Please Help

[Ohio Bob]

So like I said, no harm done so far. 2+ weeks of fermentation seems rare unless your fermenting area has been at 50F-ish the whole time. I suspect it’s done, or at least 95% done. The fact the bubbler is showing activity does not mean it’s still fermenting. CO2 may be out gassing or maybe it’s just temperature changes.

No need to do anything right now, especially because it’s Christmas and no need to do anything right now. The next time you rack, say in a few days/week, taste and determine if it’s overly sweet, meaning it’s truly not done. If you think it’s not done, make up a yeast starter with EC1118. This yeast will guarantee a finished fermentation. Assuming your fermentation today is at least 50-75% complete, the EC1118 won’t change the flavor of your wine, it will only convert the last bit of sugar to alcohol. It’s like insurance to get the job done.

Relax, it’s Christmas and no harm done so far.

 

[Ohio Bob]

Just another side note on these internet recipes that are out there. Good to get you interested but they leave out too much information.

The specific gravity is a key term to learn. When adding sugar to juice, if you get a starting SG of 1.090, you will make an apple wine. If you start with an SG, say 1.050-ish, you’re making a cider. In either case, when the SG gets to 1.000-ish, fermentation is done. Anything after that is just clearing (dropping fine sediment) and development of flavors. The recipe that’s says it’s done in 6 weeks doesn’t say what has to be done to make that happen truly successfully.

 

[Samaelro]

Thank you so much

 

[TechAdmin]

Hey I don’t know if anyone will see this but I lost that account and made a new one and have a question. My batch is now in secondary and my power went out yesterday and it’s freezing outside so my apartment is now freezing. Is the batch going to be ruined if it gets very cold/freezes

Hey, your wine must probably be okay now, right?

What exactly happened to your other account?

 

[David Violante]

Sorry about your apartment losing power, that stinks… for your wine it sounds like you’re still in an ok place. Have you tasted your wine?

If it’s still a bit sweet for you, it’s still ok to add some EC-1118 as OhioBob indicated. It’s a powerhouse and will likely ferment rocks. It’s still a great idea to get a hydrometer to take any guess work out of what you’re doing. It’s like turning on a light in a dark room. It could also still be fermenting (slowly) but not giving off a lot of bubbles as previously.

Wine is pretty forgiving over time. If it’s not too sweet for you, let it sit with an airlock and clear a bit. Once gross lees have settled out rack off of them. Then we will help you with what’s next. Let us know what you’re thinking of doing (adding yeast if too sweet or if it’s just fine and you’re ready for the next steps).

Also, Bryan has a really good winemaking site with a lot of information over at Bryan's Wine & Beer Making Site – fine wines since 1981 …

The site for More Wine has some great beginner articles and manuals as well, over at MoreManuals! Winemaking Guides | MoreWine

 

[BigDaveK]

I never ended up getting a hydrometer because it calmed down. The yeast is most likely dead from the temp and I don’t know how to know if it was done. The recipe listed for it to not be finished until Jan 22. It was still bubbling before got got cold

The cold shouldn't kill the yeast. Heat will kill yeast.

I had one active fermentation in primary in the basement, lost power, temp was close to 50 down there (-5 F outside). With an older house the high winds will find every little crack and my primary showed no visible activity. I wasn't concerned at all. Moved it to a warmer spot upstairs yesterday and it's going like gangbusters again.

And I certainly agree recipes should be treated as a very broad and general guideline. And a hydrometer will tell you everything you need to know.

 

[Samaelro]

Hey, your wine must probably be okay now, right?

What exactly happened to your other account?

I signed up with Facebook and don’t have access to the email linked to my Facebook so the site couldn’t confirm my email.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Hey I don’t know if anyone will see this but I lost that account and made a new one and have a question. My batch is now in secondary and my power went out yesterday and it’s freezing outside so my apartment is now freezing. Is the batch going to be ruined if it gets very cold/freezes

* yeast will survive freezing without blinking an eye —— we all eat “in store bakery” bread from the super market, 100% of this bread was frozen to below 20F after the first proofing. If a yeast culture freezes then thaws several times is a bigger issue.
* if you are actually below 28F there is a risk that all glass jars (food with soluble solids) in your pantry will freeze. If it is below 31F there is a risk that your water pipes will freeze. A landlord who wants to keep the building occupied will put in temporary heat mainly to save the water pipes. ,,,, BUT wine freezes at a lower temp than tap water so it will survive.
* Dec 5? ,,, most wine yeast will stop metabolizing below 50f / 10C. You sound like you are reading kit instructions. As a kit I would ignore any time below 10C and start counting days when the heat gets turned back on. If you are measuring a six gallon will take about half a day to get back to temp.
* insulation? If I put a carboy in an ice chest in Arlington Va this time of year (27F) I would expect it to get to the slushy in about a week. ,,, After it gets slushy it goes solid and then the risk of glass busting starts. ,,,,, you can slow the physical changes by wrapping in blankets or putting in a big ice chest.

Nothing has been lost!
You or the landlord has more risk for the water lines in the building

 

[Samaelro]

Thank you everyone it has warmed up now and is bubbling some again so I think it’s maybe ok!

 

[Sailor323]

If fermentation doesn't restart when the must warms up, try to restart it. Check specific gravity to see how much sugar is left in the must. Use some EC1118 yeast, make a starter with yeast nutrient , EC1118 and some of the must warmed to body temp. Leave overnight and add to the rest of the batch. If the gravity shows that most of the sugar has been consumed, you will need to add a bit of sugar to the starter; 1-2 tsp per pint of starter. Good luck

 

[Hazelemere]

I am making an apple wine and there is a brown foam at the top of my carboy, I am concerned that I did not mix the yeast in properly when I added it and that is some of the yeast at the top. I am adding a picture, let me know what you think it is and what I should do. Maybe shake the carboy to mix it all in? Yesterday night it was there and I pushed it back into the liquid and this morning it was back and more than before. this is day three in the active fermentation stage.

View attachment 96016

It looks fine. Now rack it with bentonite

 

[Rojoguio]

To Add here concerning the brown residue I have a batch of Mayhaw-Fuji Apple going in a Big Mouth Bubbler and it made the same looking residue just not as thick. It's the first time I ever had the residue and I think it's some of the yeast starter. I make my starter, acclimate it to the Must by adding a little Must to the Starter every 30 minutes till they are the same temperature. Once there I dump my yeast in without stirring for for the first 24 hours allowing the yeast to remain in close proximity of each other. It seems to really turbo my yeast into fermentation. Also my Must smell was off from the start but everyday smells more and more delicious closer to finishing Primary fermentation.

 

[distancerunner]

If you are going to continue in the hobby, do yourself a favor. Buy a hydrometer. What you will learn using it is invaluable.