#11. 3G Dragons Blood.

[vinny]

I was left to myself this afternoon, next thing I knew I was defrosting berries.

I just put a 3 gallon batch of Dragon's Blood in primary. Everyone that has sampled it has thought it is a pleasant easy drinker. Summer is just around the corner, and the quick ferment gives me something to enjoy while everything else I have made works its way to the finish line.

I was planning to get going on the carrot this week, but the carrots are in the root cellar which is dark, musty, creepy, and much farther away than the freezer...

I learned something once again. I was filling my primary with a carboy to get a 3 gallon mark and I dropped her full from 3 feet up.

Riiight onto the granite counter, then into the sink.

They are built tough. The carboy survived and the granite took the damage.. knocked a wee chunk out, but got lucky, no cracks. I have a plan, and was working through ordering a deeper sink for the laundry room so I can set up an area to wash and prep and just leave the mixing and measuring to the kitchen. I guess it just became a higher priority.

If I don't post again, I wasn't forgiven and you should know, I enjoyed you all.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

Whose turn was it to keep an eye on Vinny today ?!

 

[winemaker81]

@vinny, this is your wife's fault. She knows better than to leave you without adult supervision. It's totally on her.

 

[vinny]

@vinny, this is your wife's fault. She knows better than to leave you without adult supervision. It's totally on her.

I confessed and all is well.

I brought up your points and we both agreed I need to make adjustments to the laundry sink, add in counter space and have a safe space for my unsupervised moments.

 

[vinny]

I have 6 kits on the go and a few gallons of country wine left in secondary. I have only bottled Skeeter Pee, Dragon's Blood, and malt hard lemonade.

I followed the instructions for DB pretty well exactly. I took a gravity reading on day 9 in primary and it was 0.994. It had been inactive for a couple days, so I didn't wait to see if it would drop more. I called that done. I racked, degassed with my drill attachment and put it on vacuum for a quick insurance factor.

I added sparkolloid 10 days ago and it is clear.

It has been degassing like crazy. Bubbles running up the side of the carboy and bubbling the airlock once a minute or so. I assume if fermentation wasn't complete it wouldn't clear, but she's clear, clear.

I haven't used sparkolloid enough to know if it's causing the degass. Everything has settled and there are some bubbles coming out of the lees as well as climbing up the carboy.

I am not in anyway concerned, I just don't know the answer. Is the sparkolloid causing normal degass or is there a chance fermentation wasn't quite complete.

If it's normal degassing there is a surprising amount of suspended CO2 left after a quick degass.

I still need to rack again so I will take another reading and see if gravity has dropped at all. Just thought I'd ask cause I don't have enough experience to gauge if this is just part of the process.

 

[winemaker81]

It has been degassing like crazy. Bubbles running up the side of the carboy and bubbling the airlock once a minute or so. I assume if fermentation wasn't complete it wouldn't clear, but she's clear, clear.

What is the SG? If it's below 0.994, then it wasn't done when you thought it was.

If you have any excess CO2, pretty much any solids can affect it. If the ferment was not complete when you degassed, the expelled CO2 was replaced.

As usual ... the "p" word applies ....

 

[vinny]

What is the SG? If it's below 0.994, then it wasn't done when you thought it was.

If you have any excess CO2, pretty much any solids can affect it. If the ferment was not complete when you degassed, the expelled CO2 was replaced.

As usual ... the "p" word applies ....

Never one for maybe's, huh?

I was admittedly being lazy in assuming it was finished... As well as asking the above question.

I just checked SG and it bottomed out at .990, so not quite done. I assumed it wouldn't clear if it was still goin.. Oh, well it's done and clear, and
i have created more questions and answers for myself.

 

[winemaker81]

Never one for maybe's, huh?

Only when the answer is open to discussion.

I just checked SG and it bottomed out at .990, so not quite done. I assumed it wouldn't clear if it was still goin.. Oh, well it's done and clear

There is a difference between "visibly clear" and "not dropping sediment clear". Your wine was the former, and if you bottled it, you'd get sediment in the bottle.

From my POV your questions are great ones, as folks in the future will have the opportunity to learn from this thread.

