My first wine. Going with Pineapple

[Newbrew12]

Hey all. I started brewing beer about 6-7 months ago and me and my fiance have decided to give wine a shot. After much debate pineapple is the winner. I'm going with 5, 1 qt cans of 100% pineapple juice (no preservatives at all), 2 can's crushed pineapple in pineapple juice, will add water sugar to reach the specific gravity of 1.030. Using LD Carlson's Acid Blend and Ascorbic Acid as well as K1-V1116 yeast. After SG drops to 1.025 I'll put it in the secondary and hope for the best.

This is the plan anyway. I've never made a wine but I'm hoping I'm on the right track. Any suggestions, comments, ideas? Am I even in the right ball park?

Thanks for the help! I'll keep it updated as it goes

 

[Insomniac]

At 1.03 it would reach about 5%, sounds more like a cider than a wine?

 

[Newbrew12]

>< lol this is why I ask. What should I be aiming for

 

[Yooper]

>< lol this is why i ask. What should i be aiming for

1.085-1.095.

 

[Newbrew12]

I have no idea where I got 1.030... For some reason it's just a number that stuck in my head. Yes, that range is where I'll shoot for. Any other issues with the plan?

 

[DoctorCAD]

Acid blend might be an overkill as well. Pineapple has acid in it already. You can always add it later after tasting.

 

[Newbrew12]

Ok. I was wondering about that. It's not something that has to be added in a specific point of fermenting?

 

[Honda88]

I always add ascorbic acid when I rack too help prevent oxidation, I would think the pineapples have plenty of vitamin c in them too begin with...

 

[Newbrew12]

The acid blend is mainly for some flavoring right? Too much could kill the yeast? At least that's what I gather from reading on the skeeterpee as to why we use the slurry. I don't want to make it too acidic with pineapple juice and then more acid... Is that on the right track of thinking?

 

[Honda88]

acid in fruit acts as a natural preservative and anti-oxidant, it doesnt kill yeast but they don't like it. Some fruits like lemons have lots of vitamin C so you need to use yeast nutrient when you brew them too make the yeast healthy. I would do the same with your pineapple wine.

 

[Newbrew12]

Ok. So yeast nutrient instead of acid blend. Check

 

[Newbrew12]

Well I've been reading it in a couple posts now and have seen it in multiple recipes. Should ferment with raisins in the primary with the pineapple pulp?

 

[Honda88]

you can add whatever you want to your must as long as it doesn't have man made preservatives in it..

 

[cmj141]

You never made wine before? When making wine you add stuff to like potassium metabisulfate, sorbate, basically to stop fermentation before bottling, to preserve the wine and also to clear the wine. So u might want to look Into that. Also check your ph! And make sure it's where it needs to be. Pineapple diesnt have as much sugar as grapes so you will need to know how much more sugar to get it where it needs to be. I used to work at a big winery. And what we did is use grapes with our fruit wines. Straight up pineapple juice fermented is indeed a wine but will not taste like a pineapple flavored grape wine. And even if u mixed grapes with it you need to know the right type of grade that won't overpower the pineapple such as the concord grape. A sweet white grape is what you want.

Raisins aren't used for flavoring either. They are used in wines for their yeast and fermentation ability. Some Hillbillies throw raisins in their moonshine wort to help ferment.

Your pineapple straight up fermented will produce a pineapple cider. So if ya want throw it in beer bottles with some extra sugar minus the sorbate - you'll have basically a woodchuck pineapple cider.

If u put the sorbate in it'll stop the yeast from consuming anymore sugar and multiplying and therefore be less of a cider and more of a wine.

But give it a go and let us know how it comes out!

P.s. don't forget to rack it and save your yeast patty.

 

[Newbrew12]

Sounds good! Thanks for the help everyone! I started this tonight. As I type I have water boiling in my kettle. I tested the sg of the pure pineapple juice and it's 1.060. Kinda makes me laugh at my 1.030 statement. I'll test the sg tomorrow after everything cools to room temp. I keep my place at 73 degrees. Is this am ok temp to ferment? Depending on what the sg measures I'll adjust to 1.095. Oh everything I've read says to let cool to room temp. Any reason to not use the equivalent of a wort chiller? That's more of a curiosity than anything. I'm just gonna let everything sit covered overnight to room temp.

 

[Honda88]

73 degrees is fine, I would decrease to 70 degrees when it gets going good...do not chill it, let it be

 

[Newbrew12]

Ok that sounds good. Letting it cool now. What sg do ya think for racking? 1.015?

 

[Newbrew12]

Well, yeast is in and now we sit. Starting SG 1.094 as far as I can tell by the hydrometer.

 

[Newbrew12]

Quick help! Fermenting has rapidly begun. I have it in a 5 gallon pale with a lid for primary. Foam is probably 3 inches thick at the end of day 1. Should I skim some foam out so it doesn't hit the lid? Or can it cause issues with fermenting taking some foam out? I don't want it to foam over as I have a carpeted apartment. Currently it's fermenting in the shower. I also don't want to mess up my future yeast cake :/ any thoughts? Maybe it will settle down over night?

 

[Honda88]

lol just let foam until it calms down....you need a blow off tube and an airlock. but if you want too you can leave the lid off for awhile until it calms down..haha welcome to wine

 

[Newbrew12]

Well, woke up this morning with no mess. I will have a blow off tube and airlock on the secondary just don't have one on the primary. I was worried last night cuz my beer doesn't foam as much as the wine has and we're only starting day two!

 

[Honda88]

you dont need a blow off tube unless your airlock is getting clogged with foam, as long as you have alittle bit of headspace on your secondary it shouldnt be a problem. most people only use blow off tubes during primary and switch to airlock in secondary.

 

[cmj141]

That's new to me. My whole family makes wine and we never needed to use a blow off hose. Airlocks for both prime and second. Then again we never used pineapples. We get foam but never enough of it to go into the airlock and never had a problem with CO2 blowing it out of the lid either. Might be the type of yeast or too much sugar perhaps ?

 

[Newbrew12]

I have about 5-6 inches from the top of a 5 gallon bucket so call it 4ish gallons fermenting. It'll go in a 5g sterilized carboy Ive used for beer. Should have enough room. Smelled it today after work... Hope it smells better at the end LOL

 

[Newbrew12]

The sg was about 1.060 with just juice. Used 6 qts juice. Added water to bring to about an inch below the rim of the bucket. Added enough sugar to bring to 1.095. Sat overnight and after cooling was at 1.15. Removed some of the liquid and added more water to bring it back down to 1.095. Now sitting fermenting away at the levels I said before. It smells like pineapple just not overly fruity. You can definately tell its fermenting when you take off the lid and get a deep whiff.

 

[cmj141]

Haha yes it should. My first time working in the winery (first time making wine) i walked over to one of our smaller fermentation bins to go break up and push the grape cap down into the juice and couldn't believe that was what grapes smelled like.

Just a whole waiting game but a fun one as u notice the sweet smell turn into a more potent zesty scent as the alcohol gets produced.

 

[Brulosopher]

I'm really looking forward to hearing how this turns out!

 

[Honda88]

I'm really looking forward to hearing how this turns out!

me too

 

[Newbrew12]

Me too! Ok cm, that's good to know. Sorry to sound like such a noob thus far lol. would suck to wait so long though only to find out its terrible cuz of simple mistakes. Should I break up the foam and push it down? Or is that just something they did in the winery? The waiting game has officially begun!

 

[Newbrew12]

1.034 after two days of fermenting. Happy to say the foam has receded and now it's just bubbling away like a carbonated drink.