# Fermentation will not start



## joeybudd (Feb 13, 2017)

I purchased a 6g juice bucket of Regina Chardonnay juice which had been refrigerated. I came home and let it sit 2 days to get to room temperature. I checked the SG and it was only 1.002. I added enough sugar to bring it to 1.085, pitched yeast and nothing........ so I thought maybe a bad packet of yeast......... pitched another packet..... still nothing.... any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

Joey


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## Ajmassa (Feb 13, 2017)

How long has it been since you 1st pitched yeast?


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## joeybudd (Feb 13, 2017)

Saturday.... Also, temp was 72 and yeast was hydrated according to instructions, LC-1118.


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## stickman (Feb 13, 2017)

I have never seen juice with a 1.002 starting gravity, I suspect it was already near the end of fermentation. I don't think you will get that much additional sugar to ferment without blending several additional pails.


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## Ajmassa (Feb 13, 2017)

How old was the juice? This early spring harvest or has this been refrigerated since fall? If this were me I'd Give it a till Wednesday morning before doing anything irreversible.


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## joeybudd (Feb 13, 2017)

Ajmassa5983 said:


> How old was the juice? This early spring harvest or has this been refrigerated since fall? If this were me I'd Give it a till Wednesday morning before doing anything irreversible.



When you say-- anything irreversible.... do you mean dumping it down the drain?

if nothing happens, I am assuming it is not salvageable, correct?

I am assuming it was this falls harvest as they vendor only have a few left.


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## NorCal (Feb 13, 2017)

As @stickman said, the juice has most likely already finished, before you started. This would explain your starting sg as well as why it won't start. 

Here is a scientific test to check: Drink a large glass, wait ten minutes and see if your head is spinning.


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## joeybudd (Feb 13, 2017)

NorCal said:


> As @stickman said, the juice has most likely already finished, before you started. This would explain your starting sg as well as why it won't start.
> 
> Here is a scientific test to check: Drink a large glass, wait ten minutes and see if your head is spinning.



We sampled the juice and it didn't have an alcohol type taste to it... But shouldn't it have restarted when I added more sugar and yeast?


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## NorCal (Feb 13, 2017)

joeybudd said:


> We sampled the juice and it didn't have an alcohol type taste to it... But shouldn't it have restarted when I added more sugar and yeast?



Yeast can be fickle. While 1118 can get through 18% alcohol, it can be difficult to get started in an environment with even 1/2 that. There are some protocols you could follow, treating it like a stuck fermentation, but given that it is probably at 12% already and you added all that sugar, you are going to be left with a very, very sweet wine.


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## joeybudd (Feb 13, 2017)

NorCal said:


> Yeast can be fickle. While 1118 can get through 18% alcohol, it can be difficult to get started in an environment with even 1/2 that. There are some protocols you could follow, treating it like a stuck fermentation, but given that it is probably at 12% already and you added all that sugar, you are going to be left with a very, very sweet wine.



Thanks for the info... It's still producing some gas as the airlock has the bubble pushed...just not bubbling.... I'm going to continue to monitor and stir... if nothing happens in the next few days I guess its the worst and I will dump....ugh........


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## Tnuscan (Feb 13, 2017)

joeybudd said:


> Thanks for the info... It's still producing some gas as the airlock has the bubble pushed...just not bubbling.... I'm going to continue to monitor and stir... if nothing happens in the next few days I guess its the worst and I will dump....ugh........



Also, some of the s-shaped airlocks have a rough/raised area refered to as flashing. This is where they were joined together, from halves. If so take a knife and scrape it down smooth. Make sure the seal between bung and carboy, and the seal between airlock to bung is airtight.


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## joeybudd (Feb 13, 2017)

So according to the bucket, the starting Brix was 21 which equates to 11% potential alcohol.... I get that LC1118 will go as high as 18% so I should have another 7% to play with.... Just curious on why it has not "restarted"..... If I could just get it down to 1.10-.12 I will be happy... it will be sweeter than I wanted it, but not too sweet.......