 

[vinny]

I plan to filter this batch. I am curious to see if I can filter out enough suspended yeast to be able to back sweeten without sorbate.

I can't help myself. I'm just want to know.

If it ramps back up after back sweetening, I'll dose it with sorbate. No harm no foul, but another 'what if' off the list.

 

[winemaker81]

@vinny, search the forum regarding filtration. Commercial wineries do sterile filtration, but I'm unsure if the filters available for home use are good enough.

 

[vinny]

@vinny, search the forum regarding filtration. Commercial wineries do sterile filtration, but I'm unsure if the filters available for home use are good enough.

I have done quite a bit of digging on this. 0.5 micron is required to completely sterile filter the wine, but there is no guarantee that available filters labelled sterile will work. Many are not absolute at .5 micron. Often they are labelled sterile with a range between .5 to 1.5.

It's a cheap experiment. Filter packs cost $3 for a triple pack. I am going to use the Buon Vino mini jet, filter with number 2 first, then finish with sterile pads.

This way I can note clarity improvements, colour retention, and see if I can identify filter shock or detrimental effects while also gauging if it is something I am interested in doing to my kits. Using DB I'm only playing with a $20 batch instead of assuming filtering is only going to improve my expensive kits.

Plus I get to answer the question I have seen many ask, can you make wine without the chemicals?

I have stopped using the k meta/sorbate packs in kits and just add k meta if they don't have a reserve pack. I don't see the point in risking a wine to avoid a small amount of sulphites, but I might try a quick drinker one day without k meta just to see how long it will last.

 

[winemaker81]

It's a cheap experiment. Filter packs cost $3 for a triple pack. I am going to use the Buon Vino mini jet, filter with number 2 first, then finish with sterile pads.

Yet another good experiment!

I have stopped using the k meta/sorbate packs in kits and just add k meta if they don't have a reserve pack.

Ditto. I have quite a few packs in the drawer, which I'll toss if I don't use them after a year or so.

 

[Frankie1048576]

I was left to myself this afternoon, next thing I knew I was defrosting berries.

I just put a 3 gallon batch of Dragon's Blood in primary. Everyone that has sampled it has thought it is a pleasant easy drinker. Summer is just around the corner, and the quick ferment gives me something to enjoy while everything else I have made works its way to the finish line.

I was planning to get going on the carrot this week, but the carrots are in the root cellar which is dark, musty, creepy, and much farther away than the freezer...

I learned something once again. I was filling my primary with a carboy to get a 3 gallon mark and I dropped her full from 3 feet up.

Riiight onto the granite counter, then into the sink.

They are built tough. The carboy survived and the granite took the damage.. knocked a wee chunk out, but got lucky, no cracks. I have a plan, and was working through ordering a deeper sink for the laundry room so I can set up an area to wash and prep and just leave the mixing and measuring to the kitchen. I guess it just became a higher priority.

If I don't post again, I wasn't forgiven and you should know, I enjoyed you all.

The minute the other half comes back, show them the broken granite and ask them what the f*@k happened here! When they deny all knowledge just say... "it's not important, at least you weren't hurt, don't worry, I will fix it asap." They will never suspect anything. Unless they know your password and see your posts! And while you are fixing it say, "Be a dear and run down to the cellar and get me some carrots" All problems solved!

 

[vinny]

The minute the other half comes back, show them the broken granite and ask them what the f*@k happened here! When they deny all knowledge just say... "it's not important, at least you weren't hurt, don't worry, I will fix it asap." They will never suspect anything. Unless they know your password and see your posts! And while you are fixing it say, "Be a dear and run down to the cellar and get me some carrots" All problems solved!

I like how you think!

 

[heatherd]

I just checked SG and it bottomed out at .990, so not quite done. I assumed it wouldn't clear if it was still goin.. Oh, well it's done and clear, and
i have created more questions and answers for myself.

0.990 is done, actually. That's when I add kmeta and rack to a carboy.

 

[vinny]

0.990 is done, actually. That's when I add kmeta and rack to a carboy.

That was bad grammar.

It bottomed out at .990 after I assumed it was done at .994. So, not quite done when I racked and cleared.

You did inspire another question, though. Thanks