Half my carboy is Fruit Pulp! What to do?

OK, I have my first ever batch of wine sitting in a 1-gal glass carboy. It was Mango-Banana, with real fruit in a strainer bag.
Well, it seems most of the mango pulp worked it's way through the bag and into solution - so that when it's started to settle, almost 1/2 the volume of my jug is thick pulp. So, I won't be getting 5 bottles...maybe 3, max. What should I do here? Rack the 3 bottles into another 1 gal jug (what about too much airspace?), or should I let it finish fermenting, then shake it all up - and fill 5 bottles with a thick mango-y drink? Would keeping the pulp in it make it taste bad? I presume it's also full of yeast too. Bad to drink? Just not sure.
I'd like to have 5 bottles, but 3 good bottles is better than 5 bad ones...

Rack to a new (smaller) vessel, to get it off of the lees, but wait a little bit and it may compact more and save some wine.

Some people top up with a "like wine" but it sounds like you'd be using an awful lot of wine!

Yeah, I'll wait 2 more weeks for compaction - but you don't reccomend stirring in the pulp with the wine (knowing full well it won't be a clear wine...).
Also, what bad things can come from having a half full carboy? It would be airlocked, so the CO2 would push out the oxygen, right?

Filtering?

lukebuz said:

Yeah, I'll wait 2 more weeks for compaction - but you don't reccomend stirring in the pulp with the wine (knowing full well it won't be a clear wine...).
Also, what bad things can come from having a half full carboy? It would be airlocked, so the CO2 would push out the oxygen, right?

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Don't stir in the lees- dead/decaying yeast can have a negative flavor impact, especially some strains like 71B-1122.

Bad things CAN come from a half full carboy once fermentation slows. Oxidation is the biggest, but infection (due to the large headspace) is also a big one. C02 isn't "magic"- it won't ever push out all other gasses out the airlock, but during active fermentation oxidation is definitely not a big risk. Once fermentation slows, things like the laws of physics should be respected, and that includes the risk of oxidation.

Thanks, Yooper. By your postcount, I think it's safe to say I'll listen to your advice.

I won't stir in yeast...I won't keep a half full carboy...should I just go ahead and leave it until it clears, and take my 3 bottles and be happy?
Thanks for your guidance so far!

IslandLizard said:

Filtering?

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This.

First do as Yooper says, then filter the rest into other carboys. Big Mason jars?


You risk oxidation, infection, etc., but its better than chucking it. I've had good luck avoiding infections in filtering. And as long as you don't leave the wine exposed for too long p, oxidation is a manageable risk.

Btw, mango-banana wine sounds like a fun beach party, followed by a skull splitting mother of a headache. I'd drink it, though, sometimes the headaches are with it, they remind us of our humanity

LOL at Skull Splitting. What makes this any more skull splitting than usual?

Anything tropical (pineapples, oranges, kiwis, mangoes) has a sulphuric smell to it when it ferments. Or at least it has for me. Banana can be done well, see Yoopers recipe, but I've yet to have a good pineapple wine.

I had a tolerable one from Hawaii, Maui Blanc, but it was very simple and sweet. The rest have been BAD.

lukebuz said:

LOL at Skull Splitting. What makes this any more skull splitting than usual?

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I've heard that alcoholic beverages with a high sugar content result in worse hangovers.

I have heard that drinking too much alcohol causes a hangover.