Wine yeast starter ?

[ifearnothing0]

I'm a. Homebrewer and have done close to 20 5 gallon extract w/ specialty grain batches .. I've recently been trying to do some cheap "inmate" style wines with grocery store bought natural juice blends , some table sugar / and now corn sugar , and Montrachet yeast .. I've done 3 little batches like this and made a yeast starter in stir plate for all of them and everything came out quite ok .. But for some reason this yeast starter doesn't seem to be taking off like the last ones .. I'm thinking I might not have put enough sugar in the flask ? Or maybe just not a big enough starter ? It was only 600ML for a 1.89L batch

 

[EJay]

I'm a. Homebrewer and have done close to 20 5 gallon extract w/ specialty grain batches .. I've recently been trying to do some cheap "inmate" style wines with grocery store bought natural juice blends , some table sugar / and now corn sugar , and Montrachet yeast .. I've done 3 little batches like this and made a yeast starter in stir plate for all of them and everything came out quite ok .. But for some reason this yeast starter doesn't seem to be taking off like the last ones .. I'm thinking I might not have put enough sugar in the flask ? Or maybe just not a big enough starter ? It was only 600ML for a 1.89L batch

Dry yeast doesn't need a starter. Even if it did, Montrachet is so cheap I'd just buy another packet if you didn't think you had enough.

 

[ifearnothing0]

I'm not using the starter to get more yeast , I actually do have about 15 packs of the yeast lol , I'm using the starter to hopefully speed up fermentation

 

[Yooper]

I'm not using the starter to get more yeast , I actually do have about 15 packs of the yeast lol , I'm using the starter to hopefully speed up fermentation

Overpitching won't necessarily speed up fermentation- in a healthy fermentation, montrachet will take a wine dry in just a few days, and faster isn't usually better anyway.

 

[ifearnothing0]

Part of the reason is to make sure they are Healy and ready to go

 

[ifearnothing0]

Success , active ferm after jest 3 hours of pitching

 

[Yooper]

Success , active ferm after jest 3 hours of pitching

Not necessarily a good thing- the 'lag time' is a good part of the life cycle of the yeast.
'

 

[Mismost]

Not necessarily a good thing- the 'lag time' is a good part of the life cycle of the yeast.
'

YOOPER...wrong forum I know, but do you think the same when it comes to beer brewing? Like the OP, I too do a yeast proof (wine and beers)...not really a starter, just warm water, a bit of sugar. Throw back to bread making...GrandMother said always proof your yeast, so I still do.

And like the OP, I get rapid starts and have noticed no ill effects...BUT, I am such a newbee I may not even be aware of the problems.

 

[Pyg]

I'm a. Homebrewer and have done close to 20 5 gallon extract w/ specialty grain batches .. I've recently been trying to do some cheap "inmate" style wines with grocery store bought natural juice blends , some table sugar / and now corn sugar , and Montrachet yeast .. I've done 3 little batches like this and made a yeast starter in stir plate for all of them and everything came out quite ok .. But for some reason this yeast starter doesn't seem to be taking off like the last ones .. I'm thinking I might not have put enough sugar in the flask ? Or maybe just not a big enough starter ? It was only 600ML for a 1.89L batch

In 10 years of wine making I have made 1 starter, maybe 2. Usually for Skeeter Pee.
The rest I just pitch the yeast, toss it, dump it in.
Keep the lid loose let it get some air and if the must is warm enough it usually gets going.

 

[Yooper]

YOOPER...wrong forum I know, but do you think the same when it comes to beer brewing? Like the OP, I too do a yeast proof (wine and beers)...not really a starter, just warm water, a bit of sugar. Throw back to bread making...GrandMother said always proof your yeast, so I still do.

And like the OP, I get rapid starts and have noticed no ill effects...BUT, I am such a newbee I may not even be aware of the problems.

