a jelly at 180F therefore keep the temperature down.

I have added the campden tabs yesterday and pectin enzyme last night. If I let the juice sit a few days, will it break down? or would there be any benefit to pour all the juice back through a mesh bag?
any suggestions what I should do? I’ve added a little sugar but waiting to get good SG reading Before going forward.

No matter which way ! ! add more pectin enzyme !

 

[silverbullet07]

I tripled the pectin. So I have about 15 teaspoons in 4.5 gal

I was able to adjust SG by holding a strainer down and spooning out liquid. Adjusted SG to 1.090

adjusted the ph. It was 3.93 and adjusted it to 3.56
The juice is really tasty Right now.
I pitched the yeast now so the juice Would not go bad. EC-1118

 

[silverbullet07]

I noticed there is a big cake of pulp as it is fermenting. I have been steering it every 8 hours or so. towards when the juice finishes Fermentation would it be better to scrape the pulp off a day or so before racking to carboy?

 

[Rice_Guy]

There is a solids separation technique called dissolved air flotation (DAF) which is basically what you are doing. You have three gallons to deal with. I would start the separation process ladling the foam off. If it isn’t a lot toss but if it is massive I would try to recover more liquid. To do this with tools at home, I would build a filter cake either in a stainless strainer lined with a coffee filter, or a clean coffee filter assembly, or in a filter funnel from the wine and beer toys store. I would let it drain in the fridge over night or all day while at work.

Example of filter funnel which is blinded with solids.
,
to clarify 3 gallons of an apple sauce consistency will take time, ,,, and if I came out with a fairly clear liquid I would segregate it as if racking, wouldn’t want to add it back and reprocess to extract the juice. Try stopping the stirring to help separate the solids.

Time will help you so slowing the fermentation is useful, do you have a cool garage or covered balcony?

 

[silverbullet07]

@Rice_Guy I have it fermenting in my basement It is ranging 68-70 F right Now. The Pulp cake on top is about 1-2“ thick. It would be easy to scrape off. Each time I stir it is floating on top pretty dry.

we are only 36 hours into fermintation. I was thinking to start removing it on day 5.

 

[Rice_Guy]

* In post number three you mention it is pretty thick, which I translated into OOPS this isn’t what I was hoping for. ie ,, Most of us try to ferment clear fairly transparent juice and some grape wines will even sit in a refrigerated tank for days to help separate the solids so they don’t have them later , , , , as quality control judge ask yourself
? ? . . . . “Is this something I want in the finished wine?” . . . . ? ?
if this is something you want to keep, mix it back, if you eventually want to remove it, you will get a cleaner wine if you start , , and let the natural floatation do the work for you.
* Your fermentation at 68F will take 5 to 7 days, at 70F about a day less.

The Pulp cake on top is about 1-2“ thick. It would be easy to scrape off. Each time I stir it is floating on top pretty dry. . . .we are only 36 hours into fermintation. I was thinking to start removing it on day 5.

 

[silverbullet07]

It was thick and it does have a lot of pulp. As it is fermenting the pulp is floating to the top. I was wondering if I should start scraping it off and if so should I start now or closer to when formation is done? Right now I’m steering it back in. But yes I do want it to eventually clear. But I did not know if during the fermentation if it is being broke down and converted to liquid. So I should start scraping it now?

 

[Rice_Guy]

you will rack it into a container with a skinny neck in three to maybe even seven days, it will be hard to do after racking

i would be pulling some out today and more tomorrow and more in two days and more in three days

 

[silverbullet07]

I have a couple fine mesh brew bags. Maybe as I scrape of, put in the brew bag and see if any liquid filters out. Also after all I can get on top, my rack through the fine mesh bag. Maybe it will filter some more.

 

[silverbullet07]

Decided to check It with hydrometer. The hydrometer it floating now on it own in the juice. So I guess some of the pulp has liquified.

With the pulp breaking down I guess it is messing with my SG reading. I started at 1.090 ( just using the juice) and after 56 hours it is 1.080. I hope it did not add a lot more to it.

 

[Rice_Guy]

The CO2 from fermentation will mess with the hydrometer reading. To be accurate you would need to degas. Most of us accept this error and just take the reading as an indicator at how close to racking we are.

 

[silverbullet07]

I was able to use the fine mesh brew bag and removed all the pulp. The pear wine has a pretty color to it.

i have moved it to secondary. SG has been at 1.000 for serval days.