Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
3.52 is about as good as you can be pre ferment. Don't mess with it. What is your final brix?
Picking up my grapes in the morning
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A refractometer makes it easy to check Brix and can be had for cheap on Amazon. Sounds like you need some winemaking tools! A Micro Scale can be had on Amazon for like $15 as well. A TA test kit can be had for $10 from More Wine. Checking SG with a Hydrometer is tough with all the solids floating around. I get fruit from the same area you got and they come in around 27-28 Brix. I end up adding close to a gallon of acidulated water to bring the Brix down to 24-25 or so. I don't want to drink 15.5% ABV wine…….
Your pH should drop a little post fermentation but will then rise post MLF. You want to end up around 3.5-3.6 after all is is said and done.
Your pH should drop a little post fermentation but will then rise post MLF. You want to end up around 3.5-3.6 after all is is said and done.
Ok guys, I took a sample with my wine thief just now with hydrometer and here's what I see:
SG ~1.12
Brix ~26
I plan to pitch yeast at noon today....but the must temp is 60F....
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SG ~1.12
Brix ~26
I plan to pitch yeast at noon today....but the must temp is 60F....
.
Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making
Last edited:
You do realize that comes out to a 16.5% ABV Wine…….
Put a heating pad under the Brute on Medium to warm up the must.
Put a heating pad under the Brute on Medium to warm up the must.
Yea, you don't want to use that! Do you have a local home brew store open today that you could get to and pick up at around 8 oz of Tartaric Acid. With your must cold you have time.
As far as how much finished wine, that all depends on the varietal. Some make more wine than others. I made 6 lugs of Sangiovese last year and ended up with 17 gallons of finished wine. I had to add a gallon of acidulated water to each brute that had 3 lugs each as the Brix was around 28 or so. Usually a more normal amount is around 2.3 gallons a lug of finished wine.
As far as how much finished wine, that all depends on the varietal. Some make more wine than others. I made 6 lugs of Sangiovese last year and ended up with 17 gallons of finished wine. I had to add a gallon of acidulated water to each brute that had 3 lugs each as the Brix was around 28 or so. Usually a more normal amount is around 2.3 gallons a lug of finished wine.
I don't have a store open today.....almost crying out loud....
The only acid I have is acid blend....
Stirred and re-check with my hydrometer, the must liquid feels a bit thick but the hydrometer usually stays around the SG 1.12 and brix around 26 after a couple tests.
I appreciate all the guidance, I want to make this a very good batch...
I wonder if the must will hold until tomorrow, that would be 48 hours after crush....
I don't know the TA but always thought the most important is PH.
I have a PH55 meter and some Sodium Hydroxide solution 0.2N, but never attempted checking TA.
With the PH around 3.52, would it be safe to just add that acidulated water without checking the TA?
How much spring water to 8oz. tartaric acid?
Found a water dilution calculator, just need to figure out how much total tartaric acid:
http://vinoenology.com/calculators/chaptalization-and-water-dilution/
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The only acid I have is acid blend....
Stirred and re-check with my hydrometer, the must liquid feels a bit thick but the hydrometer usually stays around the SG 1.12 and brix around 26 after a couple tests.
I appreciate all the guidance, I want to make this a very good batch...
I wonder if the must will hold until tomorrow, that would be 48 hours after crush....
I don't know the TA but always thought the most important is PH.
I have a PH55 meter and some Sodium Hydroxide solution 0.2N, but never attempted checking TA.
With the PH around 3.52, would it be safe to just add that acidulated water without checking the TA?
How much spring water to 8oz. tartaric acid?
Found a water dilution calculator, just need to figure out how much total tartaric acid:
http://vinoenology.com/calculators/chaptalization-and-water-dilution/
.
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If you have a plastic syringe of sorts to be able to accurately deliver/dispense NaOH and your must sample you should be able to wing it with the pH meter.
Use 15ml of must sample, add 20ml of distilled water to the sample swirl well and put your pH meter in. Add your NaOH drop wise until your pH reaches 8.2. Go slow when you get around 7.0 and swirl with each drop. Your TA using this strength NaOH and this sample size is an easy 1:1 measurement. For every ml added of NaOH you have 0.1% TA so if you add 6 ml NaOH your TA is 0.6% or 6 g/L.
23gm of pure Tartaric Acid in 1 gallon of filtered water (not distilled) will make a 0.6% Acidulated water which should lower the Brix but not dilute out your acid unless it is higher than that which is possible. If you have 17 gallons of must I would start with a gallon and see where that gets you. I put 3 lugs into my 20G Brutes each and end up with around 10 gallons of must. I added almost a gallon to mine to lower the Brix from 28 to 24.5 or so. It is easiest to use a refractometer to do this but I understand you don't have one so using your Hydrometer in a graduated cylinder is about your only way to do it. Try and get a clean a juice sample as possible with no skins or seeds and allow your hydrometer time to settle.
I would find some Acid some way today or wait till tomorrow. You can cool the must down with some dry ice if you want to. A pound or two should cool it down into the 40's.
