Day 1-5 for Fermentation

[Donon]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I live in CT and just started the adventure of making our own wine. We purchased the Master Vintner kit which includes the 6.5 gallon carboy and jug with all the goodies.

For our first wine, we decided on the:

Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Kit - Master Vintner Winemaker's Reserve. We sanitized/cleaned, added the concentrate, topped with water, stirred and then added the yeast.

Our house is set at 65 degrees right now at all times, so we bought the wrap that controls the temperature from midwestsupply and set it to 72 degrees.

The first 24 hours was fermentation craziness. We had an airlock that kept getting filled with the foam, it looked like our 6.5 gallon jug wasn't holding the expanding foam well. Instead of cleaning the airlock every 15 minutes, we just took it off and placed a cloth over the top and that seemed to control the foaming. We were worried because it was almost time to go to bed and didn't want the airlock to clog and start "Spitting" like it was.

We woke up next morning to almost no foam, but the "bubbling" was still active. It looks like I would describe as a carbonated beverage bubble(not as extreme). We tested the gravity and it remains at 1.085 as it did on day 1. It's only been roughly 30 hours, so we still have time. The temperature also read 78 degrees, which is very weird since the wrap is set to 72... so we lowered the wrap to 70 degrees in hopes that it lowers to a more reasonable level around 74.

My question is, are we on the right track and now that the foam is gone, should I add the airlock back instead of the cloth for the next couple of days? The kit says this should take 1-5 days to hit the next step before we rack. Did the temperature being at 78 for 24 hours ruin the yeast and kill it?

Thanks for looking at my question, hopefully we are okay.

 

[1d10t]

Yeast generally prefer it around 95 to 100F so they are fine. 78F is not an unreasonable temperature for this process. The little holes in the top of the airlock are not sufficient size to release all of the gas. Sometimes I'll airlock a beer and leave the little snap on cap off for a while. You might get bugs with this method. Mine is in an old fridge and I use sanitizer in the airlock so usually no bugs and if there are the sanitizer helps in case of 'suck back'.

 

[Donon]

Is leaving a cloth on top fine as well? The guy in the wine making video and instructions stress 5x how crucial the temperature is during this step and ideal temp is 70-75 degrees.

Your reassurance is helpful.

 

[Scooter68]

Generally speaking airlocks are not needed nor helpful during the first days of fermentation. General process that works best is to ferment in a bucket. While in the bucket you can fit the plastic lid on it either loosely and cover with a towel OR just cover with a towel and tie it down to keep out dust, fruit flies and pets. Once the SG drops to 1.020 AND foaming drops off. If the ferment is still creating a lot of foam at 1.020 leave it in the bucket until the foaming drops off OR the SG stops dropping. Be aware that sometimes when first racked a 'quiet ferment' will suddenly start foaming again for a an hour or more. In that case put a towel on the top again until the foaming drops off again.

Once the SG is below 1.020 AND foaming has dropped off - At that point rack the wine into a carboy and put an airlock on it.

By the way tempurature is NOT terribly critical once fermentation has started. Wines will ferment just fine between 65-80 degrees. WHITE wines should be fermented slowly and at the lower end of the temperature range to preserve their more delicate flavors and essences.

One more thing - Be very careful in listening to Youtube videos. ANYONE with a smartphone can create a video on any subject with zero actual skills on a subject.

 

[Donon]

Thanks Scooter, I was watching the video that came with the Master Vitner kit.

We are excited. How long should we normally expect for the SG to begin to drop to 1.020? We've been reading and it seems like it is such a variable time frame.

