I am new here and a rank amateur, but I have been making beer for 20 years and wine for 4-5 years. I am very familiar with the fermentation process. I recently pitched a 5 gallon batch of Muscadine grape wine and nothing happened. (I have made 3 previous batches of Muscadine) I assumed the yeast was dead and pitched it again. Nothing. Bought some new yeast and pitched again. (SG is 1.12 and holding) Finally, after seven weeks, (and five or six doses of yeast) I was about to throw it away or give it to my wife to make jelly but I pitched it again. This time with distillers yeast and it went crazy. After a week of gurgling and foaming I have racked it and it is looking and tasting great. What is going on????
yeast doesn't work
- Thread starter hiderbrau
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cpfan
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If distillers yeast is what I think it is, it is also called turbo yeast. If so, that contains yeast nutrients (and probably other stuff). Maybe that's why the yeast didn't bite at first.
As Julie asked, temperature could be an issue.
Also, it might be good to know which yeast you were using it. Did you just sprinkle on top, or did you make a starter. If you made a starter what method did you use?
BTW, turbo yeast is know to produce some off flavours in the result. Good luck with that.
Steve
As Julie asked, temperature could be an issue.
Also, it might be good to know which yeast you were using it. Did you just sprinkle on top, or did you make a starter. If you made a starter what method did you use?
BTW, turbo yeast is know to produce some off flavours in the result. Good luck with that.
Steve
Reading my original post, I said it wrong. I actually pitched with the distillers yeast three times before it took off. I had added nutrients with the first pitch and again the first time I used the distillers yeast. (Distillers yeast doesn't die until 20% alcohol.) I usually just sprinkle the yeast on top and lay a towel on top of the fermenter. When the distillers yeast didn't work at first I called Nor Cal Brewing Solutions where I purchased it. There I was advised to mix and really aerate the must. I bought a 5 gallon paint mixer and used a high speed drill to really whip up the must. Added more nutrient and more yeast. Still nothing. Two weeks later, I sprinkled on another serving of distillers yeast and lo-and behold, it started to work like crazy. Temperature all the time was in the 70's. The first few times I used "Red Star" yeast packets. The week before I started the Muscadine, I pitched a batch of Peach wine which started percolating just fine, and the fermenters were side by side.
