Are these still ingredients still good to use?

[tacomaguy20]

Hi guys, I used to make mostly wine and cider quite a few years back (about 8 to 10) and I got really busy and stopped. Now I'm looking to start back up and still have quite a bit of ingredients/additives. I was wondering if I should toss everything and start over or are some things still okay to use?

List of what I still have

Iodophor Sanitizer
Dry yeast (stayed in refrigerator this whole time)
Acid Blend
Fermax Yeast Nutrient
Calcium Carbonate
Potassium Sorbate
Potassium metabisulfite
Pectic Enzyme
Acid testing strip (seem to work but dunno).

Any recommendations would be helpful. Also, a side note, I'm thinking of making a Cabernet and Merlot. What is a good yeast I could use for those? I prefer a dry wine and temperature will probably be mid 70s. California juice.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Note sure on the yeast. That's a long, long time...

 

[tacomaguy20]

Note sure on the yeast. That's a long, long time...

Yeah my friend suggested trying to make a starter but not sure if I have the right yeast for what I want to make anyways. What about the rest? Any idea?

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Really depends on the temps there were kept. I don't want to type "Yeah, go ahead" and then a few months later you jump on me for recommending. Were the other items kept from heat, hot temps?

 

[bracconiere]

i'd say the chalk (calcium carbonate) should be good.....can't speak for anything else, i'd be skeptical of the enzyme....

 

[tacomaguy20]

Really depends on the temps there were kept. I don't want to type "Yeah, go ahead" and then a few months later you jump on me for recommending. Were the other items kept from heat, hot temps?

Lol, they've been kept in my kitchen cabinet. Sometimes the AC is turned down when I'm out at work so maybe the temperature reached mid 80's at the most. The pectic enzyme is powder stored in a ziplock, same with Fermax and Acid Blend. I tasted the acid blend and it tasted normal. The potassium sorbate and metabisulfite are stored in little plastic bottles airtight with a flip top lid if that matters. I've been googling since I posted this and this is what I found below. Does this sound about right? I have a good amount of the pectic enzyme, Acid Blend, and Fermax. The other stuff is smaller quantities and probably will just toss and replace

Iodophor Sanitizer: (doesn't go bad if in original container and not diluted)
Dry yeast: Expired and probably should be chucked but can test with a starter
Acid Blend: Should be fine
Fermax Yeast Nutrient: Probably not as effective as it used to be
Calcium Carbonate: should be fine
Potassium Sorbate: Couldn't find anything definitive but one guy was saying it should be tossed in the risk it doesn't work and wine pops corks/explodes
Potassium metabisulfite: Conflicting info, one person said it lasts forever, others say it loses effectiveness over time (not good)
Pectic Enzyme: powdered stored correctly should be fine but liquid would be bad.
Acid testing strips: should test with vinegar or something similar to see if they work

 

[bracconiere]

thank you....so this is the cheat sheet to the test?

 

[tacomaguy20]

Well I thought about posting here first to get accurate info. You never know what is posted online. I'm gonna double check with the guy at the homebrew shop to make sure he agrees. If anything, please tell me I'm wrong if you see anything obvious. That goes for everyone reading this.

 

[bracconiere]

iodine evaporates, so i'm not sure about that....the dry yeast is probably fine if still in original packaging...i'd add a bit more of the enzyme if using it, can't hurt....

the iodine you can test by gelling some starch, and seeing if it still turns it blue or not....

 

[tacomaguy20]

iodine evaporates, so i'm not sure about that....the dry yeast is probably fine if still in original packaging...i'd add a bit more of the enzyme if using it, can't hurt....

the iodine you can test by gelling some starch, and seeing if it still turns it blue or not....

That's a good idea with the Iodophor. As far as the yeast, any recommendations for these two wines? If it's not something I have, I'll probably just buy some fresh stuff anyways.

