Getting the answer you want fast!

[Generaldisorder]

oh yeah Paul forgot to ask what is a Pearsons Square? I am sure my granny never used one haha

 

[sour_grapes]

At the risk of saying things that are obvious to you, let me review the process. Water has a SG of 1.000. When you dissolve sugar into it, the SG goes up; for winemaking, one usually gets the SG up somewhere between, say, 1.070 and 1.100. Then you add yeast. The yeast eat the sugar, and convert it to alcohol and CO2. The SG goes down, partly because the sugar has been removed, and partly because the alcohol has a lower SG than water does.

You can estimate the percentage ABV by the formula ABV=(starting SG - ending SG)*131.

I made a must from potato, raisins, barley and demerara sugar.

If you post your EXACT recipe, it may be possible to get at least a rough estimate of the SG.

 

[sour_grapes]

oh yeah Paul forgot to ask what is a Pearsons Square? I am sure my granny never used one haha

Don't be so sure -- your granny was likely more perspicacious than you realize!

Take a look at this document: http://www.northtexaswinemakers.org/Wine/using_pearsons_square.pdf

 

[Generaldisorder]

At the risk of saying things that are obvious to you, let me review the process. Water has a SG of 1.000. When you dissolve sugar into it, the SG goes up; for winemaking, one usually gets the SG up somewhere between, say, 1.070 and 1.100. Then you add yeast. The yeast eat the sugar, and convert it to alcohol and CO2. The SG goes down, partly because the sugar has been removed, and partly because the alcohol has a lower SG than water does.

You can estimate the percentage ABV by the formula ABV=(starting SG - ending SG)*131.



If you post your EXACT recipe, it may be possible to get at least a rough estimate of the SG.

Great Paul Thanks - now you can see why my previous winemaking efforets were very hit and miss. Here goes with the recipe

Brandy and ginger wine
Into brewing vessel goes
1lb Barley
1 lb Chopped raisins
1 lb of old potatoes (with shoots)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
4lbs Demerera sugar
2oz root ginger

Pour on 1 gallon Boiling water and stir until cool then ad yeast starter
After this i placed it in glass gallons with airlocks and a heater at 20c. checked the sg after 20 days which was 1.014
Is this enough for you - i presume you dont need the whole procedure.

I feel confident enough to work out the abvs etc once I have estimated the starting sg.

Once again thanks for your help

 

[Generaldisorder]

sorry forgot to add that i have racked it off the lees now and it fits exactly into a gallon demojohn

 

[Generaldisorder]

sorry forgot to add that i have racked it off the lees now and it fits exactly into a gallon demojohn

Just had another thought haha. Would you mind having a go at determining same with this recipe please:

Ginger Wine

Into 1 gallon of water add:
2oz of well broken root ginger
thinly pared rinds (not pith) of 2 lemons and 2 oranges
Bring to boil and add a good pinch of cayenne

Boil for half an hour and then strain the liquid pouring it onto
3 lb sugar
1lb chopped raisins

add the juice of the lemons and oranges

Cool add yeast and ferment in usuall way

This one is a gallon that currently reads 1.060 but is still fermenting at 20c

Generaldisorder

 

[sour_grapes]

Great Paul Thanks - now you can see why my previous winemaking efforets were very hit and miss. Here goes with the recipe

Brandy and ginger wine
etc.

I think we can focus on just the demerera sugar and raisins. Raisins are about 65% sugar; added to the demerera sugar, that makes 4.65 lbs. sugar. According to Fermcalc, 1 gal water + 4.65 lbs sugar should result in a must with specific gravity of 1.157. This is pretty danged high!

If a must of this SG was fermented down to 1.014, the resultant ABV would be about (1.157 - 1.014)*131 = 18.7%. This is right up agains the limit of any winemaking yeast. (Did you add yeast? If so, which one?)

If all of that is correct, I would say you are in little danger of additional fermentation, that is, I doubt you could get that last bit of sugar left to ferment, even if you wanted to. Nonetheless, were it mine, I would add enough brandy (determined by the Pearson's Square) to raise it to 20% ABV to be sure.

The only lingering concern I have regards the use of demerera sugar. I don't know if there is a significant amount of non-fermentable solids in that sugar. My calculations assume not.

 

[Generaldisorder]

I think we can focus on just the demerera sugar and raisins. Raisins are about 65% sugar; added to the demerera sugar, that makes 4.65 lbs. sugar. According to Fermcalc, 1 gal water + 4.65 lbs sugar should result in a must with specific gravity of 1.157. This is pretty danged high!

