Massive Rhubarb Plant

[Wolfpup]

Pheew, thank you. That was getting a bit complicated. So we will put it in the carboy(s) tonight. We don't have to do/add anything else right?

I will take a picture to make sure we did it right.

 

[Wolfpup]

Ok, off to paint some more of the fence.

And before I come in all hot, light headed and headachy... No, it's not a chain link fence that's being stained.

 

[wildhair]

My wine acid elevator speech...I'm simplifying a bit here, but I think this largely works...

pH governs the micro-biologic climate - in other words, pH is what must be in range for yeast and MLB to ferment and how much SO2 you need to keep other stuff from contaminating your wine.

TA is titratable acidity as tartaric. It is not just tartaric but all acids (including oxalic) expressed as tartaric. You can theoretically measure TA as malic or as citric as well, but convention is tartaric. TA is what governs taste. The two tend to move in the same direction but not always. As an example, I had two whites last year, post ferment one had TA 9 and pH 3.4, and the other TA 10 and pH 2.7.

TA is linear; you can add acid and get a predictable linear increase in TA. pH is logarithmic and is affected by all sorts of buffers and other stuff. You cannot get the same predictable changes with acid additions.

Same with calcium or potassium (bi)carbonate. TA linear, pH non-linear. And 1/2 tsp/gal calcium carbonate addition can cause you to overshoot. My final adjustments are more like 1/4tsp/gal or less. Two other quick points - calcium carbonate requires special care post-ferment so most people use potassium carbonate post-ferment and calcium pre-ferment. Also, calcium salt has less effect on pH than the potassium salt so if your pH is already relatively high, but you need to bring the TA down, calcium salt may still be the one to use.

tl;dr - TA is taste, pH is bug climate, measure both.

Excellent info - must be a tall building, tho. LOL
Again - I defer to those more knowledgeable than I. I was thinking - "baby steps" here.

 

[Stressbaby]

Excellent info - must be a tall building, tho. LOL
Again - I defer to those more knowledgeable than I. I was thinking - "baby steps" here.

Yeah probably TMI but I got on a roll.

Wolfpup when you do get the meter get an acid test kit as well and post the numbers here.

As far as tonight, get it in a carboy; you can be a little sloppy this time, it's OK to get a little sludge, that has yeast which will help it finish fermenting.

 

[meadmaker1]

It is as good read. But I agree, first wine. I got a lot out of it so thank you. I myself am playing and paying more attention in this area, trying to find the sweet spot in wines that don't quite measure up.

 

[Wolfpup]

OMG… is this racking a test in marriage stability. 29 years under our belt but this is kind of crazy….

Put the garbage pail on the table, it has to be high.
No, no, it's ok, the chair is high enough.
Table…
No, just the chair please. Come on, hurry, this bucket is heavy.
It's not going to work…
Sure it is.
If there's one thing I do know, it's how to syphon.
I trust you but I've watched lots of videos, CHAIR please.

Ok, now I'm going pull it out and put it in the other jug.
Ok, let's stop the syphoning.
No, you don't want to have to start again.
Sure but I also don't want it all over the floor. I'll just pull this one up.
NO…don't do that we don't want it to stop.

OMG.

There was lots of juice, we don't have enough bottles. He's out there McGivor'ing a lid to fit another bung in into a big jar we have.

Oh boy, this is a bit nerve wracking. Will update when we have this done.

 

[meadmaker1]

Well I am truly proud of you both.
Without any help from us you took charge and are getting it done.
And based on the details in your post you are doing it perfectly.
Lol lack of planning merit badge.

 

[Wolfpup]

Ta Da!



Hee hee. We both read your post and the "proud of both of you" had us high fiving, a nice bear hug and a sweet kiss. We had a good laugh and are breathing a big sigh of relief. Gonna sleep good tonight.

 

[meadmaker1]

Looks good.
Take a deep cleansing breath.
Now is the hard part.
WAITING.
WAITING till you can see through it.
But what to do while we wait?? Bottles, corks, corker.
My favorite kind of bottle is free, free without labels is heavenly. There is a recycling store near me. I crust through now and then. $.25 each often without labels. Selection is random. Your fermenter store will certainly have new ones. They might also rent a floor corker. Find out. Look into your options.
Start planning
Or you story about racking to 40 separate containers will be way more fun to read

 

[meadmaker1]

http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2009/09/rabarberwijn-1-rhubarbwine-1.html
Check this out.
Something to consider for future batches.

 

[Wolfpup]

Oh that sounds good, the fact you say it looks good.

