• Please visit and share your knowledge at our sister communities:
  • If you have not, please join our official Homebrewing Facebook Group!

    Homebrewing Facebook Group

EC-1118 and low fermentation temps

Homebrew Talk

Help Support Homebrew Talk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Dan_K

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2016
Messages
155
Reaction score
29
Hello everyone,
I've had the belief that lower fermentation temps, in general, lead to cleaner and better ferments. Slow and steady. I've been using EC-1118 Prise De Mousse quite a bit for different projects this winter, since my basement is cooler than normal.

The last 3 wine kits I bought all used this yeast (it seems to be a jack of all trades yeast). Right now my basement is in the mid to low 60s. EC-1118 is supposed to work all the way down to 60 degrees. But...

I recently made a Cabernet (from a kit), and OG was 1.099. Well, after 13 days, it stuck on 0.999. 5 days later, still 0.999. The kit says a wine isn't "done" until it's at 0.996 or less. But this one isn't going any lower. I even "helped" this kit by using a couple small doses of Fermaid O during fermentation.

My inclination is that 0.999 is the lowest it's going, and 3 gravity points is relatively inconsequential. But do you think the lower temps caused the yeast to kind of stall out before reaching the desired OG?
 
Last edited:
FG is 0.999. Pay attention class:p. If the yeasts were weak they might have drowned in the alcohol but that doesn't seem likely. From what I've read and my own experience that yeast can handle more sugars than you gave it. and .099 (if accurate) leaves a bit of residual sugar in your must. How many readings have you taken. one of my batches was still chugging away near the one month mark, slowly but steady. As for the temps, can't go there. nowhere in my house is ever that cold. (Except the fridge)
 
I've used PM at 50F and it still rips through rather fast.

+1 you're probably at FG.
 
I've had EC-1118 keep right on fermenting in my basement at 52 degrees. That was after a week of primary fermentation on the main floor at 60 - 66 degrees, then moved to the basement after transferring it to the secondary.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top