Blueberry wine issues

[Retrah]

I hand picked 15 lbs of blueberries to make my firdt batch of wine. It was no fun picking that many blueberries! I used a recipe from wine makers companion. They said crushing is not needed. I poured one gallon of hot water over the berries as instructed. When the water cooled I added five camdon tablets crushed and waited 24 hours. I then added the rest of the ingredients. I just sprinkled the yeast on top then stirred the mixture. I used 1 pack of Red Star Cotes des blancs yeast as instructed. I added the yeast on 7/20 and today is 7/23 and nothing is happening. I had it in my primary fermentain bucket with airlock. After reading some posts here I took off the lid and covered with a towel. Just want to make sure I am not doing anything wrong or am not being patient enough. Much work in picking these blueberries and worried about my very unactive must. No bubbles after stirring at all, just a bucket of idle blueberries here. Please advise of further actions. I have not used the hydrometer yet as there is no action happening. I have a batch of raspberry wine just bubbling away next to my blueberry batch and it is very bothersome. I am patient but worried.

 

[Boatboy24]

If you have another packet of yeast, you may want to use it. Rehydrate it first by pitching into a cup or two of warm (less than 105F) water with a yeast starter or pinch of sugar and let it sit for 20 minutes. You should see active bubbling in that time. If you do, you know you have a viable yeast. SLOWLY add must to that yeast, a little at a time to bring the temp down, then add it to your batch. Blueberry can be tough to get started.

 

[sour_grapes]

I have not used the hydrometer yet as there is no action happening.

But don't you want to know the starting SG? I would certainly advise taking a hydrometer reading tout de suite.

 

[Retrah]

Took the reading as suggested. I will add more yeast to attempt to get the must started. Thanks for the input folks it is appreciated. This is my eighth batch of wine and I guess I am spoiled as I have not had any problems so far. I guess the problem with this batch is making me a better wine maker as I am learning much about the chemistry aspect. Never worried about it much before. Every batch of wine I have made was very good but perhaps just lucky. Invested in acid testing supplies today. Might turn into a real wine maker after all.

Fermenting is fun!!

 

[dking193]

Wine making is a combination of cooking and chemistry, with lots of experiments. That's why it's so fun.

My first batch of Blueberry was slow to start, and then got stuck at about 8% ABV. Then I researched all I could about unsticking one, tried one method and got it going again but then it died at 9.5%, hydrometer reading of 1.020. It's clearing nicely and will be a bit sweet, just low ABV.

Later tested TA and PH and found it was off. Recipe's you find on web and in books are starting points. I've learned you have to check you must before pitching the yeast to make sure it is in balance.

1. Test TA and PH, then adjust with acid blend if needed
2. Adjust SG with sugar if needed
3. Add nutrient and campden
4. And for Blueberry, most folks will suggest a yeast starter to kick it off

If SG is right, TA and PH in balance, and you use a starter, it should go. Its better to fix it up right before pitching yeast then trying to get a stuck fermentation going again.

 

[Retrah]

SG was way off. Acid was also way off. Adjusted both. Added yeast and awaiting results. I have read that if you adjust acid the PH will take care of itself. Is this true. Will keep you updated on progress. Thanks for the help folks it is so much appreciated.

 

[Boatboy24]

I have read that if you adjust acid the PH will take care of itself. Is this true.

Not exactly, but they are related. I'm not enough of a chemist to explain the difference. (OK, I'm a complete idiot regarding chemistry) In general, if you are driving the TA up by adding acid, you will bring the pH down. But just because one is perfect does not mean the other will be. Probably close enough though.

 

[richmke]

Basically, TA is the measure of how much of an acid you have. pH is a measure of how strong the acid is.

pH--the Other Measure of Acidity

The two measure of acidty are titratable acidity (TA) and the potential of hydrogen (pH). Titratable acidity relates to the amount of acid in solution as a percentage or as grams per liter; grams per liter (g/L) is obtained by multiplying percentage TA by 10, so that a TA of 0.80% becomes 8 g/L. In contrast, pH is related to an acid's strength in solution and is measured on a logarithmic scale; on the pH scale, 7 is neutral, numbers above 7 are alkaline and increase ascending, and numbers below 7 are acidic and increase descending. In other words, a pH of 9 is more alkaline than a pH of 8, while a pH of 4 is more acidic than a pH of 5. Because the measurements are logarithmic, a pH of 4 is 10 times more acidic that a pH of 5.

