Strawberry wine

[okgottago]

Hey guys, I just started my first batch of strawberry wine. It is a 5 gal. recipe and I put it in a 6gal primary container. My question is this, the liquid is about 2 inches from the top, is that enough room for fermentation. I read alot about eruptions and all. Just making sure. I used 5gal of water but with the juice it equals about 6. I will take any pointers you can give me also. This is my second time making wine and want this time to be better than the first. Another thing also, After I add my yeast, do I need to fit an airlock to my bucket or do I add one after I transfer it to my carboy...Thanks.......Dave......

 

[St Allie]

Hiya,

It sounds like you don't have enough room for the primary fermentation in that carboy. Usually the initial ferment on a fruit wine can be quite violent, you will probably get a mess in the airlock with only 2 inches of space. Generally you do the first five days or so in a larger container, (say 7 to 8 gallon). Then when it calms down a bit you shift it into the carboy with the smaller headspace. You'll need an airlock on the carboy for secondary fermentation.. you can leave a cloth over the primary bucket though as the yeast likes lots of oxygen to kickstart the process.

Hope this helps

Allie

 

[Wade E]

You should be using a 7.9 gallon primary bucket minimum. What yeast did you use as that will make a big difference. For example Red Star Cotes Des Blanc doesnt even really foam up at all and just sizzles.

 

[okgottago]

I used LALVIN EC-1118 yeast. My primary bucket with the 2inch space left, what should I do. I was going to fill my 5 gal carboy and a 1 gal for the secondary fermentation. How much head room should I leave in the secondarys and do I remove the yeast and as much sediment as posible before transfering? It sounds like I need some help.

 

[Madriver Wines]

Are you using a bucket or carboy? If a bucket and you have a strainer bag and a good lid you should be ok. It may push into the air lock but you wont be the first one with that problem. As Wade said your 6 gallon primary is too small but too late to worry now.
IMO I dont think you will get enought liquid to fill a 5 gal. let alone an additional gallon.

 

[Tall Grass]

at least the 1118 is a low-foamer.. at least from my limited experience. I've tried the rc-212 and the foam bubbles were 5 inches taller than the 1118

 

[Wade E]

EC 1118 is a very vigorous and usually foamy yeast. Not really something I would use on a starwberry wine!!

 

[smurfe]

Sorry Wade but I have to take the other side of the fence here. I think Champagne yeast works great on a strawberry. Also in my experience it is a low foaming fermenter. I use it for most whites and fruit wines. FWIW, I find Red Star Pasteur Red the best for a strawberry but if I didn't have that one available, it would be the EC-1118 for me.

 

[Madriver Wines]

The pasteur champagne and ICV-D47 work well for strawberry.
Just keep punching down the cap and cleaning out the airlock for a few more days till ready to rack.
Steve
Smurfe what is it you like about the red that sets it apart from the rest??

 

[okgottago]

I had a little foam but not much and I had just enough liqiud to fill the 5 gal carboy. I had to add 2 or 3 shot glasses of water, that was all. I am getting ready to start a 5 gal batch of Wineberry wine now. Picked about 15 lbs of them yesterday from around my house.

 

[david1]

interested

St allie, i would be very interested in that hot pepper batch you have brewin' ive heard of jalopeno wine from a person i used to work with but he moved to a different job and i never heard about the finsh if there was one
Dave