Stuck Fermentation - New to winemaking

[Prozen]

Hello,

I recently just started winemaking late this year (lots to learn). I followed a recipe for a blueberry wine which was pretty straight forward.
It's still in primary fermentation stage.

The OG was 1.085 and it is currently sitting at 1.060 for the last 3 days. It's been a week since I pitched the yeast.
Any advice or thoughts on what's happening and what I should do?
Should I add in more yeast?

The yeast I used was Lalvin Bourgovin RC 212

 

[Rembee]

Did you add any yeast nutrient?
RC212 yeast require nutrient at the start of fermentation and another dose of nutrient about where your SG is now.
And welcome to WMT!

 

[Prozen]

I added yeast nutrient 24 hours before adding in the yeast, as per the recipe (I used fresh blueberries).

Should I just add in more yeast nutrient and see if that will restart the fermentation?

 

[Rembee]

Yes, add half the recommended amount of yeast starter per gallon that your yeast nutrient vendor calls for.
How much blueberry wine are you making?

 

[Prozen]

Thanks, I'll give that a try.

I'm only making 1 gallon. Figured, I should learn first before I make big batches.

 

[Rembee]

Also, do you have the means to check the ph?
Blueberries are and can be very acidic.

 

[Prozen]

No I don't have a ph meter. I'll have to look into getting one.
How does acidity affect fermentation? The recipe I'm following actually required me to add citric acid.

 

[Rembee]

After adding the nutrient, wait 24 to 48 hours to see if the yeast start to ferment again by way of your hydrometer.
If not then you can add more yeast in the form of a yeast starter. For a 1 gallon batch of wine,
I would mix up 1/2 cup water, half a packet of yeast and 1/4 tsp of sugar. Stir it well and allow it to sit in a jar for 24 hours loosely covered.
Then pour it into your wine.

How does acidity affect fermentation? The recipe I'm following actually required me to add citric acid.

A ph of 3.2 are less will be harsh on the yeast.
Yeast have a difficult time fermenting at a low ph of 3.2 or lower. Without knowing the ph of your wine it makes it difficult to give any recommendations.
Was this a blueberry concentrate or whole berries?

 

[Prozen]

Okay, thanks! I'll give these a try and hopefully It'll start fermenting again.

I'll look into getting a ph meter. If not for this batch, for future batches.

Was this a blueberry concentrate or whole berries?

I used whole berries

 

[Rembee]

How many pounds of berries did you use?
Were they frozen or fresh berries from the store?

 

[Rembee]

Obtaining a decent ph meter for future batches is a wise choice. Adding an acid blindly for the sake of a recipe can cause problems.
It's very prudent to know the ph of the wine must prior to making acid additions.

 

[Prozen]

The ingredients are:
3-4lbs (1.3-1.8kg) fresh blueberries from the store (not frozen)
2-2.5lbs (900g-1.13kg) granulated sugar
One gallon of filtered water
Half a teaspoon of citric acid
Half a teaspoon of pectic enzyme
Red wine yeast
Yeast nutrient

All of this was added to a 2 gallon primary fermentation bucket (the yeast was added 24 hours after)

 

[Prozen]

I would mix up 1/2 cup water, half a packet of yeast and 1/4 tsp of sugar. Stir it well and allow it to sit in a jar for 24 hours loosely covered.

Should I use the same type of yeast that I added initially?

 

[Rembee]

I suspect that the must ph is not terribly low do to the fact that fermentation did kick off. As the yeast ferment, the C02 that is being produced can lower the ph some more. Try adding the nutrient first to see if that kicks off fermentation again. If that doesn't work then you can try adding Lalvin EC-1118 yeast or Lalvin K1V-1116. Both of these yeast would be able to get you across the finish line.
You can add the same yeast but being that you are a new winemaker, I would recommend either of the 2 yeast above if the additional nutrient does not work.

Also for future reference, 2 - 2.5 lbs of any fruit per gallon will make a very thin wine. It is recommended by many here including myself to start with 7 to 10 lbs of blueberries per gallon.

 

[Prozen]

Thanks for the great advice and useful info! I'll keep this in mind for my next batch.
I'll get some EC-1118 just in case the nutrient does not work.

 

[winemaker81]

@Prozen, welcome to WMT!

What is the room temperature? I agree that nutrient is likely a factor, but if you're fermenting in a cold room (below 70 F), moving it some place warmer (~75 F) may help. Wine will ferment fine at 60 F or above, but if the ferment is sticking, warming it up may help.

 

[Prozen]

I Googled before posting here and it all pointed to temperature as the likely cause of a stuck fermentation. However, for all the cases that I've found online, fermentation never really started, so I didn't think that temperature was an issue because mine started fermenting the first couple of days.

The weather did get colder since then so maybe the temperature did go down.

The temperature was around 70F. I'll do another check. If it's too low, I'll try warming it up a bit as well as adding the nutrient.

Thanks!

 

[Raptor99]

Different yeasts require different fermentation temperatures. Here is the info for your yeast: Lalvin Bourgovin RC212 | Lallemand Brewing

The optimal fermentation temperature is 20 to 30 degrees C. 20 degrees C is 68 degrees F. If your wine is at 70 F it should be fine. Warming it up could still help it to ferment faster.

Knowing the pH would help. The acid levels of fresh fruit can vary quite a bit, so with blueberries sometimes you might need to add acid and sometimes you might not need it.

 

[sour_grapes]

How are you measuring the SG? Hydrometer or refractometer?

 

[Prozen]

How are you measuring the SG? Hydrometer or refractometer?

Hydrometer