The bottles are full enough? And hubby is going to get another gallon pirate jug for the McGivor'ed one tomorrow. He said the place he went didn't have any 2 or 3 gallon ones. These two little ones were the only off sizes they had.

And yes… planning. Looking back right now, so many things we could have prepared for or done differently. It almost seems like we could have used one of the other 5 gallon ones but there's a lot of calculating with that hey.

Next time, I will measure all the liquids at all the different stages and know exactly how much there is so we have the right size carboys.

And yes, hubby brought a single wine bottle too. They charged a dollar for it but it's completely blank. Interesting, the gentleman he talked to said that Bob is the third person this month, he has talked to, making rhubarb wine. He said he has rhubarb labels too.

So do you put labels on or leave the bottle in the heavenly state? We will keep our eyes open for bottles and a corker. About how many do you think we will need? Something tells me if this continues, we may never have enough.

The recipe says that we have to rack it again 3 weeks. So that is June 18th. Is that correct? And how does one go about doing that. Do we need all new bottles? Bahhh, won't worry about that right now.

Oh, is there a special way that you store this? Does light bother it, like should it be in a closet or something. We could put it in the basement but it's pretty cool down there.

Sure is fun to watch those little water bungs bubble away.

That looks like a great article, my kind of bed time story. Will go read the English part to see what's going on there. Stuff looks frozen.

 

[wildhair]

Congratulations! You can breath a little easier now. Looks good.

Next time, I will measure all the liquids at all the different stages and know exactly how much there is so we have the right size carboys.

This is where a large fermenter is nice - it has embossed markings on the side to let you know how much juice you have.

So do you put labels on or leave the bottle in the heavenly state?

Label them. I make my own, some order them. They can be as utilitarian or as fancy-schmanzy as you want. There is a whole section here on Labels - these are what I use -

https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/post-your-labels-here.31429/page-124#post-688232


We will keep our eyes open for bottles and a corker. About how many do you think we will need?
See attached chart. I have a 2 handed corker that came with my initial kit. Works great for me. I made a bottle holder jig that clamps to a table so I don't have to get my wife to hold the bottles while I cork.

Something tells me if this continues, we may never have enough.
True - it is a constant quest. My wife worked at a hotel - asked the girls that cleaned the rooms to save the wine bottles. Got a bunch. I have a friend whose brother owns a restaurant & catering business - got a bunch there. Ask local restaurants & friends to save them. Last resort, for a Scotsman like me - "sigh" - buy them new by the case. Local is just as cheap as on-line once you factor in shipping.

The recipe says that we have to rack it again 3 weeks. So that is June 18th. Is that correct?
More or less. A month is fine. You'll begin to see a pile of sludge building up on the bottom and the wine will get clearer.

And how does one go about doing that.
Pretty much like you just did. From the looks of it - I would pick up a 3 gallon carboy. When I have a large batch - I will siphon it all back into 1 large container (my big fermenter). The critical thing - try NOT to suck up any of the sludge at the bottom (lees). Here's where different size siphon hoses are useful. The larger the diameter of the hose, the more suction it has. I will use a large hose first, then let it go dry about 4" from the bottom, then siphon the rest with a smaller hose - 3/8" or even a 1/4" hose. That allows me to leave less wine in the bottom with the sludge. I can get within a 1/2" of the bottom before the lees begin to move toward the siphon.
Then I test it (sg, ph, TA - acid test), taste it & decide if I need to make any changes to the whole batch, like reduce acid, add something to improve body, etc.

Do we need all new bottles?
Not really. WASH OUT THE BIG CARBOY AND SMALLER BOTTLES, sanitize them, then siphon it back to the big carboy and other vessels. Put the airlocks back in (after washing and sanitizing).

Oh, is there a special way that you store this? Does light bother it, like should it be in a closet or something. We could put it in the basement but it's pretty cool down there.

Some wines need protection from light to keep the color from fading. Rhubarb wine is a white wine - most of the color will fade on it's own. You can cover the carboys with paper bags or a dark T-shirt if you want.
How cool is "pretty cool"? My basement is about 70 degrees - which is OK from what I am told. Not that I have a choice - that's the only place where the temp is cool and where I have room to store it all. Put it someplace cool-ish, out of the way, but accessible.

Then - about a month or 2 after doing this - re-read this and do it all over again. Then again about 3 months after that. The wine will be getting clearer & there will be a smaller build-up of lees each time.

So you have time to get some bottles & other stuff. Get some books, read up on different websites. You could even get a big fermenter and start a new batch! Maybe..........strawberries will be in season?

