Two different strains of yeast in one batch..

[Tall Grass]

I've got a carboy here that's been trouble since the very beginning. Not really sure whats going on because I've been successful using the same brand of frozen concentrate except this is a blueberry flavor.

I started with 1118.. and then it just sort of stopped doing anything after a few days. So I tossed in another packet of 1118 and it started up again and I thought everything would be okay. But after another week it just quit.

I tossed in a packet of D47 a few minutes ago with a bit of hesitation but at this point it doesn't really matter.. just wondering if this will cause problems with two different yeasts competing with one another ? (there was just a tiny bit of activity before I pitched the D47, and I mean a very small amount.)

 

[St Allie]

With two different yeasts basically the strongest yeast will take over the ferment. Blueberry and cranberry are notoriously hard to ferment btw.

EC1118 is a very strong yeast,

Suggestions..

what's your temperature like? and the start and finish SG so far? It could be fermenting really slowly, so use the SG as a guide rather than visible signs..

Allie

 

[Tall Grass]

Temperature is 75 and that's been pretty consistant over the last couple of weeks. Thing is, about 4 inches of the juice near the top of the carboy was clearing.. and the activity was limited to one single-file string of bubbles from the middle edge.

starting gravity was 1.095 (two weeks ago) and now it's about 1.074

 

[St Allie]

You could try Luc's trick of removing a litre of must and pitching the yeast into that and getting a good strong ferment going to add into the main carboy? Seems odd that you had a good ferment going and then all of a sudden for it to stop.. maybe it needs a boost with some energiser/yeast nutrient?

Can you list the recipe for us?.. Wade does blueberry wines he may be of more help.

Allie

 

[Tall Grass]

Well, I've already pitched the new yeast so.. but if this fails I'll try Luc's method. And I did add some yeast nutrient and energizer just now as you mentioned.

 

[Wade E]

Have you tried adding any yeast nutrient? Most fruit wines really lack in nutrients that are needed for yeast to thrive and is the reason I usually add both nutrient and energizer to all my fruit wines.

 

[Tall Grass]

Hrmmm, I think this batch is dead The new packet of yeast that I pitched went straight to the bottom and it's done nothing since. The liquid is starting to clear again on top.. no activity.

Ah well. Might dump this batch but I'll give it 2 or 3 days.

 

[Wade E]

What brand of frozen cicncentrate was it, can you post a link to this product?

 

[Nubz]

What brand of frozen concentrate was it, can you post a link to this product?

im just a beginner myself but i think Wade might be thinking in the right direction
there could be some preservative in the blueberry that wasnt in the other that you used of the same brand

seems to me you did everything else right and there could be something in the ingredients you missed which i say could happen to anyone

good luck though and i hope you get it figured out

 

[St Allie]

Tall?..

if there is any chance of saving the must..

I'd suggest..

halving it ( if you have the spare primary's available, put the stalled extra half of the must in the freezer, in case the suggestion below works.)

double the must with fruit and water .. or tinned fruit ( no sorbates) add sugar again to 1.080.. (choose pears or something other than blueberry..something you know ferments well.)

re pitch a yeast using the must, plus nutrient, using Lucs pre starter yeast idea, using a litre of must to get it going.. ( EC1118)..


To my mind.. it makes no sense that you had fermentation..for it just to stop altogether.


It's your choice of course, to dump it, if you want to..

I'd use it as an experiment myself.

Allie

 

[Wade E]

Blueberry initself produces benzoate which is a yeast inhibiter and the reason why Blueberry wine can sometimes be troublesome.

 

[Tall Grass]

Thanks for the tips. Made a short video last night before going to bed... I was pretty tired and slightly drunk when I made it so it's kind of a mess but if you're bored you can watch

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-o3aqfukZ8[/ame]

 

[St Allie]

hehehhe Tall,

I still think you should halve it and add something that ferments really well.. like apple juice?.. how about taking a litre of the blueberry and a litre of apple juice.. mixing them together and pitching a new yeast and see if you can get that to ferment?

Allie

 

[Wade E]

Maybe its cause the cat is watching it, a watched poy never boils!

 

[Tall Grass]

hee hee! He loves the carboys, find him snuggled up against them once in a while.

Think I'll take Allie's advice. Store down the street has a pasteurized mango juice for $1 (1.36 litres.) Might get 5 or 6, dump em in and see if anything happens. Blueberry/Mango.... not sure how that will taste but I'll give it a try

 

[St Allie]

sounds.. interesting... hehehehhe

( omg at blueberry and mango!)

Allie

 

[Wade E]

Just make sure theres no sorbate, sulfite, or benzoate in there.

 

[Tall Grass]

Well.. I kind of changed plans today but I think what I have going might work. In the video I show the carboy with the strawberry concentrate that was close to racking. Well, I racked it today and poured off the lees into a 2 liter plastic jug (in the hopes it would settle out and I could drink the stuff on top, I detest pouring good alcohol down the drain )

So as the lees were settling in the plastic jug I thought, what the hell, lets pour it into the blueberry and see if it kicks into gear. Siphoned off about 3.5 liters, poured in 2 liters of apple juice and then poured in the lees (yeast slurry if you want to call it that.)

starting to see a few bubbles and a little bit of movement.. we'll see how it works out.. looks good so far though.

 

[St Allie]

woohoo!

Allie

 

[Wade E]

Theres nothing better then using a yeast slurry that is already used to a higher abv. This is 1 reason why beer makers use them as its starts very fast to produce alc to protect their beer from infections.