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## NorCal (Feb 13, 2017)

I noted the reason it will not restart, it is now a harsh environment. I had a stuck fermentation on a 30 gallon barrel of Zin. I created a new environment and started a separate ferment. I then step fed the stuck ferment into this new environment. Took a lot of effort, but it worked. Here was my process:


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## hypro290 (Mar 2, 2017)

joeybudd said:


> So according to the bucket, the starting Brix was 21 which equates to 11% potential alcohol.... I get that LC1118 will go as high as 18% so I should have another 7% to play with.... Just curious on why it has not "restarted"..... If I could just get it down to 1.10-.12 I will be happy... it will be sweeter than I wanted it, but not too sweet.......



I had the same sort problem but I was a Pinto Grigio and tried (as recommended) K1V-1116 but it might have been too old or just very slow. Did the treatment with new yeast in a jar wit a little sugar. Still wasn't jumping up and down yet. Put it directly into the glass carboy and stirred a few times. Than I was able to get some granulated yeast energizer from my supplier. The fermentation is bubbling away now but I still think it's a slow yeast that I'm used too which is EC-1118. Now I'll wait for a few days until stop and check the hydrometer. After some reading (might have been hear!) some times it can be a slow fermentation and the yeast energizer might have been the capper.


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## soslarry (Mar 2, 2017)

I had the EXACT same problem WITH 3 juice pails in the fall. ( low starting sg that was similar to yours, addition of sugar to raise the sg,etc) I tried to kill off the yeast and pitch new yeast with no results. I tried restarting it as a stuck fermentation with no results. I have since let it sit to see if it would restart on its own. I know it is probably ruined but I was curious to see if it would restart. Additionally, there is a substantial airspace in each carboy.

I also think that the juice had already fermented to its lower so.

I would love to know of any further thoughts.


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## BABRU (Mar 2, 2017)

Don't dump. If too sweet, find someone who has a still.


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## hypro290 (Mar 3, 2017)

Again, I went through this finally with some yeast energizer. It is now percolating fine now. I will now when test it in a day or three but if it's bubbling now; not what was happening before. I got small bag from local supplier (1.99 per bag and lots for a 23 liter carboy) and seems to be working. Try this for example:http://www.eckraus.com/4-oz-yeast-energizer.html and this: https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs...hs-adk-adk_sbnt&hspart=adk&hsimp=yhs-adk_sbnt

I haven't had to deal with this unlit now but apparently works.


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## Turock (Mar 3, 2017)

Unfortunately, often times the easy ways of restarting don't always work. In that case, you'd be smart to listen to NorCal.


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## joeybudd (Mar 3, 2017)

Well, 3 weeks later and SG is down to 1.010 in primary so I racked the secondary. I will let this sit 28 days or so then see where we are at. Still smells and tastes fine. There is hope yet, just a S.....L....O...W batch.


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## hypro290 (Mar 3, 2017)

joeybudd said:


> Well, 3 weeks later and SG is down to 1.010 in primary so I racked the secondary. I will let this sit 28 days or so then see where we are at. Still smells and tastes fine. There is hope yet, just a S.....L....O...W batch.



Not an expert on this joey but after 25 years of winemaking never had an issue like that. When I did my search on the net for exactly that there were some forums (might have been here - I don't have time to search it again) that one guy had the same thing.It took 3 weeks until the fermentation to stop at reasonable level. It worked for him apparently and with my carboy air lock bubbling away in the secondary after adding the yeast energizer. I think it will work fine - but we'll see.Tossing it if it's slow should be a last resort I think.


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## soslarry (Mar 4, 2017)

Can you explain? My juice has now been sitting in carboys with air locks for 2-3 months without being topped off. Haven't tasted it yet and don't know if it would be safe to drink.


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## Tnuscan (Mar 4, 2017)

soslarry said:


> Can you explain? My juice has now been sitting in carboys with air locks for 2-3 months without being topped off. Haven't tasted it yet and don't know if it would be safe to drink.



Hi!

I'm thinking a few of you have purchased pails that may have gone thru fermentation. These should not have * "low starting values"* as you are calling it, to my knowledge, no pails do.

If you have a pail with a sg this low then use the "Re-starting a stuck fermentation procedure", or add nutrients and a small amount of simple syrup *to a small amount of your wine*, to see if fermentation will take off again, then proceed from there. Temps will need to be 70 to 75 degrees.


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