This is my second try at wine making. I made some skeeter pee first. This is for a 5 gallon batch. I put 12 cans of grape concentrate, water, and sugar together and let it set for a day. Added one pack of red star montrachet yeast. I let it work for 8 days and transferred to another carboy. I checked today, it has been 2 weeks. I do not have any activity in the air lock. Did my yeast quit working, or is this normal. The skeeter pee worked a lot longer than that. Thanks for any help.
Help with wine concentrate wine- stoped fermenting?
- Thread starter Tinbeers
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bernardsmith
Well-Known Member
What was the starting specific gravity? That will tell us how much sugar was in the must and the likelihood that the yeast can deal with that level of concentrated sugar - They have to transport the liquid through their cell walls to actively ferment the sugars.
What is the gravity today? That will tell us if they fermentation has stalled or has in fact finished... Skeeter Pee is quite acidic and that will have an impact on the rate at which the fermentation will take place, as will the ambient temperature and the temperature of the must. But activity - or the lack of activity in the airlock really tells you very little - after all , if there is a poor seal between the bung and the container or a poor seal between the airlock and the grommet then the CO2 will not bubble through the airlock but escape through the spaces provided.
What is the gravity today? That will tell us if they fermentation has stalled or has in fact finished... Skeeter Pee is quite acidic and that will have an impact on the rate at which the fermentation will take place, as will the ambient temperature and the temperature of the must. But activity - or the lack of activity in the airlock really tells you very little - after all , if there is a poor seal between the bung and the container or a poor seal between the airlock and the grommet then the CO2 will not bubble through the airlock but escape through the spaces provided.
Mismost
Well-Known Member
I think you're done....even if you put in 20# of sugar, the yeast had time to make enough achohol to kill themselves off. Since it's been racked once, I would just leave it alone for a few months.
I am having a hard time with reading this confounded thing,,,The specific gravity was 1.300 when I started. I have a wine thief on order, had a hard time taking samples with the skeeter pee so I ordered one. I did add some water to it after I put it in the second fermentation. I may not should have done that. I just took a reading and it is at 1.180 I guess? There is a good seal on the airlock. No activity. Temperature was around 74 deg.
I think your readings are wrong. Your hydrometer may have started at 1.130 (few go higher than that), and ended at 1.018? If you take a picture of where the lines are for us, we can give you a definite answer.
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You are right of course. I found the paper that came with the hydrometer, it was 1.130 at start and 1.018 yesterday when I checked it. Is it finished working off? Still no activity in the airlock.
You're at about 15% ABV right now, so it's pretty much done.
I'd let it sit a bit, rack whenever you have lees 1/4" thick or more, and make sure the wine is topped up to within an inch of the bung.
It may be sweet-ish rocket fuel for a while, so time will be good for it!
DoctorCAD
Well-Known Member
You started with way too high a SG to ever reach .995
That would give you about 18% ABV and not too many yeasts can do that without extreme measures.
Stick to below 1.095 and you will be much better off.
That would give you about 18% ABV and not too many yeasts can do that without extreme measures.
Stick to below 1.095 and you will be much better off.
