Help me out of this mess!

OK, I have 60 lbs of pears (that were cleaned, sliced, destemmed and then frozen) that I mashed up for a 5 gallon batch of wine.
I poured the juicy mash into straining bags figuring I could just squeeze out the juice, similar to berries and citrus fruits, however, I found out that wasn't going to work! The mush just kept pretty much all the water absorbed, and I couldn't seperate it! So, I made the snap decision to just dump the juicy mash in the primary and ferment it without bags. I used a bit extra pectic enzyme to break it down, but now I'm still left with a boatload of (now fermented) mush that I can't seperate the liquid from. I don't have/can't afford a press or juicer.
How can I get the maximum amount of liquid from my pears?
thanks!!

Tie a clean towel or some cheese cloth to the top of a five gallon bucket with a big sag down inside. Then slowly siphon or pour if you have to thru the cloth. It may take two times but it will work. If the cloth plugs off remove rinse and repeat. If you use cheese cloth you will need a few layers to do much good. I have the best luck with a clean towel.

You have to press it just like apples to get most of the juice out.

In the future an apple grinder and press are perfect for processing apples. A press can be made simply out of a wood frame, straining bags and wooden planks or the more serious would have an apple grinder fall into a wine style press. With an apple grinder you can also attempt and work with keeving your cider.

To minimize oxidation I would siphon off with the biggest diameter hose you can find and a straining bag sanitized and attached to the siphon. you could take this a step further and try pressing the fermented mash with a sanitized plate to extract the most from the brew.

After draining what you can as described above put some pulp in a towel. Wrap it up and then twist the towel sort of like you were wringing it out. Repeat until all pulp has been squeezed. You can also use a pillow case. It really helps to have two people, one at each end of the towel.

Edit: this will oxidize it so you will want to keep the squeezings separate from the other cider.
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lukebuz said:

OK, I have 60 lbs of pears (that were cleaned, sliced, destemmed and then frozen) that I mashed up for a 5 gallon batch of wine.
I poured the juicy mash into straining bags figuring I could just squeeze out the juice, similar to berries and citrus fruits, however, I found out that wasn't going to work! The mush just kept pretty much all the water absorbed, and I couldn't seperate it! So, I made the snap decision to just dump the juicy mash in the primary and ferment it without bags. I used a bit extra pectic enzyme to break it down, but now I'm still left with a boatload of (now fermented) mush that I can't seperate the liquid from. I don't have/can't afford a press or juicer.
How can I get the maximum amount of liquid from my pears?
thanks!!

Click to expand...

Edit ... before I wrote the following long prattle about making perry, I did not notice you specified that you've already fermented.

Basically, you need to find someone with a press.

Alternately just put it in carboys properly and under air lock and wait for it to separate out a bit.

If you got little reduction in solids with the fermentation ... it would also be possible to re-ferment and then put to the carboy.

Ya just need a press.
I suppose you could .............. http://www.orionhomebrewing.com/2012/06/build-diy-apple-cider-press-basket-for.html

I guess I'll leave the rest of the post up tho for posterity. Oh well.
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Making perry is *not* as simple of a task as making cider.

With pears there are issues of low nitrogen ... potential problems with the yeast falling out of suspension too quickly (an issue of the tannins falling out and taking the yeast with it) and consequent slow ferment and infection risk ... common Malolactic Fermentation and issues and the citric acid content in MLF ... and a range of other issues which perry makers do various gymnastics to overcome. I’ll try to avoid complicating things too much.

Some random points you might want to consider that may give you the best shot ... this will be an oversimplification - but here ya go ...

Besides being high in fiber, pears are about medium in the starch department verses other fruits however more starchy with early harvested pears - less so with particularly ripe pears ... I would treat overnight with Amylase enzyme to convert the starch and then ferment right on the pulp.
Fermenting on the pulp or “pommace” will, in particular, also help a bit with the flavor as you’ve already ground the pears and missed an initial common macerative step using the whole, uncrushed fruit to “fix” the pear flavor into the pommace ... I digress.

Personally I would hit the pear pommace (the must/slurry) with a strong dose of sulfites prior to pitching the yeast. This will protect the must from infection while the yeast is getting going. It also keeps any Malolactic Fermentation at bay until primary fermentation is complete ... and While one *would* normally want to convert the malic acid using MLF in perry, MLF can also cause other problems. Like I say, I’m skimming the details.

The natural tannins in pears are a whole other issue too. While pectin haze is not common, tannin haze is ... and actually the sufliting can make tannin haze a bit more likely ... but it’s a trade-off ... I would use the sulfiting.
In general one would not expect to make a clear perry. Be satisfied with a good tasting cloudy one initially. BTW pears do *not* have a lot of pectin. But they can have a fair amount of starch and high tannin levels. All contributing to potential sediment and/or haze.

Anyhow ... Basically: sulfite ... wait a day ... amylase ... wait overnight ... add nutrients ... then immediately pitch (and preferably with a starter that you've already got going ... the lag phase for the yeast can be an issue).
The proper way to make perry has a bunch of other macerative or holding periods, and techniques, but this gives you the basic idea.

Lalvin EC-1118 is generally good with particularly pulpy musts. It also does not have a high flocculation tendency and so is a good choice for keeping the yeasties up in suspension where they can do their thing. It also has low nutrient requirements, low oxygen requirements, low H2S formation, is a fast fermenter, and a good “competitive factor” - that is, it holds its own against other rogue yeasts and bacteria.

An alternate yeast discussion ...
One of the issues with perry is that it is high in malic acid which is a very harsh tasting acid. The MLF is used to correct this ... but if you don’t get a secondary malolactic fermentation ... then another yeast is probably worth mentioning here ... that is 71B-1122 ... which is a yeast that reduces the malic acid while it is fermenting. But honestly, unless your pears are particularly acidic, I’d stick with the EC-118. The use of 71B-1122 and what it’s likes and quirks are is a whole different story.

Then, once fermentation is finished, let the must "clear" a bit and fall out of suspension under airlock (in a carboy) ... then rack to the secondary and so forth.

One last point ... sanitation is particularly important with perry. Adhere to really good sanitation practices.

I’ll leave it at that ... don’t want to make a novel out of this.