New member in TN!

[PolishWineP]

So, how did it go? Did you get your peanuts contained? I hope you got over your intimidation of the equipment and moved on to happiness of ownership and use.

 

[tigerthekid]

So far, so good. The only real hiccup I encountered was "luke warm" water was a little too warm. I had to set the bucket outside to let the must cool down from 82 degrees down to 70 degrees before adding the yeast. Now the bucket is resting for about 5 days till I check the S.G. again.

Now for the next batch... a chardonnay or cab... tough choices!

Thank you all for the help so far!

 

[Wade E]

That temp would have been OK since the yeast packets have you re hydrate them at 100*

 

[tigerthekid]

Mwa ha ha the yeast is alive! I checked the temp before work this morning and the yeast is all bubbly and fizzy. The temp is steady at 72 degrees. So it'll probably be a fast fermentation since it's a bit on the warm side right? Should I check SG sooner than 5 days or just wait the 5 days and be prepared to rack it?

 

[Joanie]

Working yeast will generate its own heat so the 72 degree temp is fine. You can wait the 5 days before checking the SG. Not to worry! ☺

 

[tigerthekid]

Tonight is the first racking. Bubbling has mostly subsided and temp is now steady at 68 degrees.

 

[Joanie]

Wow, the equipment arrived today and I was attacked by exploding packing peanuts! It'll take longer to clean all those up than it'll take to start making the wine!

Hahahahaha! You've got that right, JJ! Welcome to the peanut club!

Somehow I missed this post. Sounds like things are moving along as they should.
Edited by: Joan

 

[tigerthekid]

Well so far so good. SG was 1.000 the 5th day when I racked to the carboy. No problems yet.

 

[tigerthekid]

Well today is the stabilizing and clearing. SG was low. Around .85. Is that normal? Should I be worried?

 

[Wade E]

I have never seen 1 that low. Have you calibrated your hydrometer in 60* water as it should read 1.000. I have seen it get a little below .990 but just barely.

Edited by: wade

 

[tigerthekid]

Another thing I noticed while clearing/stabilizing. This step said to leave the sediment in while stirring. Well now there is sedimet all near the neck and along the sides of the carboy. Should I try to stick something in there to wipe it off so it can sink to the bottom? It seems like no matter how long I leave it in there, it'll just stay at the top like that. Is that bad? Will it go down? It's been a day and still is sitting at the top.

Plus I had about a glass of wine left over after topping off after the F-pack. I tried some and it tastes yeasty still. Is that just because it hasn't cleared yet?

I'm starting to get worried

 

[Jack on Rainy]

El Tigre,
The reason you have sediment clinging to the sides and neck is that you still have a lot of gas in the wine and it holds those sediments in suspension. Get a little more vigorous with the degassing and as Wade says get the temp up to around 75 while you do it. Also, some folks give their carboys a little shake periodically to dislodge the stuff clinging to the sides duringthis stage.
As to the yeasty taste, someoneelso will have tocommentsince I haven't tasted any our ours at this stage. But my money is on the sediments still being present.
BTW I't's way too early to be getting worried!Edited by: Jack on Rainy

 

[tigerthekid]

Ok, when I get home I'll degas it some more. I used an electric degasser and stirred it all recommended lengths when prompted to and thought that would take care of it. Any other suggestions? Thanks Jack for the input.

 

[Wade E]

Also to get the sediment off the sides of the carboy, try giving the carboy a quick twist a few times, this always work for me.

 

[rrawhide]

welcome to a great hobby (although addictive) and lots of fun folks to communicate with. When you add up all of the talent on this forum you probably have over 1000 years!!! have fun and good luck. Yes, you will find that George must have a never ending supply of peanuts or they keep reproducing enroute.

 

[PolishWineP]

Do you think you got all of the gas out of your wine? We some some carboy rocking to help drop sediment, but degassing is a great help.

 

[tigerthekid]

I think everything is ok. Bottling is tomorrow as long as things look good after taking a sample.

 

[tigerthekid]

Well it's bottled! I ended up getting 28 bottles and two big glasses of wine for the misses and I to share. I must say, it's pretty good! It has a slight yeasty taste. I think because it could of been degassed a little bit more. But I just let the glasses I had left decant a bit and they tasted fine. I have some pictures I'll post later.

Now on to wine number 2!

 

[Danny]

Tiger - where are you in the Nashville area??? I've been a purchaser from George now for over two years and live south of Nashville in the Columbia area. If there's not one I don't know about, we need a wine making club started in the Nashville area.

 

[uavwmn]

Welcome Tiger~~