dealing with pulp

[PierreR]

How do you guys deal with a surplus of pulp when racking?
Im doing a apricot from dried fruit, been fermenting hard now, but is quite pulpy. I'll be racking into secondary likely this weekend, and am trying to figure how to reduce the pulp from getting into secondary, floating to the top, and causing a foam over.

How do you deal with the pulp?

 

[Runningwolf]

Put the fruit in a strainer bag before putting in primary bucket.

 

[PierreR]

Thanks for that, although that would have taken care of the issue then, how would you deal with it now? I was hoping the consistancy of the dried fruit would let me get away with the need for a straining bag, and thus reduce contimination by not having to physically handling it to squeeze/massage the bag.

 

[wineforfun]

Thanks for that, although that would have taken care of the issue then, how would you deal with it now? I was hoping the consistancy of the dried fruit would let me get away with the need for a straining bag, and thus reduce contimination by not having to physically handling it to squeeze/massage the bag.

You don't need to always physically handle the fruit bag. I typically use my stirring spoon to "squeeze" the fruit bag up against the side of the primary. Every other day I may physically squeeze it.

 

[PierreR]

Thanks again. BUT...
I have been making wines off and on for 30 years. I have made apricot, peach etc., before with and without the bags. I got these apricots and they were quite firm, I did not anticipate them becoming mush after they rehydrated, or I would have used a bag. Hindsight is 20-20 as they say.
Lets phrase it this way. In the past, under similar circumstances, what tricks have you employed to reduce the amount of pulp going into the secondary fermenter, when you have been faced with an unexpected amount of pulp in the primary?
There are lots of things I can do to prevent future occurances, but can you help me mitigate the issues I have in the current situation?

I have in the past strained through cheesecloth into another primary. And am leaning towards this now. Has anyone found different or more effective solutions?

 

[Thig]

The last couple of times I have made fruit wine I have fermented with the fruit in the primary not in the bag, then when it is ready to get off the pulp I stretch the bag over a second primary bucket and pour the must through it. It accomplishes the same thing without the bag being in the primary the whole time it is fermenting.

 

[wineforfun]

Thig's idea sounds like the ticket.

 

[PierreR]

Agreed. It seems simplest, I use multiple layers of cheescloth, or a couple of bags. Thought I'd check and see if there was something I hadn't thought of. As I mentioned in another post, Been doing this for a while, and just thought of looking for a wine making forum. Was thinking several thousand makers out there, maybe someone came up with a cleaver method.

 

[dralarms]

Place a strainer bag in a bucket, pour wine into bucket, lift strainer bag out and squeeze all the good stuff out of it. WARNING it gets a little messy.

 

[dralarms]

The last couple of times I have made fruit wine I have fermented with the fruit in the primary not in the bag, then when it is ready to get off the pulp I stretch the bag over a second primary bucket and pour the must through it. It accomplishes the same thing without the bag being in the primary the whole time it is fermenting.

Beat me to it.

 

[PierreR]

So my weekend is gonna be nothing short of a nut show, More things to do, than there is time. I decided to get 'er done tonight... What a bloody mess!! I have never had fruit disintegrate to this degree... ever!! Wow! Almost threw it out, but patience prevailed.

I figured I'd leave it elevated for a day, let the cap rise, and some of the sediment settle, then quickly rack off the middle, strain the fruit and done! NOT!This stuff had the consistency of soup, not a nice broth mind you, but a mush of something or other. Ended up using fine mesh cheesecloth, over the top of another primary, a couple pints at a time, but actually had to scrape the cheesecloth with a large spoon to unclog the cloth, and let the must by the mesh. It took nearly 2 hours to strain 23 liters.

Thanks everybody for your suggestions. I guess the way I had been doing things is the simplest way.

 

[I_Drank_It]

Coarse or Fine Mesh Strainer Bag?

I tried making wine this year without putting the fruit into a strainer bag in the primary. I won't do this again. Way more sediment to deal with than I'd like. I think my bags in the past were all fine mesh but I'm not really sure. Would you recommend use of a coarse or fine mesh? Thanks!

 

[ceeaton]

I tried making wine this year without putting the fruit into a strainer bag in the primary. I won't do this again. Way more sediment to deal with than I'd like. I think my bags in the past were all fine mesh but I'm not really sure. Would you recommend use of a coarse or fine mesh? Thanks!

I just did a peach/mango without a strainer bag (too much fruit to start with) so I fermented loose in my 20 gal brute trash can punching it down once or twice a day, when it got down around SG 1.000 I used a strainer to transfer the left over fruit to a paint strainer bag over a 7.9 gal bucket, squeezed the contents, then after tossing those into the compost heap, slowly poured the rest of the contents of the brute into the fermenter with the bag over it. Put it under airlock, when activity ceased, racked last night (SG 1.096) keeping the siphon end up high and tilting the bucket as it got towards the end. Had about 2 inches of fluff that I put into a 3L wine bottle (right). Was hoping to decant some more wine off, but sure doesn't look like that is happening soon. Might put in the fridge and see what happens. Plan on racking tomorrow off of 1/2 inch or so sediment that has already formed into a 5 gallon carboy.

 

[Thig]

Ceeaton I am sure on your last SG reading you meant 1.0096 because 1.096 is probably about where you started. You might add some pectic enzyme if you haven't already to break some of that pulp down. I would give it time and cold crashing will help. From your post count though you have been around here enough to probably know all that. Good luck.

 

[heatherd]

What I do is put an "over the sink colander" on top of one of my white buckets and pour everything through that to rack and when I press. Works with grapes or pulp. These are nice with telescoping arms and stay in place quite well. Saves me from buying tons of mesh bags.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...42ffdf2b744ad8f2c4cbbbcb7e58fbf2o0&ajaxhist=0

 

[montanaWineGuy]

My first apple wine, I sliced up real thin. Lost a lot of liquid before I got it all cleaned up. Gravity did finally finish it up, and it came out as clear and mountain spring water.

 

[PierreR]

So after 3 weeks I have this. There is little visible fermentation happening, will rack today or tomorrow, and use a fine straining bag, or sterilized stocking. Let the pulp drip freely into a small primary, then maybe gently squeeze it. The pulp here is what settled after initial straining through fine cheesecloth. It really hasnt compressed at all in 3 weeks. I made a couple marks on the carboy to monitor, and nearly no visible change. I figure there will be near 1 gallon of lost volume, so am anticipating using a 3, and 1 gallon carboy instead of watering down to top up.

 

[Arne]

Think I would use the same plan as you are with the 3 and 1 gal carboys. Also think I would get it off the lees pretty quick. They can start throwing off flavors. Good luck with it, Arne.

 

[dralarms]

Got to agree with arne. I would rack it off and then run the rest through a cheesecloth. You will still have some drop but thats the effect of using fresh fruits.

 

[ceeaton]

Ceeaton I am sure on your last SG reading you meant 1.0096 because 1.096 is probably about where you started. You might add some pectic enzyme if you haven't already to break some of that pulp down. I would give it time and cold crashing will help. From your post count though you have been around here enough to probably know all that. Good luck.

Actually meant 0.996, woke up Saturday morning with full blown bronchitis. Not thinking as straight as normal.

Yea, I did add a bunch of pectic enzyme at the start and gave it 12 hours before pitching the yeast. The 3L bottle in the fridge is showing promise, maybe a 1.5 pints of liquid now at the top.

Will cold crash the whole batch if it ever gets cold around here...looks like low 70's all week.