PLEASE HELP... can i bottle???

[davidn]

complete newbie here so bear with me if I sound stupid lol.. I made some dandelion wine (I know its not beer but I thought this would offer better advice here) its been in the fermenter about a month now and is STILL bubbling. is it safe to just bottle it up yet? last thing I need is a build up of pressure and an explosion of glass... like I said I know pretty much nothing about wine making or brewing yet and its my first time ever trying to do anything so I apologize if this question was answered or I sound stupid but I didn't know what to search

 

[UWDawg13]

Sounds like fermentation isn't done, or you may have an infection. Invest in a hydrometer to check SG to see when it's finished

 

[boydster]

The bubbling airlock doesn't tell you anything for sure. You need to take a hydrometer reading to know what is happening. There is a video on youtube that shows an airlock bubbling while attached to an empty carboy... It just means gas is escaping, and there are lots of reasons that could happen besides active fermentation.

 

[davidn]

Sounds like fermentation isn't done, or you may have an infection. Invest in a hydrometer to check SG to see when it's finished

thanks man i'll pick one up tomorrow and see where it's at

 

[davidn]

The bubbling airlock doesn't tell you anything for sure. You need to take a hydrometer reading to know what is happening. There is a video on youtube that shows an airlock bubbling while attached to an empty carboy... It just means gas is escaping, and there are lots of reasons that could happen besides active fermentation.

I mean bubbles in the actual wine not the airlock

 

[boydster]

I see. Either way, your plan to grab a hydrometer is the best bet. Good luck!

 

[UWDawg13]

thanks man i'll pick one up tomorrow and see where it's at

While you are there, pick up a second one. They will break, and it's good to have a back up!

 

[davidn]

sounds good! thanks y'all

 

[Renoun]

There's plenty to read in the Wine Making Forum here.

Patience is a virtue, it is probably worth waiting to bottle. If you don't intend to have sparkling or petulant wine you'll want to wait for both the fermentation to be complete and all the dissolved CO2 to come out of solution. You might be able to speed the process up by stirring or drawing a vacuum on your carboy but do so after racking so you don't stir up any sediments that have settled out.

 

[reeberom]

There's plenty to read in the Wine Making Forum here.

Patience is a virtue, it is probably worth waiting to bottle. If you don't intend to have sparkling or petulant wine you'll want to wait for both the fermentation to be complete and all the dissolved CO2 to come out of solution. You might be able to speed the process up by stirring or drawing a vacuum on your carboy but do so after racking so you don't stir up any sediments that have settled out.

Probably stupid, how do you vacuum a craboy? Obviously not a vacuum....

 

[davidn]

There's plenty to read in the Wine Making Forum here.

Patience is a virtue, it is probably worth waiting to bottle. If you don't intend to have sparkling or petulant wine you'll want to wait for both the fermentation to be complete and all the dissolved CO2 to come out of solution. You might be able to speed the process up by stirring or drawing a vacuum on your carboy but do so after racking so you don't stir up any sediments that have settled out.

thanks, i'll just leave it I was just trying to see so I can try to brew beer and was wasting space in the fermenter, but there's no rush. i'll just keep checking on it with a hydrometer