sulpher smell

[sensableshoes]

I have made my first batch of skeeter pee. everything has been going well and it's ready to be bottled, but ther is a slight sulpher smell. What happened, and can I fix it.

 

[Tom]

How much meta did you add? How big is the batch? need to know what you did......

 

[sensableshoes]

smell

This is a 5 gal. batch. I use only campden tablets for rinsing my equipment. I don't add any to my wines due to allergies. I added tannin, nutrient and energizer, following the recipe on the skeeter pee website. It's been at a steady 65 degree temp in my basement. The fermentation has stopped. It tastes like unsweetened lemonade

 

[djrockinsteve]

You mentioned that it is ready to be bottled and fermentation has stopped. Have you given it proper time to clear and stabilize, then rack to age a little to be sure all sediment has fallen out. Did you add sugar and sorbate?

It's hard to diagnose with few details. When did you start this batch?

 

[Wade E]

The only thing i see is the fact that its 65* in the basement and that may have caused the fermentation to struggle towards the end resulting in this problem but I really dont think so. How much nutrient and energizer did you use and what stength solution did you use to sanitize everything. You said you used kmeta to do this but ho mnay to how much water as if done right you will have used a freaking lot of it!

 

[Arne]

I have had the same smell. Splash racking helped some, but if that doesn't cure it, got a piece of #10 copper wire, strip the insulation off of it, sanitize it, double it over and twist a little and stir the wine for a few minutes. Doesn't take too long and seems to fix it. Mite have to wait overnite to be able to tell if it is cured or not. They tell us not to leave the copper in the wine for long, just while you are stirring it. Arne.

 

[sensableshoes]

I started it, upstairs where it is 70 on 11/27. The first racking was on 12/8, the s.g. at that time was 1.01. It has cleared, so I racked it yesterday (1/7). I haven't added any sugar or sorbate yet.
I used 6 tsp. nutrient. 2 tsp. energizer. I probably don't use enough campden, but it has been working for me for 10 years now.

 

[Wade E]

You woukld need like 88 of them to a gallon to be a sanitizer. Otherwise you are just pretty much throwing money away! You can use ascorbic aci in your wine as it too is an anti oxidant and really is just vitamin C. I use it in the beginning to prevent oxidation as it doent hinder fermentation like sulfites do.

 

[sensableshoes]

Wow...88...maybe I will look into the kmeta. Can you use it for beer too?

 

[djrockinsteve]

I would go ahead and add inverted sugar (and sorbate) to a gravity of @ 1.010 or to your liking. Let it sit a week or two and check it again.

 

[Tom]

Wow...88...maybe I will look into the kmeta. Can you use it for beer too?

I would not. stick to Idophor. K-mets is cheap insurance for you wine

 

[Wade E]

I agree, not a good thuing for beer as it can inder a fermentation or a RE-fermentation. Seeing as how you are allergic to sulfites I wouldnt use them at all and instead use Starsan or Iodophor. What kind of allergic reactions do yo have to sulfites as the amount needed to add to wine is very small unlike what you need to use as a sanitizer. just opening the sanitizer solution up may effect you as you need 3 tbls per gallon and when you pop it open it will knock you on yoiur feet once given a few days to oepn up like a bpottle of winee needs to breath. When adding to wine all you need is 1/4 tsp per 6 gallons and thats very very little.

 

[sensableshoes]

Well I will look into Starsan and Iodophor. My reactions vary from a mild up to a severe headache( I'm not talking hangover), I have also gotten hives.
Thanks for all the help!!

 

[sensableshoes]

I have had the same smell. Splash racking helped some, but if that doesn't cure it, got a piece of #10 copper wire, strip the insulation off of it, sanitize it, double it over and twist a little and stir the wine for a few minutes. Doesn't take too long and seems to fix it. Mite have to wait overnite to be able to tell if it is cured or not. They tell us not to leave the copper in the wine for long, just while you are stirring it. Arne.

I will splash rack it. Could you explain the copper wire please...

 

[djrockinsteve]

Copper has a way of removing sulfur from a wine. That molecule thing. As stated be sure to clean the copper well, sanitize and don't over do it. You will have to wait a day or so to see or smell it's full effect. Splash rack first, however if you are not using sulfite this may hurt your wine by the introduction of oxygen.

 

[oldwhiskers]

What would be the maximum allowable time on the copper wire to remove the smell/taste?