 

[Scooter68]

Wamer temps will speed up most fermentations but that doesn't always work. It takes the time it takes. Unfortunately that's the challenge of wine making. The conditions of the wine must, the environment and the condition and type of yeast all play a part.
Best bet is to check every other day unless it's fermenting fast. Hardest part of all of this is the waiting time. Once fermentation is over you still have another 9-12 months before bottling time. Kit makers try to sell you on having wine to drink in 6 weeks or less... but that just mean's it qualifies as wine and it is 'drinkable' not neccessarily truly enjoyable.
Two key factors on bottling time are when the wine is perfectly clear and secondly when it is completely degassed. If you properly age it 9-12 months both of those conditions should be met with no problem.
Oh and as to when the fermentation is actually finished - most folks go on the rule of thumb - "When the SG doesn't change for after at least 3 days." Otherwise if the SG hits .990 it is done fermenting move on to the next steps of racking and aging it.

 

[Donon]

Thanks Scooter, look forward to contributing to the community and I am sure I will be back with questions.

 

[ras2018]

Only thing I would add is that you should probably get a 7.9 gallon primary fermenter as opposed to your 6.5 gallon. You’ll have a lot more room for foaming. I ferment under airlock in a 7.9 and don’t have issues. The other thing I would add is that fermentation generates its own heat so whatever setting your brew belt is, expect at least and extra degree or two above that on average.

 

[Donon]

Dumb Q... do I place the thermometer thing in the actual liquid? Or should I keep it in the air next to the unit?

This is what I use, I have it set for 72 degrees, but when I test the liquid it comes in at 78-80:

https://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/fermentation-kit

 

[ras2018]

The temperature probe should be in the liquid.

 

[1d10t]

Dumb Q... do I place the thermometer thing in the actual liquid? Or should I keep it in the air next to the unit?

This is what I use, I have it set for 72 degrees, but when I test the liquid it comes in at 78-80:

https://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/fermentation-kit

That looks like a submersible probe but I'd check with the seller to make sure.

 

[Donon]

Thanks guys, I will throw it in there.

To add, when I first measured the SG, it reads 1.090. Does that mean my Alcohol content will be 13%?

 

[mainshipfred]

If you take your starting gravity minus the finish gravity and multiply by 131 you will get close to the potential alcohol. Not sure if it's 100% accurate but it should get you close enough. So if you end up finishing at .995 you will have a potential of 12.44%.

 

[skyfire322]

First off, welcome!

In regards to yeast and foam, Scooter is right in saying temperature, yeast strain, and environment all play a role in healthy fermentation. To piggyback off that, one tip I can offer is to consider going to the yeast manufacturers website and reading the specs. Most list foam production, optimal temperature, alcohol tolerance, etc. Some yeast strains will be moderate to high foaming, while others are very low.

 

[Rusty Nesmith]

Dumb Q... do I place the thermometer thing in the actual liquid? Or should I keep it in the air next to the unit?

This is what I use, I have it set for 72 degrees, but when I test the liquid it comes in at 78-80:

https://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/fermentation-kit

I put the temperature sensor between the elastic band and the bucket. Every time I would check the temp it matched the temp on the controller.

 

[bshef]

I may have missed this in the thread; anyway fermentation creates heat so the temperature of the must (juice) will be higher than the air or the temperature you set on the brew belt. Heat is a sign of active fermentation.

 

[Donon]

The set temp never is showing 72.. but the temp with the probe in the liquid reads 80. I cannot get the actual wrapping around the tank to cool down the vessel. It just remains hot, I have unplugged it, put the plug into the cold... and it just remains a steady heat maintaining 80 degrees. This thing doesn't let it drop below, I don't know what I am doing wrong. The heat variance thing is set to 2 on each, so it should be within 2 degrees

 

[sour_grapes]

When yeast are actively fermenting, they are giving off heat. (I.e., it is an exothermic reaction.)

Think of a bunch of people doing calisthenics in a small room...

 

[Donon]

Okay, I just need to be patient. 2 days ago it measured 1.090, today it measured 1.050, we are on the right track.

 

[Johnd]

Just for the record, wine yeasts do not prefer temps in the 95 - 100F range. Such temps may kill the yeast and / or cause stress and off tastes in the wine. Check the preferred temps for your selected strain, and strive to be in the neighborhood.