My first fail...but why?

[Sissy907]

I started a watermelon/peach batch following the recipe EXACTLY and I made sure to sterilize everything fanatically.
Today I opened my fermenter to pitch the yeast and I was greeted with mold. I don't know where I failed. This is only my second batch and I know it was bound to happen, but I am crushed! Where did I go wrong?

~Alli

 

[Revvy]

Kind of confused.... You said you opened the fermenter to pitch the yeast and there was mold.... Are you making beer or wine? If it's beer, how come you didn't pitch yeast whenever you brewed it?

We need a lot more information.

 

[Sissy907]

Kind of confused.... You said you opened the fermenter to pitch the yeast and there was mold.... Are you making beer or wine? If it's beer, how come you didn't pitch yeast whenever you brewed it?

We need a lot more information.

*Sigh* I failed again... LOL I thought I posted this on the winemaking forum. I'm sorry.

 

[madscientist451]

No worries about the wrong forum. I wouldn't worry about mold either, its floating on top? Maybe rack it to another fermenter, add some campden tablets , let it sit for 24 hrs or so and then pitch your yeast.
What was your process so far?

 

[Sissy907]

No worries about the wrong forum. I wouldn't worry about mold either, its floating on top? Maybe rack it to another fermenter, add some campden tablets , let it sit for 24 hrs or so and then pitch your yeast.
What was your process so far?

I started the batch and set it aside to sit for 24 hrs before pitching the yeast. When I popped the lid off to pitch the yeast there was a light layer of mold on the top of the must and pulp bag. It's not like BAD (thick and black and hairy), but definitely there (more like a dusting of a green/white). How would I rack it without transferring any of it to the new fermenter? I had added 6 campden tablets when I started it, so add more? I was about to dump it all, so I will wait until I hear from you before I go chucking something that I might be able to save. THANK YOU

~Alli

 

[Revvy]

LOL, that makes more sense.

 

[madscientist451]

You have a few options:
1-Dump it
2-Don't worry about the mold, just add the yeast and let the alcohol in the wine kill off any molds that develop
3-Try to siphon the must from under the film yeast to another container.
Some of the mold will make the transfer, so you could try to heat the must to 180F to kill it off. The pulp bag you mentioned will have to be heated as well. Doing all this may give the wine a cooked fruit taste?
I'd go with option #2, if it tastes funky when its done you can dump it later. I've made several fruit wines and there's always something floating in there that looks questionable. But most molds and bacteria can't survive the alcohol level in wine. What is the final ABV?

 

[Sissy907]

You have a few options:
1-Dump it
2-Don't worry about the mold, just add the yeast and let the alcohol in the wine kill off any molds that develop
3-Try to siphon the must from under the film yeast to another container.
Some of the mold will make the transfer, so you could try to heat the must to 180F to kill it off. The pulp bag you mentioned will have to be heated as well. Doing all this may give the wine a cooked fruit taste?
I'd go with option #2, if it tastes funky when its done you can dump it later. I've made several fruit wines and there's always something floating in there that looks questionable. But most molds and bacteria can't survive the alcohol level in wine. What is the final ABV?

I am liking option 2 too. And final ABV? Sorry, this is only my second batch and I am not as familiar with the terms and techniques of the game. I need a winemaking tutor... LOL So no campden tablets then?

~Alli

 

[Sissy907]

Ok, I pitched the yeast, y'all keep your fingers crossed for me...

 

[madscientist451]

ABV=Alcohol by volume, usually represented as a percentage.
Most wine is 9-14% ABV. Most hobby winemakers use a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity:
https://www.morebeer.com/products/beer-wine-hydrometer-correction-scale.html?site_id=5

They have a cheaper version for $6.99. I use the plastic tube the hydrometer comes in as a testing jar. Fill up the tube with wine must or beer wort, drop the hydrometer in and get a reading. Be careful with the hydrometer, its fragile and easy to break.
There's lots of videos on you tube about using a hydrometer, here's one:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNVePBvI2ps[/ame]
Another useful tool for pulling samples to test the gravity is a "wine thief":
https://www.morebeer.com/products/sample-taker.html
If you like sweet wines, I'd suggest you try some of the kits available.
Making fruit wines from scratch is actually a little tricky and somewhat advanced. So you may want to at least check out some kit wines
I make mostly cider and dry grape wines, but people in my local wine club make lots of sweet and semi-dry wines with kits that come out quite good.
http://www.homebrewing.org/Island-Mist-Peach-Apricot-Chardonnay_p_2462.html
Note: I've never used any of these kits myself, so use your own judgement before you buy. Also, look on Amazon, you may be able to get kits for even less.
There are also fruit wine base concentrates available that will bring your wine cost down quite a bit compared to using kits. I've never used the following product, but your wine would end up costing about $2 for a 750 ML bottle:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019QQ5XN2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Finally there's so much free material on you tube and various blogs and forums, but perhaps a book on fruit wine making would be something you could use:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1905862822/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Hope you have fun with your fermented creations!

 

[Sissy907]

OH! I know about that just didn't know the abbreviation. I guess I thought you didn't take a reading until before you pitched the yeast?

 

[Sissy907]

What is the final ABV?

1.21 (Sorry forgot to add it earlier)

 

[Lefou]

If you're using a triple scale hydrometer, it measures Brix, specific gravity, and estimated alcohol by volume level. Be sure you're using the specific gravity scale.
If you are, 1.210 puts you in dessert wine territory and that's a high specific gravity. A high SG would give an estimated %ABV of much more than 1.21.