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As we all learn, patience is a key to good wine making.
Save yourself a mess and never rack into a carboy if the ferment is above 1.020 OR there is still a solid layer of foam on the fermentation bucket. Racking too early will can slow or temporarily stall the ferment or/and cause an overflow of foam from the carboy all over the floor.
You most certainly will make a few mistakes along the way, pretty much everybody does though some have more serious results than others but those are lessons we don't forget.

As far as coping with the large quantity of sugar already in your must, there's not a lot you can do now other than to keep temps in range and make sure you have the right amount of nutrient for your yeast. (Don't go overboard either) Step feeding is the most common way folks get to the higher ABVs but that's for the next go round. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

Based on what Sour Grapes posted (Starting SG calculated at 1.117) - IF it happens that your wine stalls out at an SG of 1.010 you would still have 14.4% ABV and a sweet wine. With that high an ABV the sweetness would not be a bad thing at all. So if you can coax the ferment down to or below 1.010 - you should have a good wine.
As for the yeast nutrients it says online it doesn't need much but then I've seen people say that type of yeast needs lots of nutrients so I'm at a stalemate with that. I added as directed on the nutrients directions wonder if I should add one more dosage just for safe keeping
 
your probably alright, i use K1V-1116 & EC-1118, both are work horses, as for sweetness hehe they say i have a sweet tooth, and they are right, my wines for under 3 years for drinking,,, i go with FSG of 1.040 if i bulk age [longer i go with a FSG of 1.030,
i like my wines to taste like fruit off the tree,,, nice and sweet, lol
Dawg
 
The only way to tell if it's stalled is with a hydrometer. Air locks can bubble for quite a while just from the CO2 that's being released from solution.
I'll get a hydrometer asap. What would the SG read to know if it's stalled?
 
usually when done it will read .996 or lower, stuck will read higher , either way will read the same for 3 days in a row,
Dawg
I will keep y'all updated. So far it seems to have been going smoothly to me. I'll know more after a few 24hr readings of SG
 
I will keep y'all updated. So far it seems to have been going smoothly to me. I'll know more after a few 24hr readings of SG
Now if it does stall, what's the protocol on that?
 
Now if it does stall, what's the protocol on that?
then you'd make you a starter , with some simple syrup, 2 parts sugar to 1 part water, then pitch yeast, once it starts then add a little must, if you do stall i'd go to EC-1118 that's the biggest dog for wine, well that i know of, @Scooter68 and @sour_grapes and @KCCam all can help you with the more scientific ways, i stay as primitive as possible, of course i do use some modern ways to make less work for myself IE stirring with a drill, and chemicals so oxidation is not a factor and so on, on country wines, @Scooter68 can teach you more specific knowledge than i can, i stay away from it as much as i can, but even with old country ways can be improve with morden ways, they can replicate a certain wine over and over, where i just go for good every time, even if different from last years wine, fruits and berries are different every year, so i let nature perfect the fruits and berries i just add the alcohol,, lol
Dawg
 
Everything sounds OK. Get that new hydrometer (2 of them for safety) and really the only way to know for sure is to take that SG reading. Fine bubbles can be CO2 off gassing and that could continue for a couple of weeks after the actual fermentation is finished. SG readings are the only definitive way to know if the fermentation is finished. (Rule of thumb is same SG reading for 3 days in a row = end of fermentation.) Keep in mind in your situation fermentation could be at an SG for 1.010 (when you racked it) or it might anywhere in between there and .990. With amount of sugar you added it might be a very good thing if the fermentation stopped anywhere between 1.010 and .998 the remaining sugar will help keep your wine a little sweeter and keep you ABV in a little lower range.
 
Monday update. Unfortunately I tore something pretty bad in my knee yesterday. I'm on crutches can barely walk. I have a relative getting me 2 hydrometers tomorrow. The bubbling has subsided to every 30 seconds it lays out a blup. I'll have an SG reading tomorrow for y'all.
 
If there is a LOT of CO2 that could account for the 1 x 30 secs but more than likely it's fermenting albeit slower now. Sorry to hear about the Knee - good thing about wine making - you can take your time, By the time your knee is healed your Strawberry wine might just be about ready to drink. (Suggesting that wine variety ages a little faster than some - not that your knee will take a long time to heal)
 
Alright guys, finally able to get a SG reading today. It's sitting right at 1.020. Bubbles every 40 seconds now. Tasted a bit off my hydrometer. Sure taste damn good. definitely taste sugary and alcoholic, lol.
 
sugary, now your talking my language,,,
Dawg
Haha, yeah it was between 1.010 and 1.000 when I racked over to the secondary and then I had added that 1lb of sugar into it. I assume that's why SG went up. I guess we'll see if the SG changes in the next couple days and I'll know if it's fermantation is stuck or not. But that's kinda why I was trying to figure oput a fermantations cycle though, cause what if it's just done? I don't wanna keep kickstarting fermentation if she's good to go ya know
 
Haha, yeah it was between 1.010 and 1.000 when I racked over to the secondary and then I had added that 1lb of sugar into it. I assume that's why SG went up. I guess we'll see if the SG changes in the next couple days and I'll know if it's fermantation is stuck or not. But that's kinda why I was trying to figure oput a fermantations cycle though, cause what if it's just done? I don't wanna keep kickstarting fermentation if she's good to go ya know
agreed 100%, as you must know where your ferment is at, and yep that cup of sugar raised your SG.so you'll know know with your hydrometer, keep spares of most everything, they say i have a sweet tooth, and they are right,,, i finish my wines some at SG 1.030 and others at 1.040, but was raised on sweet tea and kool-aid, my FSG is based on how long i plan to age, the shorter 1.040 the longer 1.030, but very few on here drink as sweet as i do.
Dawg
 
Alright guys, finally able to get a SG reading today. It's sitting right at 1.020. Bubbles every 40 seconds now. Tasted a bit off my hydrometer. Sure taste damn good. definitely taste sugary and alcoholic, lol.
According to my FermCalc calculations, your wine may be at about 17%. These are my assumptions:
  • Strawberry must before sugar: 1.020 (your measurement).
  • The addition of 14 lbs sugar and 1 gallon water brought the volume to 5 gallons. FermCalc shows this to be an SG of 1.143.
  • Adding 1 lb sugar and 1/4 gallon water: SG=1.143, vol=5.32 gal (syrup SG=1.141)
  • Effective starting SG=1.143, currently at 1.020, ABV=17.1%
  • At 18%, SG would be about 1.013
If your volume was 5 gallons after the pound of sugar and 1/4 gal water, then at 1.020, your ABV would be about 18.4%. That could easily be +- 0.5%.
 
According to my FermCalc calculations, your wine may be at about 17%. These are my assumptions:
  • Strawberry must before sugar: 1.020 (your measurement).
  • The addition of 14 lbs sugar and 1 gallon water brought the volume to 5 gallons. FermCalc shows this to be an SG of 1.143.
  • Adding 1 lb sugar and 1/4 gallon water: SG=1.143, vol=5.32 gal (syrup SG=1.141)
  • Effective starting SG=1.143, currently at 1.020, ABV=17.1%
  • At 18%, SG would be about 1.013
If your volume was 5 gallons after the pound of sugar and 1/4 gal water, then at 1.020, your ABV would be about 18.4%. That could easily be +- 0.5%.
Man, sounds to me like I could be lucking out for my first time crafting wine.
 

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