Maple wine, time to rack?

[Bourniplus]

Hey guys, first post here,
I just got back into homebrewing after a 10-year break and am glad I found this forum.

I started a ~5gallon batch of maple wine using boiled sap three weeks ago. OG was 1,090, it is now at 1,016. I'm not shooting for dry or sweet, I guess I'd like it somewhere in between, actually as it's a first-time experiment I'd just like it to be drinkable and not give headaches.

So, OG:1,090 , three weeks later: 1,016, the airlock is popping once every 8 seconds, what do you all think? Time to rack to secondary or wait some more?

Yeast used is Lalvin EC-1118, two packs.

Thanks in advance!
Martin in Quebec

 

[newbee17]

I'm no expert but I usually leave it till fermenting stops before I rack to secondary.

Keep in mind I'm still a newbee

Can you post recipe and how you put it together

 

[fatbloke]

Hey guys, first post here,
I just got back into homebrewing after a 10-year break and am glad I found this forum.

I started a ~5gallon batch of maple wine using boiled sap three weeks ago. OG was 1,090, it is now at 1,016. I'm not shooting for dry or sweet, I guess I'd like it somewhere in between, actually as it's a first-time experiment I'd just like it to be drinkable and not give headaches.

So, OG:1,090 , three weeks later: 1,016, the airlock is popping once every 8 seconds, what do you all think? Time to rack to secondary or wait some more?

Yeast used is Lalvin EC-1118, two packs.

Thanks in advance!
Martin in Quebec

I suspect it's still fermenting, because EC-1118 is capable of 18% ABV before it poops out. 18% is a drop of (about) 132 gravity points. So even if it fermented very dry and you got a hydrometer reading of 0.980, the SG of 1.090 would still give you only 110 point drop.

So I'd just leave it, but keep testing/sampling once or twice per week.

As for "drinkable and not give headaches" ? Not gonna happen. It's likely that it will finish dry, but also have an "alcohol hot" flavour (Ken Schramm likens it to listerine). This isn't a fault per se, but it's something that often takes a while to mellow out once the ferment has finished etc......

The headache thing is to do with the amount consumed. The most reduced chance of that is if you stick to "clear" spirits like vodka or gin, but don't over do it.......

 

[Bourniplus]

Thanks for the input,
as for my recipe, I just boiled the sap until it reached 1,090, added 2 camden tablets, waited for a day, added the yeast, and later added some yeast nutrient, and that's about it. I stirred the must for the first 3 days.
When I mentioned headaches, I guess I meant "if consumed reasonably". I don't remember who, but someone famous(?) said: "A good wine is one that doesn't give me a headache the day after..."