Stuck Blackberry Jam Wine

[Flame145]

So I will start with the recipe
3-16 oz jars seedless blaclberry jam
3/4 lbs sugar
6-7 pints water
2 tsp acid blend
1/8 tsp tannin
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 tsp pectic enzyme
1- premier cuvee or K1V-1116 yeast

This was for one gallon batch. I made a 5 gallon batch

Start date 2/25/11
SG= 1.095
Ph= 2.70
TA= .56


3/6/11 SG = 1.04
3/8/11 SG = 1.02 and transfer to secondary

Checked SG on 3/14/11 no change in SG,, still 1.02
re-pitched KV1-1116 also added yeast energizer

3/22/11 SG still the same 1.02
ph= 2.88 and TA = .87

Don't know why TA changed so much from start date ????

I was thinking to lower my TA so my Ph would come up. I read somewhere if the ph is too low it will not ferment all the way through.

Wondering if anyone else had similar experience ??
Can I just lower the TA and re-pitch some more yeast ?? Maybe EC-118

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Bryan

 

[Julie]

Actually I would leave the ta alone for now anyway. What is the temp of the wine? Bring that up between 70 - 75 and if it doesn't restart, yes make a yeast starter with the 1118.

 

[Flame145]

its was at 75˚ I had a heating pad wrapped around the carboy to keep the temperature good. It tastes good, but I thought to ferment all the way down then back sweeten later. If I should leave it, should I add my K-Meta and stabilize. I'm a little nervous about have no k-meta and it is no longer producing CO2. The air locks are stabilized, no bubbling.
I stand corrected it is producing minimal CO2. a bubble about every minute.

 

[Julie]

You are fine, wine doesn't spoil that fast. Try to get to ferment dry and backsweeten. Go ahead and make the yeast starter and add that.

 

[Flame145]

You are fine, wine doesn't spoil that fast. Try to get to ferment dry and backsweeten. Go ahead and make the yeast starter and add that.

This will be the 3rd time for yeast. I thinking to add EC1118 and maybe some nutrient. It just seems that it does not want to ferment thru. I'm wondering if it is because the low ph.

 

[Julie]

I don't check my ph, I check my acid and as long as it is within range I will work with that. My acid level is usually around .75% for the blackberry. Where are you storing the wine? I have trouble in the winter if I am fermenting wines in the basement even though my laundry room is a constant 72 degrees or warmer when the dryer it going.

 

[Flame145]

I'm in the basement, which is 65˚. I also have a electric heating pad wrapped around my carboy. I have that set on medium which in turn keeps the wine inside at 76˚ 77˚ degrees. Thats why I can't understand why its not fermenting all the way thru. I was considering adding pot. bicarbonate to lower the TA, but I will wait another week and see if the SG comes down after re-pitching the EC-1118 today.

 

[Julie]

I have a theory on fermenting wines in the basement during winter. I make sure my must is always at least 70 degrees and during spring, summer and fall no problem, as I said laundry room stays at 72 degrees but during the winter even though I make sure these conditions stay this way, I have trouble fermenting my wines. I believe it has something to do with the humidity. In the winter, the humidity is very low, the colder it is outside the lower the humdiity. I think the dryer the air the harder it is for the wine to ferment.

 

[Runningwolf]

Julie I agree with you. All that wine I made last fall and I didn't have a bit of trouble until the last batch I got on Dec 2. My basement is about 63-65* and I utilize a heat belt to start ferments.

 

[Flame145]

Well I check my SG this morning and nothing, no movement at all. Still stuck at 1.02, ph = 3.3. Wine temp. was at 74 degrees. I'm stumped why after trying 3x with a yeast start and nutrient, energizer, I'm still stuck. I guess I'm just going to stay with 1.02 and move forward

 

[Torch404]

Is your primary directly on the floor? Or is it up off the floor. In winter I notice that even carpet is not enough to keep the floor from sucking out all the heat. V1116 has pretty low temperature requirements as well so that is most likely not the problem.

I noticed you said it's in a carboy under air lock. The yeast might just need Oxygen it sounds like you have plenty of nutrient and assuming the yeast have not died, air seems to be the thing missing. Stir it up really good like you might a skeeter pee and keep it warm. See if that helps, it might also be worth double checking that your jam didn't have preservatives in it.

 

[Julie]

John has some good points that I have not considered. He is right about keeping it off the basement floor. I keep mine at least three feet from the basement floor. I noticed if I get my wine any closer to the floor fermentation slows down drastically.

 

[docanddeb]

My Raspberry Melomel had low ph like that and I had to hit it with Calcium Carbonate before it would start...
THEN.... Zooooom!!

