What Do I Use to Stir With?

[ms8miranda]

My 5 gallon bucket is filled to within 3 inches from the top. My big stainless steel spoon isn't long enough to reach the bottom. I've read it's important to stir up the bottom. What can I use to stir with?

Can I use a piece of wood? If so, what kind? How do you sterilize/sanitize wood?

 

[BigKahuna]

ANY HBS...Even online...has plastic brew spoons. They are white plastic and $3...You better get 2, cause when you try and spank SWMBO with it....It will Break.

 

[movement]

before you stir up the bottom what kind are you making because about 99% of the time stirring anything in a bucket during the fermentation process is a horrible idea.

FYI: i sanitize my wooden spoon along with all my tools in the dishwasher first on the "sanitize setting" cause the water gets to almost boiling on it, then for a little precaution and to get rid of the jet-dry residue i sprinkle some c-brite on a sponge and go over everything then rinse completely.

 

[Yooper]

A piece of wood is not a good idea- it's porous and really impossible to properly sanitize. What would work well is a plastic dowel. Like, one from a set of blinds. You could remove it from your mini blinds, wash it well and then sanitize and use it as a stirring rod. I have a big plastic spoon, but if I didn't, I'd use that.
You can also use a sanitized metal dowel, or something like that, too.

 

[the_bird]

Where did you read that it's important to stir in the fermenter? The yeast do a good job, usually, of keeping things churning. The only time we generally advocate stirring things up is if you happen to get a stuck fermentation, which is pretty uncommon.

 

[Yooper]

Some wines and wine kits have you stir up from the bottom. I'm assuming that is what we are talking about?

 

[the_bird]

Oops, my bad, didn't see what forum y'all were in. Carry on...

 

[ms8miranda]

before you stir up the bottom what kind are you making because about 99% of the time stirring anything in a bucket during the fermentation process is a horrible idea.

I'm making a wild plum wine. All directions I've found for wine-making say to stir twice a day. And in one place I read that the yeast tends to settle in the lees so it's important to get to the bottom when stirring.

 

[ms8miranda]

What would work well is a plastic dowel. Like, one from a set of blinds. You could remove it from your mini blinds, wash it well and then sanitize and use it as a stirring rod.

Thanks for the idea....I needed something right away and this fits the bill!

 

[Yooper]

Thanks for the idea....I needed something right away and this fits the bill!

Just put it back before the other adult in the house notices!!

Stirring the wine is a good idea- so just keep following the directions in your recipe. After fermentation is slowed (1.020 or so), you can stop stirring and keep it under airlock. If you're using fruit, make sure you dunk the fruit and keep it wet so it doesn't dry out, and break up the cap if one forms.

I don't have any wild plums this year, but I'm hoping to next year. Could you post your recipe so I can see how to start a plum wine? Thanks!

 

[Pogo]

Just go to a hardware store and get a piece of plastic pipe in a length that suits your need.

Pogo

 

[ms8miranda]

Could you post your recipe so I can see how to start a plum wine? Thanks!

Well OK...just keep in mind, I'm a beginner and don't totally understand everything and I don't have a lot of the fancy equipment.

I basically adapted a recipe from Jack Keller - from the sounds of it, he used large, sweet plums. Since I used wild plums, I followed the advice on a different website which said don't add acid when using wild plums.

PLUM WINE – sweet

24 lbs wild plums
14 lbs fine granulated sugar (1/2 = 7 lbs)
4 Campton Tablets
Water to 4 gallon

4.5 tsp acid blend (other recipe says: Do not use acid with wild plums)
4 tsp pectic enzyme
4 tsp yeast nutrient (got this amt from another recipe)
2 tsp yeast energizer (I didn't have this)
1 tsp grape tannin
1 pkg wine yeast (I used L 1118)

Put water on to boil.
Wash the fruit, cut in halves to remove the seeds, then chop fruit and put in primary. (Because mine were so small & the sweetest flesh is next to the pit, I squeezed plums but left pits in, then scooped most out later; it was suggested to freeze the plums, thaw in strain bag, crush)
Pour boiling water over fruit.
Add half the sugar and stir well to dissolve the sugar.
Cover and allow to cool to 70 degrees F
Add Campden Tablets
After 12 hours, add acid blend, pectic enzyme, tannin, nutrient, and energizer.
Cover, and wait 12 hours before adding yeast.
Cover primary and allow to ferment 5-7 days, stirring twice daily.
Strain
Stir in half remaining sugar to dissolve,
Syphon into secondary, and fit airlock.

Rack after 30 days, add remaining sugar, stir well to dissolve sugar, top up, and refit airlock.
Rack every 30-45 days until wine clears.
Wait two additional weeks, rack again, stabilize wine, and bottle.

This wine can be sampled after only 6 months. If not up to expectations, let age another 6 months and taste again.

 

[Yooper]

That looks good!

As for the acid blend, you can use it if it needs that. What I mean by that is, taste it when fermentation is finished. It it's "flabby" or "blah", you can add a little acid blend. The acid blend will provide tartaric, malic and citric acid. Sometimes recipes will have lemons or oranges added (like in my dandelion recipe), so you don't need acid blend. Or sometimes, a fruit like wild plums will be acidic enough that you don't need it.