what do you do if???

[Sirs]

ok readings are
blackberry 1.028 adjusted to 1.030
boysenberry 1.072 adjusted to 1.074
plum 1 1.060 adjusted to 1.062
plum 2 1.078 adjusted to 1.080
muscadine is higher than 1.120 is on last mark on measurements I'd think with the way it's going should be 1.130
grape I just got and crushed is 1.070 adjusted to 1.072

so what does this all mean?

 

[Sirs]

dang nobody gonna say anything more? I figured you guys would be telling me all kinds of stuff.

 

[UglyBhamGuy]

Download winecalc and input those values and it will tell you the ABV you can expect.

 

[UglyBhamGuy]

Here is a chart that might help a little.

Edit:
But probably not much, it kind of confuzzled me, but it will give you a general idea. (PA column)

Here is a kind of calculator. that might work better (i have no control and hate the background, as well. LOL.)

 

[djrockinsteve]

dang nobody gonna say anything more? I figured you guys would be telling me all kinds of stuff.

When you are ready to ferment your juice you take a hydrometer reading. Depending upon how much alcohol you want in the end will determine where you will start. Too little alcohol and the wine won't last. Too high and you'll be able to run your car on it and you won't be able to taste the fruit in your wine.

My juices from Calif. are always at 1.092 this will give you 12% alcohol if the sugar is all eaten up by the yeasts. Your reds are usually started here. (personal pref. of course).

White can but don't have to be a bit lower. Fruits such as strawberry, cherry, cantaloupe etc. can start about 1.080 which will yield about 10% + in alcohol.

Keeping you wines above 10% should allow them to age awhile. Providing of course other factors such as temp, sulfites, tannin acid etc.

When your yeast is introduced into your juice it now becomes your "must". Yeast will feed upon the sugar and excrete CO2 and alcohol. As the sugar is eaten the hydrometer will fall further into your must. How fast depends upon many factors but in about a week it should be around 1.000 + or -

When the hydrometer has not moved for 2 to 3 days at or near his point your sugar is most likely all eaten up. Now you may rack your wine off of the sediment "gross lees" and clear.

Temperatures will cause your readings to be off, that is why your hydrometer is calculated at a base point. For a true reading you will want to adjust your readings.

Wine making isn't rocket science but being close is good enough for most of us IMO.

Hope this discertation helps and there will be a test on Monday. Study.

 

[Sirs]

ok sounds cool buttttt I don't add yeast I let it go on it's own ok my blackberry is at 1.030 and boysenberry at 1.074 have kinda stalled on working their still going but very very slow still not as much alcohol as I want for it, it's ok but still want more, I need opinions on whether to just add a pound or so more sugar and see if it picks back up even if it didn't the bit of extra sweetness won't hurt it's not dry but lower mid you know smells dry well I guess you know what I'm saying. My biggest thing is the newest batch the one where the hydrometer will barely go to bottom of readings. The white arrow is where 1.120 is, the black one is where the newest batch was at any ideas???

sorry it's so blurry can't seem to hold still today

 

[Sirs]

just checking

 

[jdeere5220]

The specific gravity is basically telling you how much sugar is dissolved in your juice. That's an extremely high starting sugar content, which means either you will have a very high alcohol content in the end or (more likely) your yeast will die off before they can eat all the sugar and you will end up with a semi-sweet wine, depending on what yeast you use and how well it tolerates a high alcohol content.

I don't know what to tell you in regards how to correct the SG reading. I usually have a hard time getting the reading high enough, whereas you are already off the charts.

The starting SG is a reference. More imporatant is the ending SG, which tells you when all the sugar has been consumed (SG is less than 1.000) and the difference between starting and ending gives you a pretty close alcohol content.

 

[Sirs]

I'm going to strain it today and put it into carboy I'll take a reading then and see how it's doing, as far as working it is still going crazy it's foaming good

 

[Sirs]

well strained it and got it in carboy the sg on it now is 1.106 and already bubbling away. oh and it is tasting really good not to sweet just a hint of a tanginess.

 

[Sirs]

no thoughts? dang I figured I'd get all kinds of stuff like it'll just be rocket fuel if it keeps working LOL of course thats what I'm aiming for

 

[countrygirl]

i don't know anything about letting the natural yeast do the fermentation. seems like a shot in the dark. use ur hydrometer when you make your intial juice mixture...if it's above 1.080 (an average for fruit; grapes and wines kits can/will be different; others more experienced will know those numbers) use juice/water to bring it down to that level...if it's under 1.080, add ur sugar to get up to that level. that's just my two cents worth.

 

[Wade E]

IMO if your looking for rocket fuel then natural yeast is very risky and can easily just leave you with a lot of residual sugar.

 

[Sirs]

LOL I guess I'm just a risk taker then more of a challenge, it's fun to see if you can make it go that extra mile least it is to me. I've only had 1 batch turn out abit to sweet but had plenty of alcohol so I just mixed abit of a dry batch I'd made with it to lighten it up. I'm in it to have fun and make somethnig that taste good and even some to knock your socks off LOL or at least give you that ohhhhhhh that makes your belly get all warm feeling

 

[Lurker]

I think we have killed this subject. Yeast infections were no fun for OH and no fun time for me. You should get a hydrometer. But it should not interfere with tasting. Tasting is a perk of winemaking.

 

[Sirs]

oh I got a hydrometer and took readings I thought I'd posted them

 

[Sirs]

ok I did post it started at what I figured was probly around 1.130 post #26 shows where it started and now its at 1.106 and still working up a storm