Fermentation Advise, leaving town.

[Gill]

4th kit, and haven't had this issue before. I'm 10 days into primary fermentation (Merlot kit) and it is only barely bubbling, kind of sounds like Rice Crispies if listen to it closely. My basement is 68 degrees. I removed the air lock and lid to allow oxygen, and covered the opening with a paper towel. I also put a blanket around the PET fermentor hoping it would help.

I leave town tomorrow for five days. I ordered yeast nutrient that my wife could add while I am gone.

What do I do, seeing how I'm 10 days in, and I have to leave town??

Thank you!!

 

[Johnd]

4th kit, and haven't had this issue before. I'm 10 days into primary fermentation (Merlot kit) and it is only barely bubbling, kind of sounds like Rice Crispies if listen to it closely. My basement is 68 degrees. I removed the air lock and lid to allow oxygen, and covered the opening with a paper towel. I also put a blanket around the PET fermentor hoping it would help.

I leave town tomorrow for five days. I ordered yeast nutrient that my wife could add while I am gone.

What do I do, seeing how I'm 10 days in, and I have to leave town??

Thank you!!

Hard to give advice without some basic info.............starting SG and current SG would be the most useful, since we measure fermentation with that unit in lieu of time.

 

[Gill]

Hard to give advice without some basic info.............starting SG and current SG would be the most useful, since we measure fermentation with that unit in lieu of time.

So, my fault, I did not take the initial gravity. I won't make that mistake again. My current gravity is 1.080. My kit states that the target is 1.010 by the end of the second fermentation. I put the airlock back in, and gas is released every 5 seconds.

Thank you for the response.

 

[SpoiledRotten]

What are your choices since you’ve started this and HAVE to go out of town? Let it run its course and hope it’s ok when you get back. You stated that you removed the airlock, but for primary fermentation, I don’t put an air lock on, anyway. That might have a little to do with slow takeoff on ferm. Paper towel verses dish towel or something similar, my choice is dish towel. It will allow plenty of oxygen, while keeping knots, flies, etc., out. Paper towel might fly away on you, leaving the mix fully exposed. With the SG as high as it is now, you should really be ok. Again, your choices aren’t plentiful at this point.

 

[Gill]

What are your choices since you’ve started this and HAVE to go out of town? Let it run its course and hope it’s ok when you get back. You stated that you removed the airlock, but for primary fermentation, I don’t put an air lock on, anyway. That might have a little to do with slow takeoff on ferm. Paper towel verses dish towel or something similar, my choice is dish towel. It will allow plenty of oxygen, while keeping knots, flies, etc., out. Paper towel might fly away on you, leaving the mix fully exposed. With the SG as high as it is now, you should really be ok. Again, your choices aren’t plentiful at this point.

Good to know, I'll use a dish towel then. My previous kits (this one also) stated to air lock it at fermentation. This one just isn't acting like my other 3 kits I've done.

Would yeast nutrients help?

Should I just let it ride until it reaches 1.010, then start racking and clearing?

Thanks so much.

 

[Johnd]

So, my fault, I did not take the initial gravity. I won't make that mistake again. My current gravity is 1.080. My kit states that the target is 1.010 by the end of the second fermentation. I put the airlock back in, and gas is released every 5 seconds.

Thank you for the response.

With a current gravity of of 1.080, you’ve got a ways to go. Based upon its current fermentation speed at 68°F, it doesn’t sound like you’ll have any problems leaving it for 5 days. Just snap your lid down, and put the airlock in place before you leave, in case it finishes while you’re gone. The trapped CO2 will do a pretty good job of keeping it protected in your absence. We’re it my wine, that’s what I’d do, and wouldn’t even be worried about it.

Assess it’s progress when you return, rack on schedule in the 1.000 - 1.010 range.

 

[Gill]

With a current gravity of of 1.080, you’ve got a ways to go. Based upon its current fermentation speed at 68°F, it doesn’t sound like you’ll have any problems leaving it for 5 days. Just snap your lid down, and put the airlock in place before you leave, in case it finishes while you’re gone. The trapped CO2 will do a pretty good job of keeping it protected in your absence. We’re it my wine, that’s what I’d do, and wouldn’t even be worried about it.

