I pick my fruit (plums in this case) when they're very ripe by taste (I don't have a refractometer) but when I make up the must I get pH's in the low 3 range (3.1-3.3). When I taste the must even at 3.3 it tastes fine -- not too acidic. I add calcium carbonate but ending up using so much (1/2 a cup sometimes) to get it up to the 3.6 range that it makes me really nervous. It just doesn't seem right. And I've heard that using too much of a base can be harmful to the wine/taste. Help.
Acid level woes
- Thread starter DougBrown
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Seamonkey84
Well-Known Member
Too low of a ph can stall fermentation, though the ph issue with fruit is usually dealt with by adding water to dilute. Calcium carbonate will leave a chalky taste and sediment, potassium carbonate/bicarbonate dissolves easier and more neutral in taste. Potassium carbonate is also used in the BOMM protocol for mead to help buffer the ph during fermentation, and provide potassium for the yeast.
RPh_Guy
Bringing Sour Back
How low is "too low"?
Seamonkey84
Well-Known Member
Depending on the strain of yeast, ph of below 3.2 can inhibit or stall yeasts growth/metabolism. One of the reasons why skeeter pee recipe recommend using a yeast cake from a freshly racked wine, the yeast are more use to a lower ph, and the colony size is sufficient to perform the fermentation instead of needing to grow.
Yes. One thing that I would also try before adding CaCo3 is titrating the acidity. https://www.thebeveragepeople.com/p...WeOdaSUbmwcMa4DTbE2YNvurYY7nIftEaAlySEALw_wcB
It's easy and will give the total acidity and not just the pH.
I use CaCO3 with rhubarb wine, to drop excess oxalic acid, and it does work but potassium bicarb works even better if you have it.
With the combo of pH and TA, you can better judge the CaCO3 additions.
In the case of a very acidic must, adjusting the pH up is the correct thing to do. You can also adjust post fermentation for flavor if you need to, but that's done far less often.
RPh_Guy
Bringing Sour Back
Personally I would use healthy yeast (correct rehydration with Go-Ferm and slow attemporation, adequate pitch rate, adequate aeration, nutrients, maybe some bentonite in primary, etc) and give it a shot at fermentation without any pH adjustments before going overboard with a large addition of chalk.
You could also make an acid shock starter for the yeast which seems a lot less detrimental than adding chalk.
As Yooper alluded...
It's not just the pH that matters with regard to yeast inhibition, but also the quantity and type of acid(s). So by only looking at pH you're only getting party of the picture.
I wouldn't think 3.1-3.3 would need to be adjusted. Comparing that to lemon juice isn't exactly in the same ballpark; lemon juice is 10 times more acidic. Same goes for limes.
Just my opinion
You could also make an acid shock starter for the yeast which seems a lot less detrimental than adding chalk.
As Yooper alluded...
It's not just the pH that matters with regard to yeast inhibition, but also the quantity and type of acid(s). So by only looking at pH you're only getting party of the picture.
I wouldn't think 3.1-3.3 would need to be adjusted. Comparing that to lemon juice isn't exactly in the same ballpark; lemon juice is 10 times more acidic. Same goes for limes.
Just my opinion
