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mrx

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I have searched the forums and did not find the answers i needed.
I have made wine in the past but not the proper way.

I have a 4.5 gal or so batch going and i have a few questions.

I started the batch and seen how much it was... did not want to waste it and decided to invest in some entry level equipment... got the wine kit after fermentation had started.

primary fermentation went great... did not use yeast... (big mistake) used lemon juice and sugar.

racked it to my new carboy put the air lock on...

1. how much fermenting action should there be in the second fermentation? I did not have the hydrometer so i have messed up there... alcohol content is 13 percent... smell is great... i did put 4 campden tabs in when i racked.

2. It has dropped some sediment but is still not clear... only been in second fermentation for 3 weeks or so.

I know i messed up... and will do different next time,,, but what should i do next and what should i look for ?

Follow up

i went back to the start.

Steralized everything...

got the instructions from my True Brew Gold kit...

here is the recipe for 1 gallon
4 lb blackberries

sugar which i did not add as it was already there

1 tsp yeast nutrient

1 tsp acid blend

1 tsp pectic enzyme

1 CAMPDEN TAB which i did not add

yeast................................

I assumed you would times that by 5 for 5 gal.

After i was done with it i was looking at a catalog and seen recipes in it... much to my dismay the recipe was TOTALY different.

20 lbs berries

10 1/2 lbs sugar

2tsp nutrient

3/4 tsp pectic enzyme for (5 gal).... the other said 1 tsp(for 1 gal !!!!!!!!!!)

acid blend 2 1/2 tbs...that is over 6 tsp!!

5 campden tabs

SO... have i screwed this batch up yet again????

More follow up

I added the yeast and all the other chemicals.

it will be a week sunday and nothing...

the first day after i added all the stuff it had a 4 inch circle of light foam in center of the primary... i stirred it up to get more oxygen to it and it hasn't bubbled since.

it does smell strongly of alcohol i am wondering if it has killed the yeast,

i have been thinking of activating the yeast in fresh juice and then add it to the mix... that may be throwing away good yeast after bad?

I still need any help or ideas you might have.

Thanks
 
I'm a bit thick this morning- so I'm not quite understanding your questions. I know the info is there, but I'm not quite following. :drunk:

How many batches did you make and which recipe did you follow?

If I understand correctly, you did add lemon juice and sugar to your must, but not yeast? What was the main ingredient, and how did you come up with 13% ABV without a hydrometer? If you answer those, I think I can answer the questions about your first batch.

Your second recipe looks ok, but I don't know what you mean about not adding sugar because it was in there? And that recipe that you found really isn't totally different, just slightly if you multiply it by 5 for 5 gallons.

I think it's just done with primary fermentation- it sounds fine! Is that second batch in a carboy with an airlock? Have you racked it at all? What is the current sg?

I think you're doing better than you give yourself credit for! It sounds ok to me so far.

A really good resource for wine making is here: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/basics.asp

I refer to Jack Keller's site all the time for yeast information, winemaking information, and recipes.
 
YooperBrew said:
I'm a bit thick this morning- so I'm not quite understanding your questions. I know the info is there, but I'm not quite following. :drunk:

How many batches did you make and which recipe did you follow? I MADE ONE BATCH AND FOLLOWED THE 0NE GALLON BATCH TIMES 5

If I understand correctly, you did add lemon juice and sugar to your must, but not yeast? What was the main ingredient, and how did you come up with 13% ABV without a hydrometer?I STARTED THE BATCH AND THEN DECIDED TO ORDER THE EQUIPMENT KIT... USED THE HYDROMETER AFTER THE WILD YEAST HAD STARTED FERMENTING SO I HAVE NO BEGENNING SG READING... AND IT IS BLACKBERRY If you answer those, I think I can answer the questions about your first batch.

Your second recipe looks ok, but I don't know what you mean about not adding sugar because it was in there? THE BATCH HAD ALREADY FERMENTED , POORLY, WITHOUT YEAST And that recipe that you found really isn't totally different, just slightly if you multiply it by 5 for 5 gallons.

I think it's just done with primary fermentation- it sounds fine! Is that second batch in a carboy with an airlock? Have you racked it at all? What is the current sg?CURRENT SG IS 1.090

I think you're doing better than you give yourself credit for! It sounds ok to me so far.

A really good resource for wine making is here: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/basics.asp I HASVE READ THIS

I refer to Jack Keller's site all the time for yeast information, winemaking information, and recipes.

THE WHOLEdthing is now i have tried to restart by adding all the ingredents except the sugar and it has not started foaming in the secondary fermentation... there in is the root of my questions!
Thanks
 
Ok, 5 gallons of the recipe? Except no sugar? How did you arrive at 13% alcohol? And then you added the yeast later?

I think i'm finally starting to get what you're saying, please be patient with me!
 
that was a different mr x..lol
ok... i see what you are gettin at.. i have no first reading so i have nothing to base the 13 % alcohol on the problem may be the campden tabs i may have to oxygenate the juice to get that out and more oxygen in???
 
