Recipe for 6gal of blackberry wine using 45lbs of berries

[jaysad]

Stressbaby,

What do you think is going on?

 

[Stressbaby]

Jaysad,
Sorry if you might be repeating yourself by answering these questions, but we're on page 5 here...
What day are you on? What day did you pitch the yeast?
Did you stir in the yeast, sprinkle on top, or make a yeast starter?
Are you in carboy or bucket?
Are you stirring twice a day?
The hydrometer pic you posted earlier looks like 1.100 but you stated it was 1.120, can you clarify? What is the SG now?

 

[jaysad]

Sorry so late to get back to you...

I had a broke air lock around the stem...
New one installed and wine is bubbling away!

Sunday:
Berries were smashed - 1.5tsp of K-meta
After 12hrs: Sunday night
12lbs sugar added SG-1.120
3tsp pectic enzyme
After 24hrs: Monday night
Pitched hydrated yeast (EC-1118)
Squeezed fruit bag
After 24hrs: Tuesday night
6tsp yeast nutrient
5tsp yeast energizer..? (Tried to get it to bubble)
Thursday night: fixed airlock
Friday (today) bubbling away!!!
SG-1.070

So, please tell me does everything seem ok?

 

[Stressbaby]

If it is bubbling, you are probably OK, but you are way over on K meta and energizer IMHO.

I'm willing to be the slow start was due to the fact that you have about 5 times as much K meta as you should have. Normally it is about 1/4 tsp for 5 gallons.

Also, you are probably way high on the energizer. I know James said to use that much, but as I said, that is WAY more than any recipe I've ever see. For comparison, Dragon Blood uses 1tsp energizer and 3t of nutrient. If a one gallon recipe uses energizer, it is only about 1/4tsp.

 

[jswordy]

Just popping in to say this is a cool thread. I read every post. We got about 5-6 people making this batch. All very helpful to the OP. There's even a picture in here! Looks like it will be a successful ferment.

I might toss in that a SSG higher than about 1.085 can inhibit yeast from taking right off at first. Seems odd that high sugar will inhibit yeast, but it does. You can see the bloom but there will be no gas. They do catch up, though, and will perform nicely after the first couple days. That might be what happened initially.

Here's a yeast bloom at 1.110...

 

[jaysad]

SG 1.080<
?Should I rack now?




See the small bubbles (at the top left)
Should I wait?

I am at day 11 in the primary fermenter...

 

[Deezil]

Looks like an SG of 1.002 now

You could rack; If you do, give the bucket a good stir to get everything suspended, and carry-over as much as you can.. The fermentation should still be going along, although slower.. You dont want to leave the yeast colony behind or you'll stick the fermentation..

You'll want to rack off of the sediment, when the SG reads the same for 3 days in a row

 

[jaysad]

What chemical do you suggest I add?
It will be going into a 6 gallon carboy.

 

[Deezil]

No chemicals right now;
Just stir & siphon into a carboy

 

[jaysad]

We are now in the carboy, airlock in...

 

[Wally]

I have a 5 gallon batch finished fermenting. I used 26 lbs of apache blackberries and 2 gallons of boiling water, 12 lbe sugar. It tastes good and dry. Not too acidic to my taste. Fermented on the pulp for three days and then transferred to a 5 gallon carboy after pressing in a regular wine press. I have racked it twice. It has good color and flavor. Time will tell.

 

[jaysad]

SG is 1.000 for the last 4 days, I racked the wine.

Should I add any chem, or can I just leave it alone?

 

[dralarms]

Add potassium sorbate and k-meta (in the correct dose). And let sit for at least a week, then check sg again and if not moved you can back sweeten to your taste. Check sg again and record. Let sit 2 more weeks and check sg again if unchanged from last reading then you can clear it using a fining agent or let clear on its own.

 

[jaysad]

Add potassium sorbate and k-meta (in the correct dose). And let sit for at least a week, then check sg again and if not moved you can back sweeten to your taste. Check sg again and record. Let sit 2 more weeks and check sg again if unchanged from last reading then you can clear it using a fining agent or let clear on its own.

I don't know what the correct dose of potassium sorbate and k-meta is for 6 gallons...???

 

[jamesngalveston]

potassium sorbate: 1/2 tsp. per gallon.
K-meta: depends on which one u are using...check you mfg specs.