Stuck Fermentation or totally normal?

[Sweeps]

Last week I tested some of my strawberry/pineapple for their SG, and I did so again today.

At two weeks my pineapple was at 1.017, and at three weeks it is the same.

Same goes for my strawberry. At racking it was 1.023, and a week later it is still at 1.023.

Should I be concerned, or is that totally normal?

 

[mredge73]

Those numbers are not normal for any kind of wine.
What are you using to take the measurement; you aren't using a refractometer are you?

 

[Sweeps]

yes I am using a refractometer

 

[mredge73]

Refractometers cannot accurately measure fermented beverages. Use a hydrometer post fermentation.

If you don't have a hydrometer there are a few online calculators that can help you convert your numbers to get something a little more accurate.

 

[Sweeps]

well dang. The whole reason I bought the refractometer in the first place was because I thought my hydrometer readings were off + these are my first batches and I wanted to save wine by not having to take samples and waste batches.

So lets do this with the hydrometer. At racking to the 2ry(8/5) my strawberry was at 1.000 (with hydrometer)

I took a sample on 8/4 (about 10 days after racking my pineapple to 2ry) and that read .994.

Now, let's try this again...........

My pineapple still ended up being around .994
My Strawberry, however, is now at .992 according to the hydrometer. This does not seem normal at all

Thinking about just dumping both and starting over, I never remembered to take an OG so i have nothing to go off of

 

[Mallerstang]

So lets do this with the hydrometer. At racking to the 2ry(8/5) my strawberry was at 1.000 (with hydrometer)

I took a sample on 8/4 (about 10 days after racking my pineapple to 2ry) and that read .994.

Now, let's try this again...........

My pineapple still ended up being around .994
My Strawberry, however, is now at .992 according to the hydrometer. This does not seem normal at all

Thinking about just dumping both and starting over, I never remembered to take an OG so i have nothing to go off of

No don't throw them out!!! SGs of 0.994 and 0.992 are good and normal for wine that's completed fermenting after a while in the secondary.

Also I usually put my hydrometer samples back after testing - it's fine to do that with wine so long as you sanitize the equipment. Sometimes I drink them...

Can you tell us how much water, sugar and fruit/juice went into your pineapple and strawberry recipes? There's a good chance someone has made a similar batch and could tell you what your starting SG was likely to be approximately.

 

[jgmillr1]

yes I am using a refractometer

Although the refractometer will not accurately read the sugar level once there is alcohol in solution, I find it extremely valuable in monitoring the fermentation progress. Much faster and easier to grab a couple drops of solution than pull out 100ml for the hydrometer. Once the reading stabilizes, you know you are done.

 

[mredge73]

Now, let's try this again...........

My pineapple still ended up being around .994
My Strawberry, however, is now at .992 according to the hydrometer. This does not seem normal at all

Thinking about just dumping both and starting over, I never remembered to take an OG so i have nothing to go off of

These are perfectly normal.
Wine should drop to 1.0 or below.

Why would you want to dump them, do they taste terrible or something?
A sulfur smell/taste due to high fermentation temperature can be hard to get rid of but time heals most faults when it comes to wine. If they are just hot, bottle them and let them sit a year or two to mellow out.

 

[Sweeps]

yeah I'll still keep em, like I said I'm still a beginner and I didn't know if it was normal or not for the wine to get that dry that quickly. I actually racked and tasted the pineapple when I did that, and it was a lot better tasting than 2 weeks ago (although still not good) so we'll see in a few weeks! Gonna start some of Edwort's Apfelwein soon!

 

[Sweeps]

Can you tell us how much water, sugar and fruit/juice went into your pineapple and strawberry recipes? There's a good chance someone has made a similar batch and could tell you what your starting SG was likely to be approximately.

I believe I used something like this:
1 gal of water
2 lbs sugar
4 pounds fresh strawberry

it was about the same for the pineapple as well

 

[Mallerstang]

I believe I used something like this:
1 gal of water
2 lbs sugar
4 pounds fresh strawberry

it was about the same for the pineapple as well

I happen to have a batch of strawberry on the go too - added the yeast on July 2 and it's been in the secondary (glass carboys) since July 9.

For each gallon of water, I used about 3.25 lb sugar and 6.5 lb strawberries and got about 1.75 gallons of must.

SG was originally 1.088 and is now 0.990, which translates to around 12.5-13% ABV. With yours having approximately 2/3 as much the sugar and fruit I'd expect proportionately lower readings.

 

[Mucbean]

I'm making some Mango wine and the initial SG reading was 1.130. I racked it into a carboy about 6 weeks ago. I checked the SG two weeks ago and the SG was 1.070. I checked it today and it is still at 1.070. Is that normal?

 

[mredge73]

I'm making some Mango wine and the initial SG reading was 1.130. I racked it into a carboy about 6 weeks ago. I checked the SG two weeks ago and the SG was 1.070. I checked it today and it is still at 1.070. Is that normal?

Nope, if you took it with a hydrometer this is not normal.
You started with a OG way too high without enough healthy yeast.

This may be a good candidate to dump. It will be difficult to restart with that much alcohol and sugar; you will be trying to ferment a (insert favorite fruity mix drink here). I am sure with enough persistence you may be able to save it but if it is just as small batch it may not be worth your time. Start smaller, you can make a very drinkable wine with an OG of 1.08 - 1.09 (see two post up) that needs very little cellar time and ferments much faster and cleaner. Work your way up to stronger wines once you master these.

 

[Mucbean]

Ok, I think I'm just going to dump it and start over. I was just making a gallon. Thanks for your help.