little problem stuck wine at 1.040

[Alucard1983]

this is a first for me i have a raspberry wine that is not going below 1.040. the recipe follows:

bread bag full of raspberrys
5 gallon Water
12 pounds of Sugar
2 1/2 tsp Acid Blend
2 1/2 tsp of Pectic Enzyme
5 tsp Nutrient
5 Crushed Campden Tablet
1 Package Lalvin 1116

Starting Specific Gravity (S.G.) 1.090 - 1.095

Temp of wine is 70-74

so i noticed last week that the airlock was not burping any more and the wine was clearing up. i was thinking ohh boy its clearing up and almost done..... WRONG!!!!

SO i took a reading 1.040 CRAP!!!!

there is no mold in my must or anything...

so what i did was stirred it up and added a tsp of yeast energizer thinking that would get it going. checked 4 days later nothing started up. SO i go out to my lhbs to get another pack of yeast Lalvin 1118 (AKA The Widowmaker) and rack my wine. re hydrate the yeast added the sucker. 3 days later still nothing and it is starting to clear again.

Any idea on how to get this wine from hell moving again? im quite stuck on this now

 

[Honda88]

12 pounds of sugar seems a bit much, Are you sure your original gravity was 1.090?

 

[Alucard1983]

Yup but I'm pretty sure I used about 10 lbso it would go to 1.093

 

[Honda88]

If you are positive that you started with a SG around 1.090 then I dont know what to tell you, maybe freeze the alcohol off it and use it for a mixer. If the 1118 didnt help and you added nutrient and that didnt help then it sounds like the battle has been lost, Ive been there before it sucks but not much you can do.

 

[Arpolis]

Well you have the option to let this one bulk age and start another batch with the same ingredients but cut down a bit on the sugar and make sure it ferments dry to about .99 and mix that with the stuck batch. About 2 gallons at .99 should bring the overall gravity to about 1.024.

 

[roadymi]

Another option to consider

I know the brewmeister at a small local winery. He recently had a stuck mead. He diluted (fortified) it with some cheap vodka that he ran through his wine filter first. He used the vodka to get his SG down to 1.02 or so........He couldn't sell it....but he proffered free samples and it is dang tasty....with a very potent kick.

 

[Honda88]

haha thats always an option but i prefer to drink alcohol from my ferment not someone elses.....which i why i offered freeze distilling to seperate what alcohol you do have from the stuck ferment.

 

[cyberlord]

Have you checked the pH?