First Batch

[southlake333]

Good choice, I like Dave's recipe much better than standard Skeeter Pee (but both are great).

 

[tatud4life]

Cool! I have everything except for pectic enzyme. I'll be getting it tomorrow when my local winery opens up. . Then it begins!!!

 

[tatud4life]

I believe it is starting to clear. There is a lot of sediment at the bottom and the top isn't as cloudy as it was Friday.

 

[southlake333]

So, how is your pee looking? Both my regular pee and lemon/lime pee are clear and ready for bottling as of today. Now I just have to figure out which concentrates to use for backsweetening with which batch!

 

[tatud4life]

I think I didn't get the sparkolloid hot enough before I added it. It is clearing and I have about a week left to wait. Hopefully, it will be clear by then so I can rack it and backsweeten. We will see. My quad berry batch is really rolling now. I tasted it last night and it is wonderful!!!!! It might actually catch up to my first batch.

 

[DirtyDawg10]

Awesome! I racked, stabilized and degassed mine this morning. It smells delish! I couldn't believe how much of the 6lbs of fruit had been consumed by the pectic enzyme. I'm looking forward to bottling this one.

 

[dangerdave]

Yea, the pectic enzyme really eats up the fruit. I think it is the key to making really fruity pee. I'm very glad the Dragon Blood method is working well for everyone---else you'd all be cursing me!

 

[tatud4life]

Lol! I checked it today and it is already down to 1.041!!! Much stronger fermentation than the original. I took a sip yesterday and, if it tastes like that at the end, I can see many hammered evenings in my future!!!

 

[tatud4life]

Racked after 2 weeks and still not clear. Would it be ok to add more sparkolloid? Or should I just leave it alone and wait?

 

[dangerdave]

That's usually a CO2 problem. Is it clearing at all? How about a picture.

 

[tatud4life]

It had a lot of sediment in the bottom. It looks like it cleared some, but it seems to have stopped.



Here you go buddy!! If it is a CO2 problem, what can I do to fix it?

 

[dangerdave]

Ah, that should be clearing up by now with the Sparkolloid you added. I've had three batches that refused to clear. They were as follows...

1) was from CO2 from insufficient degassing. Stick your sanitized spoon handle a short ways into the wine and see if bubbles form on it. You'll be able to tell. If it's CO2 then it needs to be degassed again, more thoroughly.

2) was from suspended yeast particles, from my poor racking technique. It smelled like fresh bread. I redosed it with Sparkolloid and it cleared within days.

3) was from pectin haze, from forgetting my pectic enzyme. There is a test for this wherein you add a tbsp of the wine to about 50ml of denatured alcohol ("rubbing alcohol" will do) and look for tiny protein strings or white fallout to indicate pectin haze. Add pectic enzyme at 1/2 tsp per gallon (you can add up to twice as much for troublesome haze). If you have the enzyme but are unable to test, toss it in anyway, it wouldn't hurt. Pectin haze is the most common cause of cloudy wine. I add one tsp to my lemon skeeter pee fermenter even if I'm not adding other fruit.

Good luck, Marc! You'll get it! Never give up on the wine. I have yet to make a batch I couldn't salvage from the brink.

 

[tatud4life]

Thanks Dave!! I'll check tomorrow after I mow 8 yards. I would check tonight, by I'm too tired. Worked graveyards last night, mowed 3 yards this morning, and I haven't had a nap yet. I'm going to bed. Lol. I didn't noticed a bread smell. The recipe didn't call for any pectic enzyme so I doubt it is that. If no bubbles form, I'll go with option number 2 and add another dose of sparkolloid.

 

[tatud4life]

Thanks Dave!! I don't recall a bread smell when I racked it today. I'll check tomorrow when I get home from mowing. The recipe didn't call for pectic enzyme so I don't think that is the problem. If no bubbles form, the I'll go with option number 2 and add another dose of sparkolloid.

 

[dangerdave]

The recipe didn't call for pectic enzyme so I don't think that is the problem.

And yet that is the most common problem with cloudy wine. It's because the recipe did not call for pectic enzyme that I would lean that direction. But you check it out and let us know.

Good luck, my man! Get some rest!

 

[oldwhiskers]

I have started adding pectic enzyme to everything I make at the beginning, way easier on the front end. With the normal Skeeter Pee recipe, mine does have a gathering of some stuff on the top 12 hours after adding the pectic enzyme. I have been stirring it in and adding the yeast at that point.

 

[tatud4life]

Cool!!! Thank guys!! I will add pectic to my next batch. I would say that you're right Dave. How much pectic do I need to add? The same amount as for the Dragon's Blood?

 

[tatud4life]

I checked the batch today and it's still cloudy, so I put y spoon in and no bubbles. Since there isn't a bread smell, I assumed that it was pectic haze. I know. I know. I know what happens when you assume, but that was the only option left. I added 1/2 tsp of pectic enzyme per gallon for a total of 3 tsp. I hope this works!!!

 

[dangerdave]

That sounds good, Marc. Hope that solves your problem. Keep us posted!

 

[tatud4life]

Me too!! If this doesn't work, I may throw another dose of sparkolloid in and see what that does.