wine no ferment

[jack3M]

was trying to make cranberry wine. followed recipie, waited 24 hours before putting in yeast, EC 1.180. hhere 6 days later, EC still same, have not seen any fermentation. So checked pH and my meter pegs at 3, quickly.

1. did the low pH kill the yeast?
2. Is it stalled and just needing calcium carbonate?

Have a mash at same temp working fine

[Dnderhead]

Id add the calcium carb. and see.yeast are pretty tough little buggers.

[Durace11]

1. did the low pH kill the yeast?
No, 3 isn't too low to kill the yeast

2. Is it stalled and just needing calcium carbonate?
Yes, do this

[jack3M]

how much? My meter only goes down to 3

[Durace11]

calcium/potassium/sodium (bi-)carbonate in large doses can be toxic, so you need to add it slowly over time. For 5 gallons I would use no more than a teaspoon every 24 hours until the PH is adjusted back to around 4-5. Add it to a little bit of warm water and mix it up until it dissolves, then add it to your fermentor. Do not just dump the powder on top. This can cause CO^2 to release like a volcano and it can make a mess when it gets loose.

[jack3M]

Cool, thanks. Can you use sodium bicarb also to do this? I did grind up about 4 tabs and 24 hrs later I do have a little fermentation, byt pH is still lower than 3

[jack3M]

Over a week ago, gradually reduced Ph to 4.5 or so. Still no activity. Went to store talked to them. We added some yeast activator, more yeast, aerated, and my goodness in 3 days it has done nothing new, just the floaty bubbly goop on top that is supposed to be stirred in daily, with no changes evident in anything. I guess I was reading specific gravity wrong, it is 1.070, has been since I originally mixed it. Is wine just super slow, I have sour mash right next to it just going crazy.

[Prairiepiss]

Can you give US the actual recipe you used? Kinda hard to guess without even knowing what you put in it?

[Durace11]

And what yeast @ what temp, when you said EC 1180 I was thinking EC-1118 yeast.

[Prairiepiss]

Yeah he typed EC-1.080 but I think he ment SG of 1.080.

[DuckofDeath]

I just started a batch of cranberry wine. My PH was low so I stirred in DAP and 2 Tsp of potasium bicarbonate waitied for 1 hour PH was 4-4.5 then piched in ec-1118 my SG was 1.090 it took off in about 4 hours and is going strong now for 4 days.

[jack3M]

1 96 oz can cranberry wine base product
4.5 gallons of water, warm
12 lbs cane sugar
1 1/2 tsp acid blend....did not use used 1 tsp lemon juice
4 tsp yeast nutrient
2 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1/2 tsp wine tannin
champagne wine yeast.

Now, this morning, I have only looked in, the top is bubbly a bit more than ever before, I did not stir it yesterday.

I heat with wood, so my temps vary, we try to stay near 70 but have lows of 65 and highs of 80, depending on the wood stove state. Have not checked specific gravity today yet.

[NY Chris]

Hello Jack,

What ingredients are in the 96 oz can of cranberry wine base?

I have made a lot of wine and usually they take off same as any other ferment I've done.

Did you get both packages of yeast from the same place? Maybe yeast in no good.

Chris

[jack3M]

"cranberry and water"
yep same shelf too.
Today's gravity is 1.065 and it smells like it is starting to ferment and I finally can see bubbles rising. I guess it is just much slower than sourmash. I caught a whif of wine type alcohol smell so not quite so worried about total failure now.

[Prairiepiss]

Just the water and sugar is more then enough. 4.5 gal of water and 12 lbs of sugar would give you a SG of 1.102 and a potential ABV of 15.7%. Not including the cranberry juice. It's already fermented out at least 4.7% ABV alcohol.

Sounds to me it is working. Just working slow. And with that much sugar its gona be slow. And sounds like the temp swings mite not be helping. Wine is sometimes very slow especially a high gravity one. I would quit messing with it. Get the temps to be more stable. Add insulation maybe? And see what happens.

[steve2md]

Slow is good with wines. Most aren't as vigorous as mashes. the SG calcs in the previous post are pretty dead on. High gravity recipe. Personally, I'd lid and airlock it and leave it be for a few weeks, then rack to a carboy for secondary and clearing. I've had high gravity fruit wines keep on fermenting for a month before. Patience is key

[jack3M]

Okey dokey, the SG is decreasing.

[jack3M]

I saw somewhere that someone aerated their must. Well I tried whipping in a bunch of air and it just took off like all getout. Is this a bad thing to do?

[Prairiepiss]

I saw somewhere that someone aerated their must. Well I tried whipping in a bunch of air and it just took off like all getout. Is this a bad thing to do?

Yes it is a bad thing to do. Especially with a wine. You airate before pitching yeast. Not after fermenting is halfway done.

Quit messing with it. Leave it alone to do its thing. The more you mess with it. The more of a chance for it to get an infection or go bad.