Fermentation Temp??

[vscottcolorado]

Anyone have a qucik way to cool fermentation temp down on 3-20 gallon fermentation vessels? Grapes are Cab, Zin, and Shiraz. Temps running 83-86

 

[Dean]

sanitize 2L soda bottles with labels removed, and fill with water, then freeze them. Use them as "ice bombs"

 

[ibglowin]

Yep, ice bombs, (which take time to prepare) or wrap a wet beach towel around your primaries and turn a fan on it for a quick evaporative cooling effect. Should work great in Colorado esp this time of year.

 

[vscottcolorado]

Do you think these temps are 2 high for the first few days?

 

[ibglowin]

They are definitely higher than my 78 for 2 days but not out of line for what I have read about for fermentations out in CA. Some people claim you want those higher temps to get a better color extraction.

I wouldn't worry but would try and cool it down a few degrees say ~80.

 

[vscottcolorado]

Thanks Mike! How are yours coming along?

 

[ibglowin]

You could also run out and get a couple bags of ice and then double or triple bag them in garbage bags (in case of leakage). You wouldn't want the ice to melt and dilute your must for sure.

 

[ibglowin]

Pretty well. I did a final adjustment on the chemistry a few weeks ago and its holding well. Was probably seeing MLF messing with things. I added 40 gms Tartaric and got the pH right at 3.6 and TA is 8.0 G/L.

They have really settled down, have a wonderful fruit aroma. They dropped more sediment when the pH got lowered and I need to finish racking that off and then its into the Vadai for a nice Hungarian Oak bath!

 

[robie]

Hey Scott,
I wouldn't think that 82 to 86 actual must temperature during heavy fermentation is that high. I should ask, though, how active is the fermentation? You got your fresh grapes Saturday, so when did you pitch the yeast?

I really enjoyed helping out at the crush, Saturday, even though I didn't get any grapes, myself.

I envy you; wish I had ordered a couple hundred pounds, especially after tasting your Cab from fresh grapes, which you made just last year. I have yet to taste anything from any of my kits that compares to your one-year old cab and to think what it will be like by this time next year.

Congrats, my friend.

 

[vscottcolorado]

It was great seeing you on Saturday and thanks for again for your help! There are a few bottles already with your name on them!!! Pitch the yeast on Sunday. Used BDX yeast on the Cab and Shiraz and D-80 on the Zin. Opti Red as well as Lallzyme EX prior to pitching. Did a stater with Go-Ferm and added someFermaid-K last night.Things are cooking extremly well. Thinking about picking up a test kit and doing my own testing on acid. Punching the cap 4-5 times a day since yesterday. The Cab is producing a much tighter cap. Punch it and 5 mins. later shoved up again. I'll be calling when I pich up the test kit

!

 

[ibglowin]

Lower 80's is the happy spot for fermenting reds.

Once you leap towards higher 80's then you can add heat in as a stress factor on your yeast.

One more thing, steady temps are always preferred to wild swings when dealing with yeast.

 

[ibglowin]

Oh, and we want pics or it never happened!

 

[grapeman]

I think your temps are in a pretty good range for those varieties. By the time you prepare the ice bombs, you will have slowed down and the temps will be perfect. If you were after a really high fruit forward wine, you would want to be fermenting slower at lower temps. The Brutes help get the temps in that range you have but aren't so big as to create too high of temps. Sounds like you have everything pretty well prepared and under way!

 

[vscottcolorado]

Thanks all...Movedcontainers off the counter onto the floor, concretewhere it is64 degrees. will wait until am and see if temp drops some before ice bombs.
With roughly 325 lbs of grapes (Cab, Zin & Shiraz) going, a WE Chocolate Raspberry Port, 6 Gallons of Sauvignon Blanc Juice, it has almost become a full time job keeping up on everything.
Thanks again

 

[ibglowin]

A very fun "full time" job none the less!

 

[robie]

With roughly 325 lbs of grapes (Cab, Zin & Shiraz) going, a WE Chocolate Raspberry Port, 6 Gallons of Sauvignon Blanc Juice, it has almost become a full time job keeping up on everything.
Thanks again

Do I feel sorrow for you...
Not!!!

Nah, bet you are having a ball... enjoy yourself, my friend.

 

[AlFulchino]

Mike you said :"..... Was probably seeing MLF messing with things. .
.." and "I need to finish
racking that off and then its into the Vadai for a nice Hungarian Oak
bath!"

make sure the mlf is done or the bacteria can get into the wood and cause something you may or may not want down the road

 

[ibglowin]

Sounds good, I haven't seen any bubble activity in several weeks now and I did not add any Malo bacteria as I already had a high pH, low TA juice to start with. Didn't want to move it further that way for sure.

Its clear and seemingly very gas free, much more so than any kit and I have not added any fining agents. Tonight I ran a free SO2 test and got 3 ppm so I added my first shot of sulfite. I have not degassed as it doesn't really seem gassy at all.

 

[Wade E]

Are you going to do a malo test?

 

[ibglowin]

Wasn't planning on it. I would need to pick some test kits up. Will give it a good taste and see how its feels in the mouth.