Weird Thing

[Conan1]

My boss made some wine which my wife really liked the flavor. Cranberry w/ grape mix juice. I've been trying to duplicate it but using the recipe he gave me which is just the basic 5 gal juice, 5# sugar, and add yeast 71B. He sanitizes his primary but doesn't add any k-meta to the must, just adds yeast. He doesn't check SG at start or end and ferments it for 6 weeks before bottling and no sorbate. I just got another bottle from him and the weird thing is the SG was 1.070. I'm trying to figure out why his is not finishing the ferment. He's not using anything to stop it, no campden, sorbate or any other chemicals. Says his temp is 70 deg. Using his recipe, I had a start SG of 1.090 and mine came out drier than a popcorn f##t. Ending at approx .996 at over 12% alc. With his at SG 1.070, its only a juice with 2.5% alc in it. I am going to further research and get him to get a start SG on his batches. He says this is his 11th batch and all are sweet like this and his son is using same ingredients but coming out dry like me. It just seems so weird that 6 weeks w/ 71B and not dry by that time and every batch he makes is like this. I'm thinking either too much sugar at start, too little yeast, or temp wrong.

 

[surlees]

I'm thinking either too much sugar at start, too little yeast, or temp wrong.

I agree. It's likely one of these reasons. Knowing his beginning and ending s.g.'s, yeast he's using, and his fermentation temp should reveal the difference.

Fred

 

[BobF]

Maybe his recipe is 5# sugar per gallon!! ;-)

Or maybe it's a typo and it's 15# of sugar.

Too little yeast prolly isn't the problem he has. Yeast will multiply

 

[JasonH]

His starting SG is probably awfully high and the yeast must be getting stuck or reaching their tolerance.

 

[abefroman]

Does he back sweeten it?

 

[Wade E]

He says he doesnt use sorbate so sweetening is impossible unless the alc is way up and that would be possible and not taste real harsh seeing as how its that sweet, it would hide the harshness but that is very very sweet, are you sure you got a correct reading cause that is just cloyingly sweet, thats sweeter then most Ice wines!

 

[Catfish]

Sounds like he does it how a lot of people do it around here. I have a few 5 gallon carboys going the same way and they are tasting gooooood.


5 gallons of grape juice (Everyone here gets theirs from the local vineyard at harvest.) 2 to 2.25 pounds of sugar per gallon. yeast. Leave in carboy 6-8 months then bottle. It's good!

Next harvest I am going to do 1 5 gallon carboy like the people around here do it, and one carboy how you guys on here prefer doing it. I will compare and maybe send a few bottles if anyone here would like to help. Wade?

 

[sly22guy]

You stated yours ended at .996. so why don't you back sweeten it to taste? Don't forget to sorbate.

 

[1ChuckGauthier]

This is likley out in left field somewhere.........Bad Yeast......maybe