Use 15ml of must sample, add 20ml of distilled water to the sample swirl well and put your pH meter in. Add your NaOH drop wise until your pH reaches 8.2. Go slow when you get around 7.0 and swirl with each drop. Your TA using this strength NaOH and this sample size is an easy 1:1 measurement. For every ml added of NaOH you have 0.1% TA so if you add 6 ml NaOH your TA is 0.6% or 6 g/L.
23gm of pure Tartaric Acid in 1 gallon of filtered water (not distilled) will make a 0.6% Acidulated water which should lower the Brix but not dilute out your acid unless it is higher than that which is possible. If you have 17 gallons of must I would start with a gallon and see where that gets you. I put 3 lugs into my 20G Brutes each and end up with around 10 gallons of must. I added almost a gallon to mine to lower the Brix from 28 to 24.5 or so. It is easiest to use a refractometer to do this but I understand you don't have one so using your Hydrometer in a graduated cylinder is about your only way to do it. Try and get a clean a juice sample as possible with no skins or seeds and allow your hydrometer time to settle.
I would find some Acid some way today or wait till tomorrow. You can cool the must down with some dry ice if you want to. A pound or two should cool it down into the 40's.
No you need to use distilled water for the TA test.
As I was waiting, I found this post by Steve:
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f71/how-take-acid-test-ph-meter-11244/
So I used no water. Calibrated my ph55 with 7 and 4 solutions.
Used 10ml of must and started adding 1ml of the NaOh solution.
At 4ml the ph was over 7 but then I screwed up and added 1ml and it shoot up to 8.53
So I think it is a bit over 4ml of NaOh solution added, isn't that a real low TA (say 4.25x.75=around 3.2)
???
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f71/how-take-acid-test-ph-meter-11244/
So I used no water. Calibrated my ph55 with 7 and 4 solutions.
Used 10ml of must and started adding 1ml of the NaOh solution.
At 4ml the ph was over 7 but then I screwed up and added 1ml and it shoot up to 8.53
So I think it is a bit over 4ml of NaOh solution added, isn't that a real low TA (say 4.25x.75=around 3.2)
???
If you use 0.2N NaOH you need use at 15ml sample. Try that with no water. Go SLOW at the end!
I'll try in the morning with a 15ml must sample, this time I will not calibrate my ph55 because I ran out of the 4 buffer solution.
Will head to HBS and get some tartaric acid, hope I can pitch yeast by 2pm....
Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making
Will head to HBS and get some tartaric acid, hope I can pitch yeast by 2pm....
Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making
Why are you throwing out your buffer solutions?
Tested with 15ml of must.
Added 7ml plus around 5 drops of sodium hydroxide solution to get ph~8.23
Ph meter not calibrated and it measured ph a bit higher in must prior to test, so instead of 3.5x it was in the 3.6x
So....TA....rounding the solution used to 7.25 ml can I conclude the TA ~5.5 give or take, just a hair low?
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Added 7ml plus around 5 drops of sodium hydroxide solution to get ph~8.23
Ph meter not calibrated and it measured ph a bit higher in must prior to test, so instead of 3.5x it was in the 3.6x
So....TA....rounding the solution used to 7.25 ml can I conclude the TA ~5.5 give or take, just a hair low?
.
Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making
The pH will drift up as potassium leaches out of the skins. This is normal. The formula I gave you is a 1:1 formula. For every ml of NaOH (0.2N) and a 15ml sample size you get 0.1% TA.
If you added 7ml of NaOH your TA is 0.7% which is perfectly within range. Why did you not measure the 5 drops? Thats could be 0.2ml so your actual TA is probably more like 0.72% or 7.2g/L which is fine. Now go get your Tartaric and add 23g/gallon of filtered water Add to the jug and shake for a minute then pour in and mix well. Recheck your Brix. You might need more but its better to add a little at a time.
If you added 7ml of NaOH your TA is 0.7% which is perfectly within range. Why did you not measure the 5 drops? Thats could be 0.2ml so your actual TA is probably more like 0.72% or 7.2g/L which is fine. Now go get your Tartaric and add 23g/gallon of filtered water Add to the jug and shake for a minute then pour in and mix well. Recheck your Brix. You might need more but its better to add a little at a time.
Feeling better with the numbers Mike....I spent the whole day really stressed out and not a good night of sleep....
just got to the office to only work in the morning and heading out to the place by noon...
THANK YOU.
I will get back to this later this afternoon.
EDIT: there's no way the serynge I used can tell me exactly how much 0.2N I used (it is by eye ball sort of speak), I know is was somewhere around 7ml and maybe the 5 drops were .25 but there was a little air bubble in it, so TA may be withing good numbers.
I have a sample for the LHBS guy to check for me anyways.
..
just got to the office to only work in the morning and heading out to the place by noon...
THANK YOU.
I will get back to this later this afternoon.
EDIT: there's no way the serynge I used can tell me exactly how much 0.2N I used (it is by eye ball sort of speak), I know is was somewhere around 7ml and maybe the 5 drops were .25 but there was a little air bubble in it, so TA may be withing good numbers.
I have a sample for the LHBS guy to check for me anyways.
..