If a must of this SG was fermented down to 1.014, the resultant ABV would be about (1.157 - 1.014)*131 = 18.7%. This is right up agains the limit of any winemaking yeast. (Did you add yeast? If so, which one?)

If all of that is correct, I would say you are in little danger of additional fermentation, that is, I doubt you could get that last bit of sugar left to ferment, even if you wanted to. Nonetheless, were it mine, I would add enough brandy (determined by the Pearson's Square) to raise it to 20% ABV to be sure.

The only lingering concern I have regards the use of demerera sugar. I don't know if there is a significant amount of non-fermentable solids in that sugar. My calculations assume not.

Thanks Paul thats most informing. I have now learned more from you in 2 days than any wine manual could give and by the time i have googled FERMCALC and read up on Pearsons Square I have no doubt I will be much better informed.

To answer your question - yes I did add yeast it was Gervin 1 in a 5gm sachet and I split this equally between the two brews I made. Again i didnt keep the sachet so I can tell you no more than this link tells:
https://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/g...reen-label-all-purpose-wine-yeast-p-2340.html

I can now work towards calculating the amount of Brandy I add. Question is do I wait for the wine to clear first or add the brandy now as is? Would you add any Campden tablets at this stage

Much appreciate the input

General

 

[Tasha]

Hi, I am a newbie and would like to try doing a batch of Mango wine and Apple wine but I am unsure about which wine yeast To use, can anyone help me please?

 

[Bartman]

Tasha - use the basic Lalvin EC-1118 yeast. Your local home-brew store (LHBS) should carry it. It's the most reliable and all-purpose-effective yeast out there.

 

[Tasha]

Thank you Bartman

 

[1stfinger]

Is it important to fill the carboy to the base of the neck? I have about 4" of head space in a 5 gal carboy after my first rack. Should I add sugar, water, yeast nutrient, and yeast to reduce the head space? My SG is at .995 and still fermenting.

Thank you for you guidance.
1stfinger

 

[djrockinsteve]

If it's still fermenting you are fine. Once it's finished, you rack to clear. This is when it must be filled to the knuckle.

Don't add any sugar then.

 

[1stfinger]

djrockinsteve, thank you.
What should I add to bring the volume up when fermentation has finished?

 

[djrockinsteve]

You will add a little Sparkolloid, Bentonite or whatever clearing agent you plan to use.

The remaining space needs to be filled. Do you have any more juice? Usually to end with 5 gallons you start with 6 gallons.

Marbles, glass item can carefully be added to fill space.

 

[1stfinger]

Best time to degas and add fining agent

What is the best time to add fining agent? Should I clarify my wine before degassing and stabilizing or after? I need to know the proper order of these steps. Can someone please put degassing, fining, stabilizing, and bottling in order for me.

 

[sour_grapes]

I make kits, and so I do these steps in the order called for by the kit instructions: degas, stabilize, and fine (in that order) but essentially contemporaneously. Then I age for as long as I can in the carboy (normally ~4 mos.) before bottling.

In particular, note that your wine will not really clear until it is degassed.

 

[Arieh]

Hi Wade,

Glad to have just joined this forum...

I crushed just over 100kg Merlot last Thursday to yield 82l: Brix 23; pH 4.2. The grapes had come in fridge trucks from Puglia, Italy (2-3 days) but looked healthy so I was a bit taken aback by the high pH, although they did have a heat wave of a summer. Anyway, I guess I panicked and added 18g K meta (125ppm by my calc) and then cold soaked at around 5c, stirring 2/3 times a day, until today (Sunday).

Today I managed to lower pH to 3.5 with Tartaric Acid (which I should have done before the K meta!), raised temp to 25c and added Tronozymol nutrient (1 tsp per 4.5l), followed by hydrated Vitilevure MT yeast.

I guess I'll see in the next few days whether this has any chance, but in the meantime I feel sick to my boots about the K Meta debacle. I have an Acuvin testing kit on its way to me but am praying the free SO2 in my must will be just low enough...:0

Any thoughts / help you can give me?

Thanks!

 

[Arieh]

By the way, I addressed the post to Wade but please, anyone else jump in if you're able to advise. Thanks

 

[Boatboy24]

Without an SO2 test, its hard to say. But I imagine after 5 days and multiple stirrings, you may be just fine.