Fermentation Question

[Wade E]

Wine flags across the world at 1/2 staff please!

 

[bfonta000]

i did take a reading, no change, if anything it went up and not down...oh well, I am just gonna wait till the fall and make a hard cider

 

[countrygirl]

i did take a reading, no change, if anything it went up and not down...oh well, I am just gonna wait till the fall and make a hard cider

sounds delicious! i am planning a spiced apple wine. getting apples in the freezer and ready! be sure and let us know how this goes. i love cider

 

[bfonta000]

freezing apples first? I am gonna goto my local orchard and get fresh squeezes cider as my starting point

 

[Wade E]

Make sure the fresh pressed you get is untreated.

 

[kegmeister]

natural source of pot. sorbate

I havent made blueberry wine personally but I understand blueberries can contain natural amounts of potassium sorbate, which is used to stabilize (read kill yeast off in) wine. I am not sure what chemical you could use to remove or counter the natural sorbate in the berries. It sounds to me that this is exactly what your problem was however.

 

[Wade E]

Actually its Benzoate not sorbate but same principle. There isnt really a chemical that can be added to negate this but making a strong yeast starter and feeding the yeast god with nutrient and energizer usually works well.

 

[bfonta000]

untreated how? I thought fresh pressed is watching them load apples in and watching them press the 5 gallons for me.