Debbie

 

[Wade E]

What are you using to check ph as 2.7 to 3.3 is a severe change and Ive never seen that much just from fermentation. Just addinh another packet of yeast wont usually work once fermentation has been going for awhile. There is now quite a bit of alc present and adding a fresh packet in there with that much abv already usually will just shock the yeast and it dies. You need to makema good yeast starter first using something like OJ and then slowly add some of this wine into to get the yeast acclimated to levels that are present in your wine. The best thing to do though is if you have another or make another batch of wine is when you rack out of primary dump this stuck wine on that slurry just like we do with Skeeter pe to get that higly acidic must to ferment.

 

[Flame145]

To answer some of the questions above.
My carboy is 4' feet off the ground on a work bench.
I did stir it very well each time adding yeast.
I had a electric heating pad that is 12" x 12" surface area, in turn this kept temperature at 74 75 degrees. I checked with wine temp. guage
Each time I added yeast I did make a yeast starter. 50 ml 104 degree water add yeast packet, waited 15 minutes then stirred. Yeast was actively bubbling. Thhen would add 50 ml of must to starter and wait another 30 minutes then add starter to must and stir well.

I am using a Hanna phep5 to check ph and ta. Each time prior to usage I calibrate with 4.01 and 7.01 buffer solutions. I was also very surprised in the different reading on ph and ta. there was a drastic raise in ta. starting ta was .55 last week when checking it was .81
My ph was also different in numbers don't rember exact numbers off hand as I don't have my notes in front of me. I think it went from 2.88 to like 3.3 roughly. Don't rember exact numbers.

Surpising I noticed the same thing in Pumokin oie spice wine. like a 2 to 3 percentage raise in TA but ph remained the same.

So I don't know, right I have been chalking this up to a learning expierence, and more apt to adjust to lower TA numbers in the must and expect it to raise.

Ohh almost forgot, I used Walmart seedless blackberry jam 18 oz jars. I believe they were made by smuckers. That was what the recipe was calling.

 

[Wade E]

Wow, everything sounds like you did everything as right as could be! Im at a loss here for reasoning.

 

[Winegirl]

I realize this is an old thread, but I'm wondering if this ever started for you. I have a similar situation with a Raspberry Jam recipe. Still stuck at 1020 too and it's when I transferred to the carboy. Did getting oxygen to it help?

 

[Flame145]

I realize this is an old thread, but I'm wondering if this ever started for you. I have a similar situation with a Raspberry Jam recipe. Still stuck at 1020 too and it's when I transferred to the carboy. Did getting oxygen to it help?

Yes, winegirl I did get it started again, and it fermented to dry. As of a matter of fact, drank a bottle of it last weekend. It was delicious.
When I made the yeast starter, I made sure it was really going strong for the third time, and it finally took. I also noticed that come spring time it began ML fermentation on its own. I found out through some reading and this forum, that blackberry and some other like fruits are very high in malic acid and sometimes they will begin their own ML fermentation. Either way I was happy with the end result of the wine.

 

[Winegirl]

Yes, winegirl I did get it started again, and it fermented to dry. As of a matter of fact, drank a bottle of it last weekend. It was delicious.
When I made the yeast starter, I made sure it was really going strong for the third time, and it finally took. I also noticed that come spring time it began ML fermentation on its own. I found out through some reading and this forum, that blackberry and some other like fruits are very high in malic acid and sometimes they will begin their own ML fermentation. Either way I was happy with the end result of the wine.

Glad to hear it turned out for you. I was almost ready to throw in the towel today, as I did like you and had a really really good 3rd starter, it was bubbling away, I added it and stirred really well, checked before bed that night, it was down to 1018, checked in the morning, it hadn't done a thing. I looked at it a short while ago and couldn't believe my ears, I heard it fermenting!! Fingers crossed that it will go dry like yours.

 

[Flame145]

Glad to hear it turned out for you. I was almost ready to throw in the towel today, as I did like you and had a really really good 3rd starter, it was bubbling away, I added it and stirred really well, checked before bed that night, it was down to 1018, checked in the morning, it hadn't done a thing. I looked at it a short while ago and couldn't believe my ears, I heard it fermenting!! Fingers crossed that it will go dry like yours.

Don't be surprise either if this spring with the warm weather coming, that you start to get tiny little bubbles coming up the side of your carboy. That would be the start of ML fermentation. I let mine go through, then when wine went still. I gave it a kick Kmeta.
I think I might do the strawberry jam wine in a week or two. Let me know how it turns out.