first wine Panic, help!

[Delldgm]

Help I think I've made rubbing alcohol lol


details of wine
1.8kg plum (satsuma) chopped and seeded
1.2 kg sugar
3.9ltrs boiling water

once cooled added
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 packet EC118 yeast (its what the brew store suggested but starting to regret this after research i think it is not the right one?)

took gravity reading 1.090 -9 april
left for 5 days the gave a shake up and rough racked/strained out the fruit peices
took gravity reading 1.002 - 18 April

now this is where i am now starting to worry. took a first gravity reading to see if it was ready to take off the lease yet, (planned another reading for next weekend - like brian says to leave and keep cheacking)

test 1 gravity 0.920 1 May

yes I checked it 3 times, watch the how to read hydrometer readings videos over and over. now I'm worried. it smells like alcohol and tastes like alcohol. and if i put the sg reading in the calculator it says 22% surely that cant be right. so I wondered if there's a problem somewhere. I am confident my readings are right cause i had a little over kill moment checking and re checking them being my first time. I wondered if taking it in the fruit initially was wrong and should be counting the second reading 5 days later as the starting gravity.

I dont really care about the alcohol content (as long as its safe)i just want it to taste good to drink and right now it tastes like rubbing alcohol lol Help

 

[Bossbaby]

I'm doubt its unsafe, put it on the shelf under airlock rack it off in a couple weeks, do so again in a few months and I'm guessing the flavor will change quite a bit. Time is the next best step..

 

[sour_grapes]

I will bet my bottom dollar that your SG is 0.992, not 0.920. Please watch this and report back:

 

[Delldgm]

I will bet my bottom dollar that your SG is 0.992, not 0.920. Please watch this and report back:

ok so yes Im hoping you are correct. I looked at the video (its one of the originals I had watched.) and yes that's how I was reading it for all the numbers over 1.000 However I did notice there is a difference between the video hydrometer at the top it says 990 mine does not it says 90 (hence the 920). but if I ignore the numbers on mine and actually count the lines as in the video (and above 1) your suggestion of 992 is correct.

excellent 1 problem solved, but I'm still concerned how alcoholy it smells and tastes.

thanks

 

[Arne]

As bossbaby said, let it sit for a while. Next time you taste it, little taste, add some sugar and little taste add again if it helps. Newborn alcohol is pretty sharp, when it ages a bit it mellows out. If you decide to sweeten the whole batch, let it clear then add k-meta and pot. sorbate. This should stop it from refermenting. Arne.

 

[Rice_Guy]

from a food process point of view it is extremely unlikely to have produced toxic levels of rubbing alcohol (methyl). If you had access to a research lab yes there are traces of several alcohols but ethyl alcohol will dominate the metabolism of packaged yeast. Small mixtures happen in all commercial fermentations using commercial yeast.

, excellent 1 problem solved, but I'm still concerned how alcoholy it smells and tastes.

.Starting at April 9th you should expect to have lots of yeast smell, some fruit, some ethyl alcohol but similar to other wines. The taste will become less yeasty with time.
.The next flavor to expect (months) is oxidized ethyl alcohol (acetaldehyde) which I describe as a burn in the back of the throat when you drink it. Wine makers delay this by adding Campden tablets (metabisulphite powder), keeping the head space low and the air lock is never stays removed.
.If you have extended exposure to oxygen expect vinegar bacteria to grow and in a few months you would have the feedstock for salad dressing (balsamic vinegar taste).

All in all alcohol fermentation’s are extremely safe! The flavor issues which happen give yuck reactions but are not toxic.

 

[BernardSmith]

Hi Delldgm, and welcome. No one (I think) commented on you assumption that you had a wine at 22% ABV. Let me say that you do not. If you started with an SG of 1.090 and you ended at 1.000 or lower then the most alcohol you can possibly have produced is about 12 %. You need to have a sense of what is likely before you use any "calculator". And a starting gravity of .090 (ignoring the 1) multiplied by 131 gives you a ball park of 11.79 which is more or less 12%

 

[G259]

I will agree with the above comment. As for only using 1/2 a packet of yeast (and yes, I did that when I started), don't bother! How much does yeast cost? With the possibility of having fermentation issues, it's not worth the risks. Just use the entire package, believe me. I know cost probably isn't the major factor, not having to go to the store more often, yada, yada, yada. Just pick up extra when you do go, and store it in the refrigerator.

While EC-1118 is a workhorse, I might have gone with Red Star Cote des blancs, but it will work.

 

[Delldgm]

I will agree with the above comment. As for only using 1/2 a packet of yeast (and yes, I did that when I started), don't bother! How much does yeast cost? With the possibility of having fermentation issues, it's not worth the risks. Just use the entire package, believe me. I know cost probably isn't the major factor, not having to go to the store more often, yada, yada, yada. Just pick up extra when you do go, and store it in the refrigerator.

While EC-1118 is a workhorse, I might have gone with Red Star Cote des blancs, but it will work.

thanks for the suggestion. I used 1/2 a packet in 2 batches. so did actually use the whole packet. it says for upto 23 ltrs I did 2 x 5 ltrs so just made logical sense. plus when just starting out the $5 i saved on a second packet of yeast was 1/3 of another carboy and getting more equipment to make more seemed like a good idea lol. I will probably from now on just use the whole packet if just making 1 batch.

the red star cote des blanc, is that one you would recomend as a good goto for everything type yeast? I'm on the hunt for one that will be good just to have always lying around to use with whatever glut of fruit I have at any given time.

Thanks

 

[Delldgm]

Hi Delldgm, and welcome. No one (I think) commented on you assumption that you had a wine at 22% ABV. Let me say that you do not. If you started with an SG of 1.090 and you ended at 1.000 or lower then the most alcohol you can possibly have produced is about 12 %. You need to have a sense of what is likely before you use any "calculator". And a starting gravity of .090 (ignoring the 1) multiplied by 131 gives you a ball park of 11.79 which is more or less 12%

this is the sort of Thing I would like to be able to build up in my brain info bank, that instinct of how things will logically progress. I have tried to find a source for basics like what you wrote out above and things like basic sugar is this amount pr kg honey is this , this yeast will eat this much etc. I cant seem to find source of basic beginner information like this . just here's a recipe do this now use this calculator.

Any suggestions for good resource on building this basic information would be great

thanks

 

[G259]

I have found that having a variety of yeast on hand allows me to pick and choose, and also to experiment at times. Kit wines usually ALWAYS come with EC-1118 because #1-They want no problems, #2-They want you to finish quickly, and then buy another kit. You can improve your wine by using another yeast, a search online will give you much info.