Low flocculation

[StoneArcher]

So, I was in a hurry and pitched three packs of Montratchet in my pear. I wanted to use 1118, but didn't have enough. I just did a first racking, or more like it straining. I'm half pulp!

I can't fit the carboys in the fridge, and will be super bummed to see half my work go to a thirsty sink!

I should have read more. Low flocculation. Does this yeast create such divine wine that it can justify tossing half? A bit puzzled.

Any suggestions on what I should do?

 

[Goofynewfie]

are you sure it is the yeast? I found that my pear wine with k1v-1116 dropped alot of lees

 

[StoneArcher]

Well, I guess I assumed. Lol. Montrachet is listed as low flocculation.

If not the yeast, what is it? Just pear mush?

In any case, I have a lot of not-wine. I could strain it I suppose, ya think?

My plan ATM is: let it settle out for a bit, then rack off the wine, strain the gunk for more wine.

I've never had this much before. We are talking half the wine is pulp.

 

[Yooper]

It's pectin, or solids from the fruit.

Some fruits drop a ton of lees, especially if something like a blender for food processer was used.

Let the lees compact down a bit, and then rack off of them.

My blueberry wine had a TON of gross lees, more than other fruits that I've done so far this year.

 

[StoneArcher]

I could give it more PE, would that help? I put 14 tsp in a 20 gallon starting batch. I now have about 17 gallons.

 

[Yooper]

I could give it more PE, would that help? I put 14 tsp in a 20 gallon starting batch. I now have about 17 gallons.

No, it sounds like it's working just fine- causing the pectin to drop out.

 

[StoneArcher]

So should I just hang out? Let it settle over the next week or so? Do you think that it will settle out anymore?

I used Bartlett pears, I know that they are fairly soft. The settlement looks like pear sauce. I even had a guest ask me if I was making applesauce wine.

I bet I had about three gallons of solids strained when transferring to secondary. The pears added to about 15 gallons or so to the recipe. I added 4.5 gallons of water, plus rinsing the buckets where I mashed the pears in (about a half gallon).

 

[tommyboy937]

put a cork in your carboy
hold the carboy horizontally
spin in a circle for 5 minutes with the top end facing your belly
quickly set down and rack

.... my first thought of what I might try... not a good idea?

 

[Yooper]

put a cork in your carboy
hold the carboy horizontally
spin in a circle for 5 minutes with the top end facing your belly
quickly set down and rack

.... my first thought of what I might try... not a good idea?

Not a good idea.

The lees will compact a LOT in the next month or so. Then, racking will still have some losses but not as much as it appears. I "lose" wine with every racking, so I generally make a bit more for topping up. Right now, for example, I have three gallons of blackberry in a carboy and two little grolsh bottles (16 ounces each) of blackberry to top up at the next racking (or two).

 

[StoneArcher]

So letting them sit is the best? Aprox time? I am marking the carboys so I can see the levels lower. I suppose once I see them stop it will be good.

I transfered in this order: 3 gallon, 6, 3, 6

I wish I would have did the sixes first. Or at least one six then a three.

The first 3 gallon is darn near all wine. About an inch or so at the bottom. You can clearly see the yeast falling out. The first six has about three inches, again can notice the yeast. The next three is about two thirds pulp. The last six is probably three quarters pulp.

None of the carboys are topped up properly for long term, so I have to do that. I was just planning on letting them settle for a few days. But now I am thinking that it will take longer than that. I have a spare five gallon sitting around. I think that I am missing one gallon amongst them. If not, within topping up range anyway.



So now here is what I am thinking:

Rack. Getting the first three gal and sixer pure wine. Then trying to get the second three gal as much as possible wine. Then put the rest in a five gallon, topping up if needed.

Basically then I will have two that are pure, and ready to roll on the normal track and two in a settling phase.

9 gallons wine and 8 settling out.

If I had to estimate, I would say currently I have six gallons of pulp and 11 gallons of wine.

In addition to the carboys that they are in I only have available a five gallon carboy.

Thoughts?

 

[Yooper]

You definitely want them topped up. You could rack sooner, rather than later, add some camdpen (sulfites), and top up. I'm not sure how to get around not having enough of the right sized vessels. I have tons of different sizes, and I use beer bottle sizes for topping up.

You could try to find some 1 gallon jugs, like that cheap Carlo Rossi "wine" comes in. A #6 bung fits those, and you can airlock them that way. I have tons of those I got from dumpster diving, and I have some in use right now for smaller amounts of wine. If you could get, say, 3 of those, that sounds like it would work for you.

 

[StoneArcher]

I hear ya on the topping up. If it was just a few days I would let it slide, but now that I am thinking that it will be a bit to settle, they really need to be topped up.

I think that some more vessels are in order here as well. Damn.

Or; Rack like I proposed. Then on the six gallon one, add apple juice to the OG. That last one will be a blend of sorts. Keeping the rest a pure pear. I anticipate that it will take about a gallon to top off them all. So racking in this order: fill a sixer and a three gal, (those will be pure wine) then fill a three gallon with pure pulp, then the rest in the last sixer. This way, I anticipate that there will be a fair amount of wine before settling.

If my estimations from last night are correct (they did settle more overnight too) then I will have two gallons in the pulpy sixer, adding one gallon of apple wine.

Or, should I maybe do the last two in the opposite? Fill the last sixer with pure pulp, and top off the three gallon? I have plenty of growlers, magnums and wine bottles to rack onto when the last sixer settles out.

I'm starting to like the last idea more. This way I have 9 gallons of pear, three with an apple pear blend, and whatever I get off the sixer as pear. Hoping to get at least a couple of gallons off the sixer by the time it settles out.

Or if I add two more one gallon vessels, I wont have to blend at all. See, now I came back around! AAhhh! lol. I like the idea of not blending if I don't have to. A couple in one gallon jugs may be a good idea for experimenting, adding adjuncts if I wanted to later. Like maybe a tiny piece of cinnamon or vanilla or something. I'll ask about that later though.

Maybe I should start a recipe thread for this baby. This way I can track the progress all in one spot as the topic will no doubt shift away from the flocculation in time.