Started a batch of Loquat early Feb. This has turned out to be a lot of work. I picked about three gallon
of Loquats late Jan. Washed and removed seeds, managed to cut myself on the very first one, and with a
very sharp knife that I had just sharpened. Anyway I managed to freeze 8 lbs. Thawed them out a couple
of weeks later and ran them through the blender with just a couple of pulses and poured in nylon bag.
They had turned very brown in the freezer.
Added water to just over the 2 gallon mark, acid blend, campden tablets, nutrient, and pectic enzyme,
and sugar to 1.083. Waited 24 hours and added Cote Des Blanc yeast. Had fermentation in less than 24
hours. Was down to 1.010 in 4 days. I squeezed the bag and removed and put liquid in carboy with
airlock. It slowed down in another 4 days and had tons of lees. Was really too thick to get an accurate
SG reading at this time. I racked at this time holding the cane just above the lees. Was a terrible odor at
this time, everything was very brown and smelled of rotten eggs. Almost dumped it, but got to reading
here on the forum and decided to try to save it. I have been splash racking every week or so ever since, I
mean from bucket to bucket several times each racking lots of foam and guess what, the smell is
almost gone, even got up enough nerve to taste it today, not too bad.
I have to get this stuff in bottles before the end of May. We are leaving for Wisconsin for the summer.
Have read here about stirring with a copper pipe. Is this something I should do frequently or only once,
and should it sit for awhile before bottling?
I have back sweetened it to 1.008, stabilized and added super kleer, it looks nice. And surprisingly no
sigh of any oxidation.
Any ideas what caused the odor? I used the same yeast in a batch of Pineapple earlier and it was super. I
have access to tons of loquats, but unless this turns our super I doubt I will be doing this againl
Loren