Super fast ec-1118?

[Theshorey]

F.U.N. here seeking the wisdom of the knowledgeable out there...

I started a 2 gallon batch of Hard Raspberry Lemonade on 3/1, used 4 jugs of Simply Lemonade with Raspberry, 2+ teaspoon of nutrient, and 2 crushed campden, and added sugar to get a SG of 1.073 (shooting for a 6.5-8.5 ABV)

On 3/2 I took 2oz and diluted with 4oz of water and them warmed to ~90 and re hydrated 2 packets of ec-1118, after 15 minutes I pitched the starter and then loosely covered my bucket primary.

I have been stirring it up twice a day since then and today to a SG reading of 1.024 (adjusted for temp).

This appears to be about where I want to rack into sorbate and campden and cold crash to get it stopped and started to clear, but 3 days is REALLY fast...

Is it just because I used wayyyy too much yeast? Is this normal for 1118? Also any suggestions for how long to leave this in the cold to stun and stop the yeast? (about 17 degrees Fahrenheit outside in Maine right now)

Any help would be awesome!

 

[Yooper]

It's almost impossible to stop an active fermentation. You can try cold crashing it until clear, and then racking onto sorbate and campden, but EC1118 is a beast and you may find that you can't stop it.

 

[Theshorey]

Yeah... I did see online where it'll go down to approx 30 degrees F, so I'm hoping so time out in the cold and then racking it into sorbate & campden will hit it hard enough... Wanted to follow ur recipe as close as I could, but with a three year old around I was afraid the starter wouldn't be safe for the step additions...

 

[yeastluvr]

Ya, 2 packets of EC-1118 for 2 gallons is PLENTY and I emphasize PLENTY of yeast. I would just let it ferment out then sorbate and campden and sweeten to taste. I've only been able to stop 1 active fermentation right where I wanted.......and that was a pure fluke.

 

[Theshorey]

I was worried about it not starting good after reading about all the problems people had with the aciddity of lemonade... normally I would let it go, but 18% is too much for SWMBO and this is my attempt to bribe her into letting me pursue this hobby :cross:

My plan is to cold crash it outside for a couple of hours tomorrow night and then rack and put in the cold overnight. I have a clean storage box outside where my 2 one gallon secondary's can stay protected.

Will it ruin this batch if it gets cold enough to freeze it?

 

[Yooper]

I was worried about it not starting good after reading about all the problems people had with the aciddity of lemonade... normally I would let it go, but 18% is too much for SWMBO and this is my attempt to bribe her into letting me pursue this hobby :cross:

My plan is to cold crash it outside for a couple of hours tomorrow night and then rack and put in the cold overnight. I have a clean storage box outside where my 2 one gallon secondary's can stay protected.

Will it ruin this batch if it gets cold enough to freeze it?

If it freezes, the carboy would break.

Remember that sorbate and campden only work to inhibit yeast reproduction, so only cold crashing it for a couple of hours before racking won't encourage much yeast to drop out. You want it crystal clear before attempting to stabilize it with campden and sorbate.

 

[Theshorey]

Right, my primary is a 5 gallon food grade bucket, so no worries about that splitting if it freezes, and the temps have been getting up into the 40's during the day, I just don't want this to become rocket fuel...

 

[Theshorey]

I know it'll need to be back sweetened, and I could probably get away with 10% abv, so FG would be approx 0.997?

Any idea when 1118 will stop, just how "dry" will it go before it runs out of fermentable sugars?

 

[Honda88]

it will go to atleast 18% before it stops

 

[Yooper]

I know it'll need to be back sweetened, and I could probably get away with 10% abv, so FG would be approx 0.997?

Any idea when 1118 will stop, just how "dry" will it go before it runs out of fermentable sugars?

It'll stop at .990. If you add more sugar then, without stabilizing, it will go back to .990 or until 18% or so.

 

[huesmann]

It's almost impossible to stop an active fermentation. You can try cold crashing it until clear, and then racking onto sorbate and campden, but EC1118 is a beast and you may find that you can't stop it.

Could he pasteurize?

 

[Yooper]

Could he pasteurize?

Probably! But I've never done it so I'm not one to ask. I don't like carbed or sweet wines so I'm no expert on that at all.

 

[Theshorey]

Well I got some sorbate on my lunch break, and it's been outside all day (with an air lock) so I'll get everything ready and rack it onto sorbate campden, even it it goes to 0.990 that will only be 10.8% ABV so it should be okay. I planned to backsweeten to SWMBO's preferance before bottling anyway... I'll try to post an update tonight when I get it racked.

 

[Yooper]

Well I got some sorbate on my lunch break, and it's been outside all day (with an air lock) so I'll get everything ready and rack it onto sorbate campden, even it it goes to 0.990 that will only be 10.8% ABV so it should be okay. I planned to backsweeten to SWMBO's preferance before bottling anyway... I'll try to post an update tonight when I get it racked.

Remember that the sorbate/campden won't work until it's been halted for a while, and the yeast falls out. Make sure you don't rack until the wine is clear with nothing visible in suspension. Then you can rack onto the sorbate and campden and it might work.

