D-47 and Rhubarb

[abeekeeper]

Made a rhubarb lemon apple wine today
1 3/4 gal rhubarb juice
3.6 Qt simply lemonade
1 Qt semi-sweet apple juice? Just because
3 pounds corn sugar
1 pack d-47
3 tsp yeast nutrient
S.G reading just under 1.080
See attached. there just laying there doing nothing was the lemonade to much for my little yeasty friends? is d-47 a union organized yeast,any ideas is my 1 1/2 hours of work wasted do i dump it start a new batch of apple cider or maybe wait out the Strike.if the picture show's up you can see them just laying there.

 

[RachmaelBenApplebaum]

pH? any preservatives in anything you used? How much time since pitch? S.G. at just under 1.080 at what temperature when you took the reading?

 

[bernardsmith]

Did you agitate the must? In my experience when I pitch yeast into a carboy rather than a bucket it sometimes takes a while for the liquor to permeate the yeast on any layer above the first layer of yeast. If you agitate the carboy by stirring with a sanitized rod (I use a lacquered chop stick) the yeast will gain access to the liquid and begin to transport the liquor through their cell walls... BUT is that not a photo of bubbles on the surface? If the yeast is not active where are those bubbles coming from? The fact that you may not be seeing any action in your airlock may tell you more about a poor seal between the bung and the glass than about the inactivity of the yeast.

 

[abeekeeper]

pH? any preservatives in anything you used? How much time since pitch? S.G. at just under 1.080 at what temperature when you took the reading?

i noticed the yeast on bottom a couple hours later pitch it at 3:10 pm this am at 7:30 still looks the same have nothing to check ph temp was 78 on bottle

 

[abeekeeper]

Did you agitate the must? In my experience when I pitch yeast into a carboy rather than a bucket it sometimes takes a while for the liquor to permeate the yeast on any layer above the first layer of yeast. If you agitate the carboy by stirring with a sanitized rod (I use a lacquered chop stick) the yeast will gain access to the liquid and begin to transport the liquor through their cell walls... BUT is that not a photo of bubbles on the surface? If the yeast is not active where are those bubbles coming from? The fact that you may not be seeing any action in your airlock may tell you more about a poor seal between the bung and the glass than about the inactivity of the yeast.

gave it a good 5 min shaking before adding yeast,pouring mixture into carboy and shaking caused the bubbles.

 

[RachmaelBenApplebaum]

Well, I'd have to say that a)the temp is a bit too high for D-47, not too high to ferment but it might have some off flavors and b) brix, aeration etc sounds solid so I'm leaning toward a pH issue, which, without strips or a meter is more or less impossible to determine. The reason I lean towards pH is that it's an issue for anyone making lemon wine or "skeeter pee" as it's known around here. I would chalk it up to long lag phase at this point as a possibility too. Did you rehydrate the yeast or just sprinkle it in dry? If you didn't rehydrate and just sprinkled it in dry into a low pH environment it might be having a hard time getting going right away. I've had D-47 take 2-3 days to really start when not rehydrating. All of this sounds bad but DO NOT THROW IT AWAY. I would recommend playing the waiting game another day or two, taking a gravity reading to see if sugars are being converted, and if there's no change or very little you should add about 1g of calcium carbonate mixed with a little water and stir the batch up really well.

 

[Yooper]

I just pitched D47 in my apple wine, with a low OG (about 1.060) to start. I made it up on Wednesday, pitched on Thursday, and just today noticed some activity.

Don't worry- it should work out. Rhubarb is acidic, but not as acidic as some fruits (like raspberry or blueberry) and it should turn out fine.

 

[abeekeeper]

cool thx for the replies

 

[Yooper]

I'd give it a stir today and see if you see bubbles or other signs of activity. If not, and the SG is the same, it's time to make a yeast starter to get it going.

 

[bernardsmith]

I have another - possibly ironic question: I routinely use a bucket as my primary and transfer the wine to a glass carboy when the gravity drops to about 1.005. In the secondary the only space between the top of the liquid and the carboy is the space half way up the mouth of carboy. In other words, I essentially leave no headroom. I see that you have already added a bung and an airlock and presumably the headroom you have is to allow for a vigorous fermentation. My question: will you be transferring your wine to a smaller carboy so that there will be no headroom or is your plan to continue fermenting and aging with so large a surface area potentially exposed to oxygen? Are you not concerned with oxidation?

 

[Yooper]

I have another - possibly ironic question: I routinely use a bucket as my primary and transfer the wine to a glass carboy when the gravity drops to about 1.005. In the secondary the only space between the top of the liquid and the carboy is the space half way up the mouth of carboy. In other words, I essentially leave no headroom. I see that you have already added a bung and an airlock and presumably the headroom you have is to allow for a vigorous fermentation. My question: will you be transferring your wine to a smaller carboy so that there will be no headroom or is your plan to continue fermenting and aging with so large a surface area potentially exposed to oxygen? Are you not concerned with oxidation?

It's in primary- it needs the headspace to get started and to have some foaming. It would be racked when primary is over.

 

[abeekeeper]

I have another - possibly ironic question: I routinely use a bucket as my primary and transfer the wine to a glass carboy when the gravity drops to about 1.005. In the secondary the only space between the top of the liquid and the carboy is the space half way up the mouth of carboy. In other words, I essentially leave no headroom. I see that you have already added a bung and an airlock and presumably the headroom you have is to allow for a vigorous fermentation. My question: will you be transferring your wine to a smaller carboy so that there will be no headroom or is your plan to continue fermenting and aging with so large a surface area potentially exposed to oxygen? Are you not concerned with oxidation?

yes i left room for overflow will top-off in secondary learned a lesson on my 1st and 2nd cider

 

[abeekeeper]

just wanted to say thank you for the replies and info came home from work tonight and my airlock is perking away