Although TA and pH are interrelated, they are not the same thing. A solution containing a specific quantity of a relatively weaker acid such as malic will have a different (higher) pH than a solution containing the same quantity of a stronger acid such as tartaric.

The pH of a solution is defined as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration in gram-atoms per liter. Hydrogen ions (H+) are formed when a dissolved acid partially separates (dissociates) into hydrogen ions and and related anions (A-). The concentration of hydrogen ions largely determines the effects acids have on wine. A stronger acid such as tartaric dissociates more than a weaker acid such as lactic. Thus, the effective acidity of a solution depends on the concentration of all acids in the solution as well as their tendency to dissociate hydrogen ions. Effective acidity is measured as pH.

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/acid.asp

 

[Turock]

Follow Boatboy's info on hydrating the yeast before pitching it. Blueberry has natural preservatives which make it difficult getting the yeast going.

 

[Retrah]

Update on the blueberry wine. Pitched yeast as instructed. Was ridiculous careful about adding must to yeast mixture. Added about a gallon of must prior to placing back into the pain in the but mixture I am calling blueberry must. Lo and behold I have an active bucket. It is working. Not as strong as my other batches but it is working. I just want to thank everyone here that so freely offered suggestions. I have learned so much about wine making on this batch that even though it was frustrating I am glad I tried it. I know that with everyones suggestions and my research that I am a better winemaker as a result. Thanks again for being there to help those of us who are learning this hobby. Happy fermenting.

Fermenting is fun!

 

[Rocky]

I have never made blueberry wine but I don't understand the instruction of not to crush the berries. Is this SOP for blueberry wine? How does the sugar get out of the blueberry in any quantity in order to start fermentation? I would have crushed the berries. I have made cherry wine and I crushed the cherries and all went well.

 

[Retrah]

As I posted in my last post; I have learned a lot. One thing I learned was the directions are more a guide than a true blue recipe. Sugar addition is really a guide. Check and adjust should be the rule. For all newbies, research and read. You can save so much trouble by spending a few hours reading and searching the net. This site has a wealth of information for any one making wine. If I ever make blueberry wine again I will crush the berries first. This batch is going to have to be really good for me to do it again. This is my hobby and this particular batch was problematic to say the least. I learned a lot so it was worth the effort this time.

 

[dking193]

I had made several wines and thought how easy this wine making thing is until my blueberry experiment. That was my first stuck fermentation. We do learn more from our mistakes and challenges, so chalk it up to education. Please keep us posted on how it works out.

 

[Retrah]

Update on the wine. Checked SG today and it is at 1.078. A long way to go but it is now active as the raspberry wine was. Just merrily bubbling in the airlock. I think I am winning this battle of the fermenting blueberries!

 

[Retrah]

While reading many post on this forum I read much about F-pack. What is that and what are they used for?

 

[richmke]

While reading many post on this forum I read much about F-pack. What is that and what are they used for?

Winexpert has an "F-Pack" that is used to back sweeten wine. I think it is "f" for "fruit" since it I first saw it with the Island Mist, and it added the fruit flavors. After you ferment to completion and stabilize, you add the f-pack. I have come to discover that the F-packs tend to be too sweet for my taste. So, I add 1/2 the f-pack into the primary, and the sugars are fermented along with all the others, leaving the flavoring behind.

 

[Retrah]

Update on the blueberry wine. Fermentation slowed so I checked SG. It was 1.016. Took all the berries out and crushed them with my press. Took the juice which was about one quart and added back to the must. Then racked into carboy. Put on airlock and fermentation took off like a rocket again. Will rack again when SG gets below 1.00 and will add camden tablets. Just wondering if I should add five or two and a half. The batch was in the fermentor for a long time but I think I won the battle of fermentation. So much great advice from everyone.


Fermenting is fun!

 

[dking193]

Blueberries like very acidic soil and would stand to reason the PH level might be low in your must. The one batch I made had a PH of 3.0.
Have you checked your PH level?
You put 5 tabs in already. Are you making 5 gallon batch?
How long do you plan to wait before you consume?

 

[Retrah]

I checked the acid level but no way to check ph yet. Meter is on my list. I am making a five gallon batch. Will not bottle for a year at least. I am making a five gallon batch.

 

[dking193]

Many recipes call for 1 tab per gallon when you rack. The free SO2 diminishes over time. You could add 2-3 tabs at your next racking, but I wouldn't add every time you rack especially with blueberry. It's not uncommon for Blueberry wine to have PH < 3.0. The lower the PH the less amount you SO2 you will need to preserve it.

Keep us posted and good luck.