If it keeps going to .990, and you don't mind, that's ok. But if you add sweeteners or sugar, it'll start up again.

 

[Theshorey]

Guess I should have checked to forum when I got home

I racked onto some sorbate and campden, and but the secondary(s) into a colder room, I know it'll keep going, but I've got lots of 1 gallon bottles, so I'll just rack again in a couple of weeks when it starts to clear...

If it drops to .990 thats ok, more ABV than I was planning, but its a good learning experience and I can always give it away! Planned on having to backsweeten with splenda anyway, and maybe by the time it's done the redemption center down the road will have a good collection of bottles for me to clean and sanitize...:rockin:

 

[Alucard1983]

You know that EC-1118 is like a wood chipper. It very strong and powerful. I use this yeast for alot of my wines and ciders. Trying to halt fermentation with this one is like trying to stop a wood chipper with your arm. It's gonna win I've tried cold crashing and then used sorbate and that to halt it. Never worked I cold crashed for 4 days had it crystal clear. I bottled thinking I was safe.... HELL NO. I sit the bottles upside down to make sure the cork keeps wet. Had one hell of a hole I my ceiling. Let it ride all the way then add your sorbate and stuff. Wait a week then try to back sweeten and let it sit for another week just in case it starts up again.

 

[Theshorey]

So i took a SG reading last night... still at 1.012 which is were it was when I racked it. So then SWMBO and I tried the sample... OOFTA, I'm thinking my OG was off from the "pulp" like particles because thats got some big kick, and since it stopped above .990 I'm thinking it hit the 18% that 1118 is rate to... also pretty much no taste of raspberrys at all... any suggestions on a non-fermentable sweetner that would add to/ enhance the raspberry flavor?

Also SWMBO has dubbed this batch "Lemon Bomb... as in nuclear..." yeah, that should make for some good label material...

 

[Daze]

Could he pasteurize?

yes he could, it is easy to do. There are two methods, bulk pasteurization and bottle pasteurization. to bulk pasteurize you rack in to a clean stock pot, place it on the stove with a candy thermometer in it and heat it to 140º when it reaches that temp turn off the heat, cover with a lid and let cool. As far as bottle pasteurization there is a fantastic sticky at the top of the cider thread with all the details. Keep in mind bottle pasteurization can not be done with corked bottles.

So i took a SG reading last night... still at 1.012 which is were it was when I racked it. So then SWMBO and I tried the sample... OOFTA, I'm thinking my OG was off from the "pulp" like particles because thats got some big kick

First of all it IMHO is way to young to be doing anything with. Put it on a shelf and leave it alone fore a couple of months. As to your readings being off pulp and such will throw the readings off the other direction. in other words the OG reading will be higher than the actual sugar content due to fruit solids making the liquid thicker. The strong alcohol taste is because it is young. How much sugar did it take to get to the OG reading??? It takes a lot of sugar to get to 18% based on the nutrition information I found on line for simply lemonade with raspberry it would have taken about 10 additional cups of sugar to get a PA anywhere near 18% on a 2 gallon batch. Did you taste the must after you put it together?? Enough sugar to get it that high would have been cloyingly sweet.

As to your back-sweeteners, when you get to that point... MONTHS FROM NOW I would not use non-fermentable sweeteners. To me they taste funny. I would pasteurize, or correctly stabilize and then ferment with sugar.

At this point you are trying to fix something that is probably not broken. It is like worrying that a new house under construction may have a leaky roof when the walls haven't even been put up yet. You need to give this brew some time and lots of it.

 

[Honda88]

it shouldnt be 18% unless you started at a super high gravity...like 1.140. I know what you mean by the kick, it seems like homebrews tend to bite harder then commercial wines....

 

[BrewerBear]

I agree with Daze,just give it time. It was only started 2 weeks ago. Let it ride and I bet in a couple months it is pretty dang tasty

 

[Theshorey]

I'll just let it go then... how often should I rack it? I know I put too much yeast in, so it'll take a long time to clear, and there is a small layer at the bottom of the gallon jug (lees right?). I have plenty of 1 gallon jugs, so I can just sterilize them and the rack as often as I need to, I thought I saw something on one of the other forums about racking every 20-45 days...

 

[Yooper]

I'll just let it go then... how often should I rack it? I know I put too much yeast in, so it'll take a long time to clear, and there is a small layer at the bottom of the gallon jug (lees right?). I have plenty of 1 gallon jugs, so I can just sterilize them and the rack as often as I need to, I thought I saw something on one of the other forums about racking every 20-45 days...

Rack only if you have lees present 1/4" thick or more after 30-45 days, or any lees after 60 days. Once it stops throwing lees, you can stop racking.

 

[Daze]

I know I put too much yeast in, so it'll take a long time to clear.

Pitching an extra packet of yeast won't make it clear any slower. When you add the yeast they reproduice like crazy and what you pitched is only a fraction of the final quantity of yeast when the fermentation is all said and done.