Assess it’s progress when you return, rack on schedule in the 1.000 - 1.010 range.

Awesome, thanks for the help. I appreciate it. I learned a couple more things today.

Don't skip the gravity in the beginning.

Use a towel for primary fermentation. I just read on ECKraus that using an air lock can slow it way down.

One day wiser...

 

[KCCam]

When you say PET fermenter, are you talking about something like this?

or like this?

Since you can cover the “opening” with a paper towel, I’m assuming the first one, in which case a towel would be no better, as long as you’ve used a rubber band or something so the paper towel doesn’t blow away or fall off. The second type of fermenter is much easier to use, and would allow more oxygen during primary fermentation.
I definitely agree with the others: leave it alone. It’s sizzling, so it’s fermenting, although slowly. It’s a kit, so there should be no problem with it having enough nutrients. Under an air lock it will be fine until you get back. If the kit fails, and you’ve followed the directions, contact the manufacturer, you might get a free kit. If you start messing with adding your own stuff, you’ll likely be on your own. But I think you’ll be fine.
... My humble opinion.
Let us know when you get back.

 

[Gill]

When you say PET fermenter, are you talking about something like this?
View attachment 63187
or like this?
View attachment 63188
Since you can cover the “opening” with a paper towel, I’m assuming the first one, in which case a towel would be no better, as long as you’ve used a rubber band or something so the paper towel doesn’t blow away or fall off. The second type of fermenter is much easier to use, and would allow more oxygen during primary fermentation.
I definitely agree with the others: leave it alone. It’s sizzling, so it’s fermenting, although slowly. It’s a kit, so there should be no problem with it having enough nutrients. Under an air lock it will be fine until you get back. If the kit fails, and you’ve followed the directions, contact the manufacturer, you might get a free kit. If you start messing with adding your own stuff, you’ll likely be on your own. But I think you’ll be fine.
... My humble opinion.
Let us know when you get back.

You are correct, I'm using the top one, but I just got the bottom fermentor this week for my next batch.

I'll let you guys know what happened next weekend.

Thank You!

 

[Rocky]

You are correct, I'm using the top one, but I just got the bottom fermentor this week for my next batch.

I'll let you guys know what happened next weekend.

Thank You!

That is great. I would pour the wine from the jug fermenter into the new fermenter, add and airlock to the lid, snap it in place and do exactly what Johnd advised. Further, I suggest using the 3-piece airlock style if you have one, because they are better when high volumes of gas are anticipated.

 

[KCCam]

That is great. I would pour the wine from the jug fermenter into the new fermenter, add and airlock to the lid, snap it in place and do exactly what Johnd advised. Further, I suggest using the 3-piece airlock style if you have one, because they are better when high volumes of gas are anticipated.

Yes, what @Rocky said. My primary lids don’t have a holes for an air lock. If yours is the same, I think you would be safe just resting the lid on it without snapping it down. I would give it a good stir with a whisk to get some oxygen into it.

All of this assumes you were correct when you stated your current SG is really 1.080!

Lots of beginners make a mistake with the decimal point.

If your SG is really 1.008 (which is much more what I would expect after 10 days of fermentation) then that changes everything.

If so, don’t whip oxygen into it, and rack it off the lees into a secondary with an air lock.

 

[KCCam]

@Gill , I hope I didn’t insult you calling you a beginner. You said it’s your 4th kit, so I just assumed... Also, not knowing you, I have to ask what might be obvious things to you, just like I ask “Did you reboot it?” or “Are you sure it’s plugged in?” when troubleshooting computer problems!

 

[Gill]

@Gill , I hope I didn’t insult you calling you a beginner. You said it’s your 4th kit, so I just assumed... Also, not knowing you, I have to ask what might be obvious things to you, just like I ask “Did you reboot it?” or “Are you sure it’s plugged in?” when troubleshooting computer problems!

Absolutely no offense at all. Thank you though. I’ve got pretty thick skin anyway.

