gratus fermentatio
Well-Known Member
Seeing as how this is more "cider-like" than anything else, I posted here.
So I got curious one day & decided to ferment a gallon of prune juice, just to see what would happen. If anyone is interested, this is how it progressed.
I started with Sunsweet brand prune juice, NOT from concentrate, no additives, no preservatives, no added sugar, nothing artificial. The OG: 1.074 and I used a full 5g packet of Lalvin 71-B (narbonne). Other than yeast, I added a pinch each of yeast nutrient, yeast energizer, and D.A.P. Areated well & let the yeast do it's thing under airlock, ambient temp: 70 degrees F. Within a few hours it had a healthy bit of krausen, but mild, nothing explosively vigorous. Within roughly 24 hrs it appeared to be finished fermenting, having left a bit of headspace to begin with (about 8oz worth) I topped up with more juice. In a couple hrs the airlock was bubbling away again. The smell from the airlock at this point was "funky," almost "earthy."
Another 24 hrs & the fermentation has slowed to almost zero, I could still see some tiny bubbles rising to the surface. At this point I got extremely busy with work & didn't rack it off the lees till 17 days later. At that point I thought it was done fermenting. SG: 1.025 for an ABV of 6.66%
Of course I tasted the sample, the following is verbatim from my fermentation log entry: "The 1st thing that came to mind was 'tart.' I wasn't expecting that much tartness. Sort of an odd flavour, there's the fermented plum under, tart dominates; and just a suggestion of a sort of (for lack of a better term) 'cinnamon-ish' something. Like the aftertase of cheap cherry flavoured hard candy. Considering it's 19 days old & prune juice, not too bad; still dark & opaque, about the color of a hershey bar. I expected a little more alcohol though, maybe the last 3% will ferment in time, but I doubt it'll ever get past 7% ABV without added sugar. No legs to speak of, but after breathing in the glass, I could detect a kind of 'bubblegum' smell, not strong, but certainly noticable. This has turned out more 'plummy' than 'pruney' & that's surprising. The prune juice flavour is mostly in the background. I might be able to work with this; a little added sugar, maybe a pinch of tannin. It definately needs more research."
So that's where it stands at the moment, I'll update as I test, taste & experiment more with it. Regards, GF.
So I got curious one day & decided to ferment a gallon of prune juice, just to see what would happen. If anyone is interested, this is how it progressed.
I started with Sunsweet brand prune juice, NOT from concentrate, no additives, no preservatives, no added sugar, nothing artificial. The OG: 1.074 and I used a full 5g packet of Lalvin 71-B (narbonne). Other than yeast, I added a pinch each of yeast nutrient, yeast energizer, and D.A.P. Areated well & let the yeast do it's thing under airlock, ambient temp: 70 degrees F. Within a few hours it had a healthy bit of krausen, but mild, nothing explosively vigorous. Within roughly 24 hrs it appeared to be finished fermenting, having left a bit of headspace to begin with (about 8oz worth) I topped up with more juice. In a couple hrs the airlock was bubbling away again. The smell from the airlock at this point was "funky," almost "earthy."
Another 24 hrs & the fermentation has slowed to almost zero, I could still see some tiny bubbles rising to the surface. At this point I got extremely busy with work & didn't rack it off the lees till 17 days later. At that point I thought it was done fermenting. SG: 1.025 for an ABV of 6.66%
Of course I tasted the sample, the following is verbatim from my fermentation log entry: "The 1st thing that came to mind was 'tart.' I wasn't expecting that much tartness. Sort of an odd flavour, there's the fermented plum under, tart dominates; and just a suggestion of a sort of (for lack of a better term) 'cinnamon-ish' something. Like the aftertase of cheap cherry flavoured hard candy. Considering it's 19 days old & prune juice, not too bad; still dark & opaque, about the color of a hershey bar. I expected a little more alcohol though, maybe the last 3% will ferment in time, but I doubt it'll ever get past 7% ABV without added sugar. No legs to speak of, but after breathing in the glass, I could detect a kind of 'bubblegum' smell, not strong, but certainly noticable. This has turned out more 'plummy' than 'pruney' & that's surprising. The prune juice flavour is mostly in the background. I might be able to work with this; a little added sugar, maybe a pinch of tannin. It definately needs more research."
So that's where it stands at the moment, I'll update as I test, taste & experiment more with it. Regards, GF.