 

[Wolfpup]

http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2009/09/rabarberwijn-1-rhubarbwine-1.html
Check this out.
Something to consider for future batches.

Wow meadmaker, that is a great article.

She is a chemist if ever I've read one. Didn't quite understand all her calculations but I can work on it. Sure makes me want to test the acid level in this stuff. Went down all her rabbit holes too

How cool is that de-acidifying process. Freeze the cut up rhubarb. Unthaw and pour juice into bottles that you can destroy (milk jugs) and freeze. Cut off the dark red ice as that's where the acid accumulates.

And her bucket sieve. On the lookout for a compatible sacrificial bucket.

Had a second packet of yeast sitting here. It went straight into the fridge.

Interesting though, her 14 lbs of rhubarb got 4.5 liters of juice, she added 2 lbs of sugar and got 5 bottles of wine, or that's all she showed. My 13 lbs is going produce way more than that and not that that is a good thing but I wonder what that means.

And OMG, every time she said how difficult it was to find rhubarb, my heart ached a little. I just want to box up 50 lbs and send it to her. It sounds like she may be in Germany though, can't imagine the shipping costs on that.

Amazing article, was so much fun reading. Thank you for that. Lots of ideas for my rhubarb batch.

 

[Wolfpup]

Thank you for all the nuanced answers wildhair. It's those little details, from an experienced winemaker, that are so invaluable. Like get the juice back in the big bucket and re-syphon back into existing bottles. Hopefully by that time we will have come up with 2 and 3 gallon carboys. And will definitely look for one of those marked fermenters. That sounds crazy handy.

So according to that chart (now saved on my desktop), if my calculations are correct (and a big chance they aren't) we should get about 35ish bottles?

There's a couple of spaces upstairs that we can store the carboys. One has more light and the other is away from all windows so we'll put it there. T-shirts on the bottles, love it!! Our basement is a steady 50 degrees, unless we put the heat on down there so it's probably best to let it ferment upstairs.

And the labeling, took a look at your post, beautiful looking wine you have there! Going to grab a coffee and delve into that thread. Perfect timing, It looks so interesting right now.

Funny, my hubby is quite a manly man, reminds me a lot of a pirate (my Jack Sparrow). I can just see him slapping a sticky note on the larger pirate jug that says "Mine" and staggering around the yard singing (growling) away to some swashbuckling song that involves … we don't need no stinkin' labels…

He does like it when I get creative and make things pretty though.

There is still so much to learn and do in this month. I'm quite relieved at this point to have the time to get this all organized, for the next few stages. It really is a cool hobby hey, I can see why folks get pretty deep into it now.

Thank you wildhair, off to do some reading.

 

[wildhair]

BTW - avoid the screw-top bottles when you start bottle collecting. While you CAN "put a cork in it" - the glass is thinner than bottles designed for a cork and the neck taper is also not ideal for a cork. So there may be an issue with breakage as you try and cork them or when un-corking if you use a wine screw that pivots on the lip of the bottle. (I've done it - you need #8 corks (#9 is standard for wine bottles), a steady hand a 2-handle wine screw when you go to drink it - but I much prefer bottles designed for corks).

Yes, it is a very interesting hobby if you like making things with your own hands, learning new things & constantly trying to improve on the things you make. You can get as deep into it as time & $$$ allow, or just make a few batches a year for family & friends. Have fun !

 

[Jal5]

Don’t mean to high jack this thread but wildhair can you post a pic of that jig you made to hold the bottle while you put the cork in?
Thx
Joe

 

[Wolfpup]

Please, hijack away. I would love to see it too. A jig that allows his wife to stay away from that part of the process.... yup... all in.

Excellent bottle information wildhair. Will stay away from the screw tops.

 

[wildhair]

Don’t mean to high jack this thread but wildhair can you post a pic of that jig you made to hold the bottle while you put the cork in?
Thx
Joe

Sure - I'l snap a few pic after work.

 

[opus345]

My wine acid elevator speech...I'm simplifying a bit here, but I think this largely works..

OK, my elevator speech is how I can get you drunk on the deck in the sun for about $1.30 a bottle when we are drinking Dragon's Blood!

 

[Wolfpup]

Don't know why I'm so excited but hubby just called and he found a 3 gallon carboy. Said he really likes this new wine shop he found. Apparently they called the grandma, who originated the store and she is the one who came up with the carboy. So glad he's got the bug too now.

Should we pour all these little jugs into the 3 gallon?

Opus, your 1.30 deck fun sounds like a great speech!