No, because I think it may be done fermenting. You don't want to oxygenate after it's been fermenting. I'm still trying to get a handle on exactly what you did before I give any advice because I'm still not sure.
 
here goes
started batch blackberry wine the mountain way... berries water sugar lemon juice to prevent molding.
primary ferment went well or so i thought
transfered to secondary sg 1.090

made several mistakes from here on not counting not using yeast in the first place because i started reading how to make wine the right way and decided to buy equipment kit

did not transfer lees to secondary
added campden tabs i thought i was supposed to9this probably killed wild yeast)
temp was cool and there was no action in secondary

read several articles
decided to remake wine
added all ingredents for a 5 gal batch no sugar because sg was 1.090
nothing happened
left covered with cloth for1 week temp is cool 69 degrees or so

i hope this clearsevery thing up

Thanks
 
OK, got it!

After you added all the second ingredients, what was the sg? And what type of yeast did you pitch? And you said you transferred to secondary when the sg was 1.090, right? Did you ever see any sign of fermentation at all in that first try?

And what is the sg now?
 
montrachet... after transfer sg was and still is 1.090 been a week today i added the new yeast
there was a slight ring of foam after the transfer the next day then i stirred it and it never restarted.
 
Is it in a 5 gallon carboy right now? What is the sg now- still 1.090?

If it's in a carboy, and still at 1.090, I'd get a primary bucket santized and pour it all into it, aerating well. Stir often, making sure there's plenty of air. When did you add campden? When you moved it to secondary, I think you said, which is fine. I'm just double checking!
 
no... been back in the primary bucket for a week...but i havent stirred often... campden tabs ben over two weeks since they have been put in.
 
Well, I guess the only thing to do is pitch more yeast. I'm a little concerned that your must is too acidic, if you used acid blend and lemon juice. That might be why the yeast don't get going- maybe too acidic for them. You could do a little yeast starter by dissolving your yeast in warm water and a pinch of sugar. When it's nice and foamy, add a little bit of your must diluted in some water. Keep doing that every couple of hours until you are adding less and less water and more must and it's still going. Then pitch that into your must. It might take about two days to get a nice yeast starter before you pitch it.
 
Sounds like that may be the best plan i have heard so far... I will have to wait til friday to start the process... I have fire training 4 nights this week... sounds like i have a full weekend ahead of me!
 
Yooper Brew hope you read this...

Well the above wine is now 3 years old, high alcohol... 18% by vinometer test. It never did clear, racked many times each time lees were left behind.
I treated it with gelatin and it cleared perfectly!
Now the problem... when racking i got some of the lees in the new carboy...
it would not settle so i treated again with gelatin, about 1/8 tsp for 2 gallons or so.
now it is hazy... i think the gelatin is causing this... over did it...
so what are my options now?
i am bench testing sparkoloid hot mix now... what about bentonite?
thanks in advance for anyone who can help.
 
Yooper Brew hope you read this...

Well the above wine is now 3 years old, high alcohol... 18% by vinometer test. It never did clear, racked many times each time lees were left behind.
I treated it with gelatin and it cleared perfectly!
Now the problem... when racking i got some of the lees in the new carboy...
it would not settle so i treated again with gelatin, about 1/8 tsp for 2 gallons or so.
now it is hazy... i think the gelatin is causing this... over did it...
so what are my options now?
i am bench testing sparkoloid hot mix now... what about bentonite?
thanks in advance for anyone who can help.

Hmmm. I'd try a different fining. Some hazes are negatively charged, and some are positively charged. I'd try something like chitosan and Kieselsol- known together as K-C finings, which has both the negative and positive clarifiers, since you're unsure what's causing the haze. You can buy them at most homebrew stores, or online. There are other clarifyers that work well (like sparkelloid and bentonite) but if you pick the wrong one, it could make the haze worse. I think the K-C finings would cover any cause.
 
Thanks Yooper! I was hoping to hear from you.

The bench test i wrote about cleared great... the geletan cleared the first batch but I was trying to get the last drop that i couldwhen I was racking it and sucked some of the lees up with the siphon tube... and it stayed suspended... treated again with the gelatin as i posted above...and that did not clear... so I was pretty sure it was a gelatin haze.
The sparkloid hot mix bench test worked out so i will try that with the rest of the batch.

I will soon post a Muscadine case study, describing all the sg readings, recipe and other procedures... I hope you have time to read it and offer suggestions and comments.

You have been a great help and I appreciate all the help you have given me and all that you do for HBT.
 
any opinions on corks or screw tops for this batch
?

I am a fan of corks, but it really doesn't matter if you get a good closure with the screwtops. There's just something so traditional about opening an aged bottle of wine with a corkscrew, plus my storage system stores the bottles on their sides.
 
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