slow cranberry

[edues]

Anyone elets have a slow ferment on a cranberry. This is the second batch I did both were slow as hell! 3 weeks old now and its still 1.039. Last week it was at 1.050. Least its still going in the right direction. Its in a 5 gallon carboy topped off to the neck. Should I put it back in the fermenting bucket and give it some air? Would that wake it up?

 

[madscientist451]

What is in your cranberry brew? Beer, wine, mead?

 

[edues]

Sorry..... Its wine.

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

It's had to say anything without a recipe or other details, but it does seem like it's moving pretty slow.

What kind of yeast did you use, did you use nutrient, did you aerate well, what's the ambient temp...things like that can all have an effect on how long primary takes.

 

[Yooper]

It could be pretty acidic, but otherwise I don't know why it's going so slow. Some gentle degassing (so you don't get an volcano explosion) may help.

 

[edues]

I used a monasha I probably didn't aerate good enough. I just recently discovered the importance of aeration. Temps in the middle 70°f . had 2 other batches of different wines start and almost finish since I started that one. I added more nutrient then the recipe called for because I had the same issue with the last cranberry I did. I am thinking the aeration might be the issue. Can I fix that problem now? Or just let it finish slow?

 

[edues]

What's the best way to de gas at the point I am at?

 

[Yooper]

I used a monasha I probably didn't aerate good enough. I just recently discovered the importance of aeration. Temps in the middle 70°f . had 2 other batches of different wines start and almost finish since I started that one. I added more nutrient then the recipe called for because I had the same issue with the last cranberry I did. I am thinking the aeration might be the issue. Can I fix that problem now? Or just let it finish slow?

Yes, you can stir now, until the wine gets to about 1.010 or so. Just do it carefully, because it may foam a lot. CO2 is poisonous to yeast, so degassing it a little should really help. Perhaps use a sanitized turkey baster, and remove some of the wine first to a sanitized pitcher, so it doesn't 'volcano' up on you. Trust me on using the word 'volcano' here- I know from experience on that!

 

[edues]

Hahaha! Thanks I'll give that a shot!

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

For what it's worth, I put together a cranberry wine in mid May. I started it in a bucket with the fruit, and racked to a carboy, and it stayed there until last week (reasons and excuses and what not). It's definitely bad practice to keep it on lees for that long, but after 3 months the OG was less than 1.000. I didn't take a sample in the mean time so I'm not sure how long it took to get there, but it did eventually get there.

So there is probably still hope!