Anyone tried Grape Juice and S-04?

BWRIGHT · 01-04-2009, 08:05 PM

I've experimented with a few variables on Ed's Apfelwein with limited success. It's way to dry for my liking. I actually have some 10 month old on tap right now. Now, I have 3.5 gallons of Grape Juice, 1 Gallon of apple juice and 1.75lbs of dextrose. I want to stop this fermentation around 1.008 to keep some of the grape flavor and some sweetness. After reading the cider experiments thread, I believe I can stop the fermentation by racking and crash cooling my pasteurized juice. Has anyone used only or mostly grape juice and or anyone tried to stop fermentation in this way? Apparently Kevin got this to work using US-04 and pasteurized juice.

**Edcculus** · 01-04-2009, 10:54 PM

I'm sure it will work. I'm no wine maker, but I've heard that concord grapes make terrible wine.

BWRIGHT · 01-04-2009, 11:19 PM

Yeah, I've heard the same thing, but this is no wine. Just juice, dextrose, and 04. And I want to kill the fermentation before it gets dry.

CBBaron · 01-04-2009, 11:20 PM

Here is a couple ideas for making sweet apfelwein:
1)After fermentation is finished add sorbate and sulfite to stabilize then back-sweeten
2)Add Lactose (unfermentable sugar used in sweet stouts)
3)Add artificial sweetener like Splenda.

These all can produce consistent and reliable results. Crash cooling is harder to do consistently and it can result in renewed fermentation once the wine warms.

As for using grape juice in an apfelwein recipe. Grape juice has a much stronger flavor. Nearly every drinkable Concord wine I have tasted is very sweet. You will probably have to back-sweeten heavily if you want to try it.

However Yooperbrew has a grape juice wine recipe posted that is claimed to be very good. Look it up under wine recipes.

Craig

BWRIGHT · 01-04-2009, 11:36 PM

My main concern is to not let it ferment down too far. Being really dry is why I don't really like apfelwein to begin with. I would like to be able to not have to add things to kill the yeast. I read the thread about apfelwein experiments and the OP said he could stop fermentaion of US-04 by racking and cold crashing. I was wondering if anyone other than him had ever tried this. I know that concord wines are no good, I've had them. But, this isn't wine. No added acids, enzymes, oak aging and everything else the winemakers use.

**Edcculus** · 01-04-2009, 11:58 PM

Ok, I see what youre going for. Slightly sweet and carbonated this could be a pretty refreshing drink. If you don't want it to dry out either use a sugar that wont ferment as well. Maybe add some malt extract? Dont know how that would taste, but it would keep it from getting so dry. Other than that, you will have to ferment out and backsweeten. Stopping fermentation is damn near impossible. If you keg you should be completely fine with cold crashing and racking though.

BWRIGHT · 01-05-2009, 02:21 AM

I was planning on kegging this, but once I get this recipe tweaked a little bit it would be nice to bottle some. I do not want to let this finish down below around 1.008. I can always back sweeten but it will have less flavor and be much drier. Concord wine is know for not being very good; however, concord grape juice is delicious. The sticky thread guy said he was able to stop fermentation using pasteurized juice and S-04. Then racked and crash cooled. This is my plan, I just don't know if it will work or not.

dutchboy62 · 01-05-2009, 02:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BWRIGHT

Yeah, I've heard the same thing, but this is no wine. Just juice, dextrose, and 04. And I want to kill the fermentation before it gets dry.

wine is fermented grape juice

BWRIGHT · 01-05-2009, 02:33 AM

I'm aware of the definiton of wine. And I'm quite sure that I don't like it. That's why I'm trying to make something that doesn't taste like wine. I'm trying to come up with a "fermented grape juice" that doesn't taste like wine. "Beer" is barley, water, hops, and yeast, but luckily they can be made to taste quite different.

**Yooper** · 01-05-2009, 03:01 AM

Aside from that one guy who said he's done it, I've never heard of anyone sucessfully stopping fermentation long term (meaning no popping corks down the road). Sure, chilling it will cause the yeast to go dormant. But if a bottle warms up again, the risk of a bottle bomb or popping cork is too great for most of us to chance it.

Do you want to stay away from chemicals? The only way I know of to ensure no explosions is to allow fermentation to finish, and then stabilize with campden and sorbate, and then sweeten to taste.