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JWHooper

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What different effect does dextrose have on wine compared to sucrose?

Why do some recipes call for an immediate airlock (or balloon) and others say to only cover loosely?

What if the "corn sugar" you found said fructose instead of dextrose?

What if you had a half pound of left over corn sugar and about a pint of apple juice and some yeast left over, and you put it all into a gallon jug and then topped it off with Welch's wine that had been fermenting for three days?
 
What different effect does dextrose have on wine compared to sucrose?

Why do some recipes call for an immediate airlock (or balloon) and others say to only cover loosely?

What if the "corn sugar" you found said fructose instead of dextrose?

What if you had a half pound of left over corn sugar and about a pint of apple juice and some yeast left over, and you put it all into a gallon jug and then topped it off with Welch's wine that had been fermenting for three days?

I don't know of much difference in taste with dextrose vs. sucrose- I always use table sugar, but I guess you could use corn sugar if you want. The both are fermentable by wine yeasts.

I cover my primaries to keep fruitflies and other critters out, but during the first part of fermentation, the must needs oxygen to get going. It's a good idea to stir fruit wines, to keep the fruit submerged and break up the "cap" that can form. After the SG reaches about 1.010-1.020, though, fermentation is slowing down and the blanket and outgassing of co2 is not as prevalent, so the wine is then racked to secondary and placed under airlock. I have no idea why some recipes would have your airlock at the beginning- unless it was something like apple juice that would just ferment quickly without needing to be stirred.

Corn sugar is dextrose. Fructose is sugar from fruit. (It's usually in combination with other simple sugars, like glucose).

I don't know what you mean about adding sugar and juice to wine. It might not be as gross as it sounds. It would depend on the ingredients you already had in the wine, and how much sugar was already in there. All sugar tends to do is boost the ABV of the wine, because it's fermented out. So, it might make it taste "hotter" but probably not any sweeter. If the fermentation was only going on for three days, you certainly wouldn't need to add more yeast. I guess you'd have a welch's wine with a touch of apple flavor and higher alcohol.
 
Thanks Yooper. I read a post where someone else was using the same Lav 71B yeast that I am using. Or is it 72B? Well, I'm sure you know the one I'm talking about. It seems to crap out pretty automatically at 14%. I was thinking I might get a sweet wine if that happens. Oh well, it's only a gallon and I'm bound to learn something.

Edwort's recipe called for dextrose, but the only thing I found was labeled both "fructose" and "corn sugar" ... ??? It was cheaper than regular sugar. If it doesn't make any difference, I'll just use regular sugar from now on.
 
Thanks Yooper. I read a post where someone else was using the same Lav 71B yeast that I am using. Or is it 72B? Well, I'm sure you know the one I'm talking about. It seems to crap out pretty automatically at 14%. I was thinking I might get a sweet wine if that happens. Oh well, it's only a gallon and I'm bound to learn something.

Edwort's recipe called for dextrose, but the only thing I found was labeled both "fructose" and "corn sugar" ... ??? It was cheaper than regular sugar. If it doesn't make any difference, I'll just use regular sugar from now on.

Well, sometimes the fermentation will keep going, in spite of where it's "supposed" to stop. Remember that most table wines are around 12-13% ABV, and even those are "hot" at a young age. If you go over 14%, you're looking at something that might not be drinkable for years. The easiest thing to do is to shoot for about 12% ABV (with your ingredients), pick an appropriate yeast, and then let it ferment out completely. It'll go dry, and then when it's done and clear, you can add some sulfite and sorbate (readily available) and that will inhibit yeast reproduction. Then you can sweeten with honey, sugar, juice, etc, to taste without causing re-fermentation. It's a more dependable way to get a sweeter wine that doesn't turn into rocket fuel!

I'm not an apfelwein fan (although Edwort's 14 month old one that I sampled was darn tasty!), so I can't tell you what's best in that recipe. I make apple wine- a dry table wine, which is a bit different. I don't know why your corn sugar was labeled like that- that seems weird to me.
 
Edwort's recipe called for dextrose, but the only thing I found was labeled both "fructose" and "corn sugar" ... ??? It was cheaper than regular sugar. If it doesn't make any difference, I'll just use regular sugar from now on.

Corn sugar is dextrose and comes in a powered form.
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is mostly fructose and I've only seen it in liquid form. It seems likely you found some form of HFCS. It is not a form of sugar recommended for brewing or wine making.

Table sugar seems to be the way most wine makers go however if sugar is added to beer most brewers use dextrose (corn sugar). Either should work but table sugar is said to leave a slight cidery flavor. In wine that shouldn't usually be a problem but can be in beer.

Craig
 
It was powder, and the yeast seems to like it. I did some reading, and fructose is twice as sweet as dextrose (which is just glucose) and it ferments more slowly. Fructose can be and often is made from corn starch, apparently. Sucrose is fructose and glucose together. Got it.

It should be fine in the Apfelwein, which is dry, but the other concoction I made might end up cloyingly sweet (not to mention hot, as Yooper pointed out). Oh well, it will be interesting.
 
It was powder, and the yeast seems to like it. I did some reading, and fructose is twice as sweet as dextrose (which is just glucose) and it ferments more slowly. Fructose can be and often is made from corn starch, apparently. Sucrose is fructose and glucose together. Got it.

It should be fine in the Apfelwein, which is dry, but the other concoction I made might end up cloyingly sweet (not to mention hot, as Yooper pointed out). Oh well, it will be interesting.

As Yooperbrew pointed out to me with with a high octane Merlot, you might want to add a little water after fermentation to bring the alcohol down to 12%. From what I understand, is you just add a little till the taste is correct and gravity is good.
 
As Yooperbrew pointed out to me with with a high octane Merlot, you might want to add a little water after fermentation to bring the alcohol down to 12%. From what I understand, is you just add a little till the taste is correct and gravity is good.


I'll do that for sure. I have the feeling it will be a very hot batch, but it is only a gallon. I'll blend it with something.

I hope they get some hydrometers in soon.
 
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