I didn’t have time to do anything with it before I left for work this morning. It was releasing CO2 about every four seconds last night, so it’s still cooking.

I did take a photo of the reading to make sure I was reading it right.

If I am wrong, please tell me. The level is two marks above the ‘10’, making it 1.080 yes?

 

[Johnd]

Absolutely no offense at all. Thank you though. I’ve got pretty thick skin anyway.

I didn’t have time to do anything with it before I left for work this morning. It was releasing CO2 about every four seconds last night, so it’s still cooking.

I did take a photo of the reading to make sure I was reading it right.

If I am wrong, please tell me. The level is two marks above the ‘10’, making it 1.080 yes?

View attachment 63231

Sadly, no, it’s more like 1.008, which is a far cry from 1.080, and completely opposite advice, at least from me. I’m assuming that you’ve already left for the 5 day trip, so no use fretting over it now.

 

[Rocky]

Yes, what @Rocky said. My primary lids don’t have a holes for an air lock. If yours is the same, I think you would be safe just resting the lid on it without snapping it down. I would give it a good stir with a whisk to get some oxygen into it.

All of this assumes you were correct when you stated your current SG is really 1.080!

Lots of beginners make a mistake with the decimal point.

If your SG is really 1.008 (which is much more what I would expect after 10 days of fermentation) then that changes everything.

If so, don’t whip oxygen into it, and rack it off the lees into a secondary with an air lock.

Great insight, here KCCam. I never considered that the SG reading could be that much in error. I hope he has it stoppered and under airlock.

 

[Gill]

Sadly, no, it’s more like 1.008, which is a far cry from 1.080, and completely opposite advice, at least from me. I’m assuming that you’ve already left for the 5 day trip, so no use fretting over it now.

Well, at least I know I’m completely miss reading the hydrometer. Yeah, I left already.

Any tips I could give my wife? I do have yeast nutrients coming in if that would help.

 

[cmason1957]

Well, at least I know I’m completely miss reading the hydrometer. Yeah, I left already.

Any tips I could give my wife? I do have yeast nutrients coming in if that would help.

No yeast nutrient at this point in time, once the sg gets below about 1.040 you are feeding spoilage bacteria, not your yeast, if you add yeast nutrients.

For help on reading your hydrometer, check out this post, particularly this video:
https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/how-to-read-hydrometer.10346/#post-684651

 

[Rocky]

Well, at least I know I’m completely miss reading the hydrometer. Yeah, I left already.

Any tips I could give my wife? I do have yeast nutrients coming in if that would help.

Gill, do you have the wine in an air tight container with an airlock? If so, it is likely you will be fine until you get back. If not, I would have your wife tightly close the container and add an airlock. By the time you return, the wine should be under SG 1.000 and ready for racking and stabilizing with potassium metabisulfite. The photograph you posted above appears to show an SG of 1.007 so it is still fermenting. Forget about a yeast nutrient at this point. It would only cause you problems. Diammonium phosphate (the principal ingredient) should only be added early in the fermentation process IF AT ALL. Personally, I never use it.

 

[Gill]

No yeast nutrient at this point in time, once the sg gets below about 1.040 you are feeding spoilage bacteria, not your yeast, if you add yeast nutrients.

For help on reading your hydrometer, check out this post, particularly this video:
https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/how-to-read-hydrometer.10346/#post-684651

Thanks for the link, I will for sure.

 

[Gill]

Gill, do you have the wine in an air tight container with an airlock? If so, it is likely you will be fine until you get back. If not, I would have your wife tightly close the container and add an airlock. By the time you return, the wine should be under SG 1.000 and ready for racking and stabilizing with potassium metabisulfite. The photograph you posted above appears to show an SG of 1.007 so it is still fermenting. Forget about a yeast nutrient at this point. It would only cause you problems. Diammonium phosphate (the principal ingredient) should only be added early in the fermentation process IF AT ALL. Personally, I never use it.

Yes Sir, it’s has the airlock in place. This has been a lot of help, so thanks to everyone.

I am curious why the yeast acted differently this time. The same brand of wine, same equipment, same environment.

At least I learned a few more tips.