 

[bracconiere]

i don't have a recomendation, just what i'd do...depending on the juice....i'd toss it in and see how it went... but wine yeast is cheap, wine juice is not....(unlike beer yeast )

 

[tacomaguy20]

Yeah your probably right.. probably what the guy at the shop was gonna tell me anyways..

 

[Bocochoco]

Iodophor will go bad if the bottle sits where sunlight can get it. Its destroys the iodine.
If I'm using iodine to sterilize I just go with iodine crystals. Screw that povidone crap.

 

[bracconiere]

Iodophor will go bad if the bottle sits where sunlight can get it. Its destroys the iodine.
If I'm using iodine to sterilize I just go with iodine crystals. Screw that povidone crap.

are iodine crystals titratable? when i do a test to see how much vitamin c is in something the crystals don't work...i need titratable iodine for it.....and sunlight isn't going to ruin an atom? unless you shoot it into the sun?

i have iodine crystals for making my own lite salt with iodine supp......but i'm not sure if it works as a sanitizer.....


i suppose instead of my first suggestion of blindy just seeing if it turned geled starch blue, you could use pure vitamin c, and backwards tell how much is still titratable....but the vitamin c powder would probably cost as much as more iodophor.....

 

[Bocochoco]

Gotcha. I suppose I assumed you used it mainly for sanitizing and yeah iodine crystals dilluted in a small amount of water is going to kill everything and anything it touches. Including you at the proper concentration to sterilize.
As far as the iodine going bad. Well no, its a stable element but exposure to sunlight and it will easily evap out of a regular bottle seal as it expands and contracts from night and day.

 

[tacomaguy20]

Iodophor will go bad if the bottle sits where sunlight can get it. Its destroys the iodine.
If I'm using iodine to sterilize I just go with iodine crystals. Screw that povidone crap.

Thanks It's been in my cupboard as well so not getting any sunlight but it's about a 1/4 bottle so I'll likely just replace it.

 

[Bocochoco]

Thanks It's been in my cupboard as well so not getting any sunlight but it's about a 1/4 bottle so I'll likely just replace it.

They sell good povidone iodine for horses at rural king or other country stores. Half the price.

 

[Bocochoco]

Also idk how old your pectic enzyme is but I only use liquid droplets and still use a bottle thats 10 years old. Never lost potency.

 

[bracconiere]

They sell good povidone iodine for horses at rural king or other country stores. Half the price.

lol, that's where i get my malt too!

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Lol, they've been kept in my kitchen cabinet. Sometimes the AC is turned down when I'm out at work so maybe the temperature reached mid 80's at the most. The pectic enzyme is powder stored in a ziplock, same with Fermax and Acid Blend. I tasted the acid blend and it tasted normal. The potassium sorbate and metabisulfite are stored in little plastic bottles airtight with a flip top lid if that matters. I've been googling since I posted this and this is what I found below. Does this sound about right? I have a good amount of the pectic enzyme, Acid Blend, and Fermax. The other stuff is smaller quantities and probably will just toss and replace

Iodophor Sanitizer: (doesn't go bad if in original container and not diluted)
Dry yeast: Expired and probably should be chucked but can test with a starter
Acid Blend: Should be fine
Fermax Yeast Nutrient: Probably not as effective as it used to be
Calcium Carbonate: should be fine
Potassium Sorbate: Couldn't find anything definitive but one guy was saying it should be tossed in the risk it doesn't work and wine pops corks/explodes
Potassium metabisulfite: Conflicting info, one person said it lasts forever, others say it loses effectiveness over time (not good)
Pectic Enzyme: powdered stored correctly should be fine but liquid would be bad.
Acid testing strips: should test with vinegar or something similar to see if they work

The list of items are really not that expensive. I get not wanting to waste, but why chance it after 8 to 10 years?

 

[Jerry in Colorado]

Dry chemicals are quite stable. If the humidity is low, and you don’t see evidence of moisture (the powder is sticking together like cake) the carbonate and sorbate should be ok. The iodophore is fine as long as it is still dark red.