Please Help

[samaelro27]

I am making an apple wine and there is a brown foam at the top of my carboy, I am concerned that I did not mix the yeast in properly when I added it and that is some of the yeast at the top. I am adding a picture, let me know what you think it is and what I should do. Maybe shake the carboy to mix it all in? Yesterday night it was there and I pushed it back into the liquid and this morning it was back and more than before. this is day three in the active fermentation stage.

 

[salcoco]

it is residue from the fermentation. you should ferment in a open bucket then cover with a towel. this would give better access to the must. if you have a bucket move the fermentation to it now.

 

[Raptor99]

Welcome to WMT! It looks like it is fermenting well. The foam is created by CO2 created by the yeast rising to the surface. If it foams up too much, it might come into the airlock.

Many of us use a food grade bucket covered by a dish towel for the initial fermentation. Use a bucket large enough to allow plenty of extra room for foam. Yeast need oxygen for the first few days, so it is good to stir it twice a day. Then you can rack it into a carboy once the fermentation is mostly finished.

 

[offthehipevents]

I some times wipe it off with a damp paper towel

 

[samaelro27]

I do not have a bucket as an option so what should I do?

 

[Raptor99]

You don't have to use a bucket, it just makes things easier.

Home Depot and Lowes have 5-gal food grade buckets. Lowes also has 2-gal food grade buckets for $5:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Leaktite-5-gal-70mil-Food-Safe-White-Bucket/5013212247

https://www.lowes.com/pd/United-Solutions-2-Gallon-General-Bucket/1000462837

 

[samaelro27]

You don't have to use a bucket, it just makes things easier.

Home Depot and Lowes have 5-gal food grade buckets. Lowes also has 2-gal food grade buckets for $5:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Leaktite-5-gal-70mil-Food-Safe-White-Bucket/5013212247

https://www.lowes.com/pd/United-Solutions-2-Gallon-General-Bucket/1000462837

If I do not get a bucket what should I do? For now I stirred the foam in. Also Right now it smells like cider but I’m making apple wine, I’m hoping that’s ok. I also am so paranoid about it turning into Apple cider vinegar lol. This is my first time making wine I’m sure you can tell lol. This is the recipe I used with apple juice. Homemade Apple Wine

 

[BigDaveK]

Not a problem.
Some older recipes suggest using an airlock right from the start. In fact, two of my earliest wines were done that way because I followed the recipe. They turned out good! Though I haven't done it that way since.
This early in the fermentation an airlock isn't necessary. Later it will be very important.
Do you have a hydrometer? Inexpensive and one of the most useful tools for making wine.
Read more, learn more, ask questions whenever there's a need. Obviously there are people here more than happy to help.
You'll do fine!

 

[samaelro27]

I do not have a hydrometer but I could order one but I obviously won’t have a starting number so I don’t know if it’d help? The page I got my recipe from didn’t say anything about one.

 

[David Violante]

Welcome to WMT! There's a lot of great experience here, and very friendly folks as you've already encountered...

Ditto to everything so far. A hydrometer will be helpful to know where fermentation is (beginning, middle, end) and it will be very useful in the future to take some of the guesswork out of recipes. Of course, you will know the beginning as fermentation starts, and the end as it slows down and then ceases to produce a lot of CO2 and cools down from a drop in activity. It's just a good tool to confirm where things are and when to add nutrients, rack...

There's a lot of information here, so search away and if you can't find something just ask.

 

[samaelro27]

Thank you to everyone who has answered so far I know I have much to learn

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome aboard!

Your shiny new hydrometer will be invaluable to ascertain when your fermentation is over!

 

[samaelro27]

Welcome to WMT! There's a lot of great experience here, and very friendly folks as you've already encountered...

Ditto to everything so far. A hydrometer will be helpful to know where fermentation is (beginning, middle, end) and it will be very useful in the future to take some of the guesswork out of recipes. Of course, you will know the beginning as fermentation starts, and the end as it slows down and then ceases to produce a lot of CO2 and cools down from a drop in activity. It's just a good tool to confirm where things are and when to add nutrients, rack...

There's a lot of information here, so search away and if you can't find something just ask.

Is there a way to know if it’s turning into vinegar instead of wine? I stirred in the foaming again and now it’s not bubbling a ton like it was. I’m so paranoid lol

 

[Raptor99]

Acetic acid bacteria, which is what turns wine into vinegar, requires oxygen to grow. So if you have an airlock and the wine is still fermentation, it is probably not turning to vinegar.

It is normal for the foaming to slow down as the fermentation gets close to completion. Once your hydrometer arrives, you can check to see how close it is to finishing.

 

[Rice_Guy]

I have had the foam in your picture, quantity depends on the yeast strain. Next time look for “clean fermenting”. Fruit with lots of solids will also push that up, an answer is to run all juice through a fine mesh bag.
* I will ferment in Dad’s stainless steel milk containers or stainless pot we boil corn in. I will ferment in a better bottle (128 mm mouth). I would ferment in an ice chest. I have fermented on a two gallon pickle jar. Basically it should be good grade and not aluminum or steel or copper or brass. You also could ferment in two jugs and combine them later.
* vinegar (acetic acid) in normally produced by yeast. Yeast suppliers will give specifications about how much is produced. Commercial wines have a limit on how much VA there is, ,,, ie if it smells or tastes like salad dressing it is too high and if you don’t taste it it is OK.



Welcome to WMT, (from another apple maker)

 

[Samaelro]

Hey I don’t know if anyone will see this but I lost that account and made a new one and have a question. My batch is now in secondary and my power went out yesterday and it’s freezing outside so my apartment is now freezing. Is the batch going to be ruined if it gets very cold/freezes

 

[Ohio Bob]

Depending on the yeast it might have to get to 50F or lower. Wrap the bucket with towels, coats, or anything to insulate it.
Even if it froze solid, you could always thaw and repitch with fresh yeast.

 

[Samaelro]

I definitely think it got below 50 i got it and took it to a house with heating but it’s probably too late

 

[Ohio Bob]

Started fermenting on December 5? It’s probably done by now, so no harm done. Might even help it clear. Think positive!

 

[Samaelro]

I never ended up getting a hydrometer because it calmed down. The yeast is most likely dead from the temp and I don’t know how to know if it was done. The recipe listed for it to not be finished until Jan 22. It was still bubbling before got got cold