The proper amount of yeast pitching is critical. I never, ever "proof" my yeast will sugar. If a starter is needed (consult a yeast pitching calculator to check), then a starter is done. Otherwise, absolutely NO sugar before pitching as you want the yeast to ferment maltose (and maltitriose, etc) and not sucrose/fructose.

Proofing may do more harm than good in brewing, but not in breadmaking.

 

[ifearnothing0]

Thanks for all the back and forth people .. I haven't been homebrewimg as long or as often as I wish I could have .. I'm not expecting this wine to be super tasty , just looking for some more experience and fun brewing something easy task know?

 

[KangerBrew6]

I admire your adventurous spirit ifearnothing0. Have you ever tasted this stuff you're making? Sounds like a firey hot fusel concoction liver busting beverage.

 

[ifearnothing0]

Overpitching won't necessarily speed up fermentation- in a healthy fermentation, montrachet will take a wine dry in just a few days, and faster isn't usually better anyway.

I don't think this wine will even be done bubbling in 10 to 12 days , let alone just a few sir

 

[ifearnothing0]

Yes I've tasted it , done only 3 batches , last batches came out too sweet , hoping the corn sugar ferments out better and cleaner than regular table sugar I used in the previous batches

 

[mgonbrewlab]

I admire your adventurous spirit ifearnothing0. Have you ever tasted this stuff you're making? Sounds like a firey hot fusel concoction liver busting beverage.

Why would you say that? Fermenting juice or concentrate is a normal starting point for many winemakers. If anything, the final product is on the light side, vs what you are describing.

Of course, he may be adding sugar to 18% PA, which I would guess would be terrible and tasteless

 

[ifearnothing0]

Not tasteless at all , but I would describe the taste as Kool-aid with a shot or 2 if vodka in it ... Very drinkable , but I'm sure folks that are wine buffs would say it's quite under done or much to sweet to call it a wine at all lol ... The 3 batches I've done were all fun and tasty for little to no effort that I put into them .. Im about to rack this last batch to secondary but kinda scared because I'm smelling a fair amount of sulphur nose to it

 

[mgonbrewlab]

Yeast stress. That may or may not go away. Are you using nutrients in your must and properly aerating during primary?

 

[ifearnothing0]

I have yeast energizer but didn't use any of it , and no aeration other than shaking it right after pitching the yeast

 

[mrchaos101]

Yooper... I love your posts. I have been using starters from the beginning.... guess i have been doing it wrong. Will just pitch yeast from now on..... but starter still ok for skeeter pee?

 

[ifearnothing0]

So the wine came out much more tart and dry .. Finished out at 0.998 fg from 1.081 og .. Think next time I'm going to try 2 parts dextrose to 1 part table sugar

 

[podz]

Not necessarily a good thing- the 'lag time' is a good part of the life cycle of the yeast.
'

I rack my cider and start a new batch right on top of the slurry. It starts airlock activity in about 10 minutes. Oops

 

[ifearnothing0]

Can anyone suggest a good way to keep the wine in between sweet and tart ?

 

[podz]

Put a little bit more sugar there than the yeast can eat. Then you need to select a yeast that has an alcohol tolerance that you want.

 

[ifearnothing0]

Well , the Montrachet that I used got me up to 10.9 - 11 % .. But the dextrose I used left me with no sweetness , I even lost almost all of the fruitiness that I'm looking for .. Wondering if I can back sweeten it somehow without restarting fermentation

 

[podz]

Well , the Montrachet that I used got me up to 10.9 - 11 % .. But the dextrose I used left me with no sweetness , I even lost almost all of the fruitiness that I'm looking for .. Wondering if I can back sweeten it somehow without restarting fermentation

I believe that yeast will reach 15% or so...

 

[ifearnothing0]

That's the stats I read on it , the alcohol is actually the only prob I'm not having lol .. I need more flavor without going too sweet

 

[ifearnothing0]

I know the way I've been doing it def isn't the proper way to do a wine by any means , but I'm just trying to have some fun with out spending too much money (and not skimping too much ) .. I have the alcohol content I want , just looking for a bit more taste