Auto Siphon a Champagne

[jaxxzero3]

So I brewed an apfelwine for the first time a few weeks back (Thanks EdWort, https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/man-i-love-apfelwein-14860/)

Anyway I couldn't find the specific yeast the recipe called for at the LHBS so they recommeded that I use a champagne yeast that they had (I don't recall what brand and the name but I can post on here later if someone wants to know). I followed the recipe and when it was time to bottle I tried to transfer with my autosiphon. After attempting several times I couldn't get it to work. You see the autosiphon was working correctly but the champagne was carbonated??? Every time I tried to pump I would get a mass of bubbles and little to no liquied transfer. I was only doing a 1 gallon batch so I just poored it into the bottle and put the cap on. I will probably be OK and the sample I took was excellent.

My question to those out there that have done Champagnes is how do you transfer? Did I just not wait long enough and the batch was still fermenting or is there some trick with champagne at transfer? I'm really hoping that I didn't loose all the bubbles because they were kind of nice, unexpected, but nice.

BTW I will definetly be doing this recipe again.

Thanks

 

[killian]

it sounds like your air lock wasn't functioning properly and you trapped some co2 at the end of fermentation.

 

[etp777]

The yeast wasn't at fault, it was just either still fermenting or hadn't degassed yet.
How long did you let it sit after it was done fermenting, and did you use hydrometer to confirm it actually was done fermenting?

 

[jaxxzero3]

I don't believe the airlock was stuck as it was still bubbling when sloshing the wine around.

My guess would be it was still fermenting/I didn't degas it. I don't take hydrometer readings on 1 gallon batches as I think it is kind of a waste. I supose since I didn't do anything to degas it that may be the underlying issue. I've made a lot of other 1 gal batches and never had to degass before (different yueast of course)

Following the recipe the batch had been ferementing for 4 weeks.

Still tastes good!! :cross:

 

[Yooper]

Carbonation/bubbles doesn't affect a siphon. I've siphoned carbonated beer before.

Did you have the receiving vessel on the floor and the first vessel much higher? Siphons work by gravity, so you have to have the end of the siphon much lower than the beginning.

 

[jaxxzero3]

Yes I had the the containers positioned properly. I must say it was really weird and caught me off gaurd. The siphon was all the way down in the wine. To make sure I wasn't crazy I stuck the siphon in my sanatizer solution and it worked just fine. Just lots of foam coming through with the wine.