Ive had some wine brewing for a while now. 3kg cranberries, pineapple, apples, orange, 5lbs of sugar and some hi alcohol yeast. After 3 months i started getting something similar to algae at the top of the demijohn. I removed it and it hasnt come back. Ive been told to throw the wine away regardless. Any tips?
Thats a shame to hear that. But i guess its better safe than sorry. The fermentor was sealed with an airlock and a tight fitting rubber bung. As for boiling i was never told to boil the mash,, other than pour boiling water over it at the very beginning. I guess this is to sterilise the mash before adding yeast? Should the pectin enzyme be added before or after the boiling?
Thats a shame to hear that. But i guess its better safe than sorry. The fermentor was sealed with an airlock and a tight fitting rubber bung. As for boiling i was never told to boil the mash,, other than pour boiling water over it at the very beginning. I guess this is to sterilise the mash before adding yeast? Should the pectin enzyme be added before or after the boiling?
With fruit wines, some people don't boil - but they probably should. If not then you should - in the very least - use campden tablets (one per 5G) to kill any residual yeasts and bacterias that are present on the fruit skins. You need to wait 12 hours before pitching your yeast after using the campden tablet (so that you don't just kill your yeast along with the nasties.)
Some anti-boil enthusiasts say that boiling removes cogners and aromatics, leaving wine tasting cooked and flat. I call bullshit on that. Boil your must for 10-20 minutes.
Also - since wine takes longer to mature... and will be in the carboy for months - I use straight cheap vodka in my airlock instead of water. Bacteria grows in stagnant water - (particularly with rich CO2 filtering through it from fermentation...plants love C02...) Nothing grows in Vodka. It does tend to evaporate faster though...so attention is required to keep the level of liquid high enough.
Pectic enzyme should be added after the boil when you add the yeast (ie. after the boil has cooled to room temp. Use a wort chiller or ice-bath to reduce the time your must is sitting around warm and inviting to new bacteria.
Consider using a yeast nutrient too. Pectic enzyme MOSTLY is only for the look of the wine...it does aid a little in pulling more subtle flavors (like apple) - but the primary function is to bind to pectins that cloud fruit wines (Peach is usually the worst at clouding).
I've made a perfectly crystal nectarine wine with no pectic enzyme - just ample time.
Toss your batch. Start again, take notes and don't sweat it...one lost batch is a good lesson. Two batches lost to the same error...now thats just a tragedy.
Usually, the mistakes are decent enough to enjoy, if only for the fun of knowing you made it. I brewed a batch of carrot wine once that smelled exactly like garbage. Tasted like it too.
Funny thing is, a year later, I ran across a bottle of it that I hadn't labeled and decided to try it...and it wasn't half bad. Not half good either, but certainly unoffensive enough to drink.
Start with something easier next time. Stick to a single fruit at first and just be simple and thorough. Do a gallon at a time (In the US, they sell Apple Cider in every grocery store in PERFECT 1.25 glass jugs - they hold the right amount + headroom.
Don't worry about getting a perfect product - just get a feel for the PROCESS.
A cheaper option than putting vodka in the airlock is to use a small amount of sodium metabisulphite sterilising solution. SWIM uses it when he remembers
02-01-2009, 23:55
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