2015 Holiday Wine Brewing Project

[HomeCraftingHobbyGuy]

Hey guys so i started my project just this morning and am very excited.
I wanted to make a topic to keep people encouraged and follow along with me on my road to the perfection of the brew.

I had a topic i started before to get some tips and advice and got my last supplies in the mail the other day, I wasnt sure how long it would take for the sugar cane to arrive but it was earlier then expected and i could not resist but start this weekend.

I cleaned my closet and found 2 empty glass carboys plus the one i ordered and to my delight i also found 2 other carboys with wines i made in the past and some what left them there for a indefinite amount of time.
One was my very first strawberry wine and the second was my banana that i made using red banana.

Anyways i got everything prepped and began.
For this years project i have several wines i will be making.
Prune juice wine, Tart cherry wine & Pineapple wine. I also plan on making a mead that i might mix and incorporate all these or just one wine too, to try something new and experiment with flavors of different fruit wines and honey. This is very exciting for me and hope you guys are just as excited.

I started off with the Organic prune juice where i had 4 quarts.
I poured 3 into my carboy and took a gravity reading of just the juice and it was at 1.080 (11% Alc). I then added Organic sugar cane roughly half of a bottle which would be 1.5lb. I took another gravity reading and was surprised a bit to find out it had skyrocketed to 1.140 (20% Alc). I added about 1/3 of the last quart of juice and rinsed all the bottles and wine thief with a touch of water and added that. I took a third gravity reading and was now at the sweet spot i was aiming for 1.130 (18% Alc). Tho i would of been happy to get it a bit lower and add more sugar throughout the fermentation.

Next juice i use for wine i will make sure to add less then the 1.5 lb.

So i then added some kmeta and put on the airlock and will add the yeast tomorrow and see how the fermentation goes.
Wish me luck.

Heres some pictures of what i did today and of my raw honeys i found and wines i previously made. Enjoy
And I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving this week.

Preparing

Juice gravity reading

Finished

Wine made previously

Honeys

Honeys clarity

 

[HomeCraftingHobbyGuy]

Sorry guys for the pictures i do not know why they are all horizontal, They were all vertical before uploading.

 

[sour_grapes]

So i then added some kmeta and put on the airlock and will add the yeast tomorrow and see how the fermentation goes.
Wish me luck.

Okay, good luck!

What kind of yeast are you going to use?

A couple of comments, if you will indulge me: I don't know much about prune juice, but I might suggest adding some yeast nutrients so you don't wind up with a rotten-egg smell from stressed yeast. Also, it seems to me if your fermentation is vigorous, you may overflow that jug. You may want to put the jug in a pan or something to catch any overflow.

 

[HomeCraftingHobbyGuy]

Okay, good luck!

What kind of yeast are you going to use?

A couple of comments, if you will indulge me: I don't know much about prune juice, but I might suggest adding some yeast nutrients so you don't wind up with a rotten-egg smell from stressed yeast. Also, it seems to me if your fermentation is vigorous, you may overflow that jug. You may want to put the jug in a pan or something to catch any overflow.

Ahh, yes thank you. I was going to order fermaid k but was unable to get any from my supplier, luckily i do have some regular yeast energizer and will use it.
Definitely dont want a rotten egg smell.
I am also using Wyeast 4946 which has this description- ""Formally knows as Wyeast 4946 Zinfandel, this yeast strain has dominating, strong fermentation characteristics. Alcohol tolerant to 18% (v/v). Ideal for Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Syrah, or any high sugar must. Good choice for restarting stuck fermentations.""

These packets of yeast are pretty big, they say they are good for up to 6 gallons of must.
I guess if i wanted to save some and not use all of it at once i can disinfect some test tubes and pour the remainder in them and store in fridge?
I will only be using 3-1 gallon to inoculate with the yeast so i would still have enough to save unless i use double the volume that is recommended.

 

[HomeCraftingHobbyGuy]

Where is everyone, lol
I was hoping to get more support from this wine forum.

I wanted to keep updating you guys along the ways.
I prepared the organic tart cherry and the organic pineapple and both have been treated with k meta. In a few hours i will be adding my wine yeast and see how the fermentation goes.

Heres a picture of the pineapple, looks and smellys amazing, cant wait for it to ferment and mature.

I forgot to take a picture of the cherry but i guarantee it looks and smells just as good, i wonder which will be my favorite once done.

More pics and updates to come.

 

[HomeCraftingHobbyGuy]

If you guys have any suggestions how to rotate these images so you dont have to break your neck to see them, let me know.

I tried my italian floor corker and am super happy, was soo easy and cant wait to get bottling and put some fresh labels on.

Oo yeah and the pineapple juice gravity reading was 1.055 and the tart cherry juice was 1.052.

 

[Stressbaby]

Where is everyone, lol
I was hoping to get more support from this wine forum.

HCHG,

I love your enthusiasm! However, it is a little hard to follow what you have done, what are doing, and what your goals are.

So far what I see is that you are making prune juice wine with target ABV of 18%, along with pineapple and cherry.

I see two half-full carboys which I assume are strawberry and red banana, but not sure which is which.

I think you might get more support and feedback if we could tell exactly what you are doing and what sort of end product you are after.

 

[Arne]

If you are going to do the high alcohol ferments, from now on I would be sure to have some nutrient on hand when you start. The higher alcohol will tend to stress the yeast and the nutrient helps keep it happy. Also make sure you manage the temperatures with the high alcohol. When going that high it is easy for it to stick the ferment. I would probably recommend step feeding the higher alcohol ferments. (Start out with a lower s.g. and add the sugar as it ferments down.) Good luck with it, Arne.