Extra sugar? Fairly urgent

Arne · Nov 28, 2017

Check the s.g. If it stays the same for 3 or more days in a row and is below1.000 it is done fermenting.

Scooter68 · Nov 28, 2017

Using the amount of bubbling in the airlock can be very misleading. The bung/cap may not be sealed fully. The only way to know that the fermentation is or is not progressing is to check the SG. This is especially true with buckets even when the lid is snapped firmly down. ALWAYS use the hydrometer / SG readings to check on fermentation. Especially in the final days when the rate of gas release slows naturally.

Vinoish · Dec 7, 2017

sour_grapes said:
Sounds like they are using the Oeschle scale: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oechsle_scale. If I am right, you just divide the number you read by 1000 and add 1 to it to get SG, so your 85 becomes SG = 1.085.

SG stopped at 0.993-0.994 (-6 or -7 on the Oechsle scale), so I guess there's not a lot of unfermented sugar left!

Surprisingly little CO2 to shake out before the gelatin. Will let it clear now.

sour_grapes · Dec 7, 2017

Vinoish said:
SG stopped at 0.993-0.994 (-6 or -7 on the Oechsle scale), so I guess there's not a lot of unfermented sugar left!

Surprisingly little CO2 to shake out before the gelatin. Will let it clear now.

Good! You made it to the end of fermentation!

Now the hard part .... waiting!

Vinoish · Dec 7, 2017

sour_grapes said:
Good! You made it to the end of fermentation!

Now the hard part .... waiting!

I feel like I almost made it PAST the end of fermentation

*******... 0.993? That's pretty dry for a kit where I added a good 2lbs of sugar to the recipe!

The first time I tried this kit, I let it sit for three weeks (four extra days this time), no extra sugar (2+ lbs/0.5 kg extra this time), and it stopped at just 0.999 SG and just tasted bland from the get-go. This looks more promising!

Vinoish · Dec 14, 2017

Have bottled it, but trying some now. I didn't check the starting SG, but seeing as I added 2lbs of sugar to the kit and the final SG stopped at -7 Oechsle (0.993), it's fair to assume a decent ABV and a wine that will be quite dry when it's matured.

Me, I'll never mature, so I'll have another, please!

Thanks to everyone for their excellent advice. Cheers!