2021 55 gallons of Slivovitz

[Slivovitz]

This year the wild plum Harvest was terrible so free plums are very limited. Approximately 20 pounds collected from four trees for free. I found an organic grower that produces damson plums. I negotiated a deal for 400 pounds at $1.25 per pound which is much better than the local retail price of $3.25 per pound.

It took three men 4 hours to remove stems and sort all the plums into the barrel. We washed some of them because the leaves developed some mildew from sitting in the boxes for a week.

Truckload

Wild yeast stays even after rinsing

[Slivovitz]

Mix of wild red plum wild yellow plum and santa rosa plums middle of barrel

Last year we did a natural ferment with only wild yeast. It got a mild infection and started turning to vinegar 3 days before we could get it into the pot. The final product was very good but this year I am making a minor change outside of tradition.

I will add a few ounces of pectic enzyme to break down the pulp into juice after the first mixing. These are very meaty plums. 24 hours after the first mixing and after the pectic enzyme starts helping the juice come out we will Mix the barrel again to prevent any whole fruit at the bottom.

Instead of local wild red plums which have a purple Flesh, This year it's damson plums which have a yellow flash. They grow in small bunches and are fairly small compared to other varieties. It's very common in Croatia Serbia and nearby places.

The barrel will stay inside so it should have a consistent 75 degree temperature. The fruit will sit in the barrel for another 6 to 8 days which will be 9 total days before the first mixing. The fruit appearance and smell will tell us when it's ready to be mixed.

24 hours after the initial mixing another vigorous blending with a mortar mixer to make sure there's no whole fruit at the bottom like last year. My friend did the mixing last year and didn't reach the bottom 6 inches of the barrel and left a lot of fruit whole which hurt the final product.

I will also be adding a commercial yeast k1-v1116 which is well known for producing the fruity Essences and flavors that I want.
https://www.lallemandbrewing.com/en/uni ... -k1-v1116/

I will let the natural yeast ferment for 5 to 10 days and then add the k1-v1116 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae).

With the large amount of money spent on these plums I don't want to risk a natural fermentation stalling out. Also the higher alcohol tolerance of this particular yeast will certainly increase production but hopefully not sacrifice flavor.

Barrel almost full. 2 more 5 gallon buckets added after this picture

[Slivovitz]

New mixing blade $18

I had 40 pounds extra so I put it into a 7 gallon fermonster with 2 gallons more in a bucket. I will use this as a test with ec1118 and pectic enzyme to compare to the large barrel with k1-v1116.

I think I will need more headspace when I pitch the yeast in a few days. I will see how the wild yeast performs first. Already some small bubbles from wild yeast after only 1 hour.

I keep skins and stones in for flavor.

Blade first then fill with fruit

4 minutes total for 5 gallons. 2 minutes clockwise 2 minutes counterclockwise

[Slivovitz]

Refractometer reading at 26c

I tested PH it is 3.55 and brix/SG is very high. I calibrated my refractometer and tested at 80 degrees F so maybe that changes the result. Refractometer calibrated at 30c.

Brix shows 21% and SG of 1.085 and it appears way too high. I didnt strain the fruit, I dipped my finger in juice and put it on the sight glass. I made sure no heavy pulp on glass. Perhaps this changes readings.

7 gallon fermonster fermenter with airlock

What do you think of this initial SG/Brix?

[jonnys_spirit]

1.085 looks good to me but you could add acidulated water to drop it to 1.070 if you like. I’d prefer a little more headspace.

Pectic enzyme should help. There are other enzymes used in winemaking you might like to experiment with next year too that help with extraction.

Looks good!

Cheers,
-j

[Slivovitz]

I will take some of the must out to give a little room for foaming and forming a cap. I'll be stirring this one up a few times Make sure the yeast is evenly distributed and the pectic enzyme reaches the bottom. It's a very thick must.

[stillanoob]

I'll be following along, thanks for taking the time to document your efforts!

[Slivovitz]

My wife just sent me this picture as I'm driving home. I did not think the wild yeast inside was this strong and I thought I'd have time to take some must out and make room. I guess not!

[jonnys_spirit]

I'd recommend a brute can or similar for primary. That fermenter about 1/2 filled at most...

Juice looks good though!

[Slivovitz]

it's getting worse we have a plum volcano erupting in my kitchen

[Slivovitz]

I've got a 32-gallon brute and Home Depot buckets. I've got a scrub out that brute when I get home. I'm supposed to be boiling must tonight looks like major clean-up instead. The pectic enzyme definitely made a huge difference in bringing out the juice and heating up that chunky plum

[Slivovitz]

Natural yeast ferment with pectic enzyme

After stirring in the cap from natural yeast, I added 5 grams of k1-v1116 and mixed lightly. It is forming a new cap and bubbling quickly. This is a small test with same material as big barrel.

After adding k1-v1116 and stirring all pulp again

[Slivovitz]

Natural yeast 2 day ferment thick dry cap

Here is the big barrel 3 days after mixing the whole plums with mortar mixer.

Mixed in natural yeast cap smashed some whole floating fruit

Added 40 grams of k1-v1116 and mixed in pulp and 6 ounces pectic enzymes

Now to seal the lid for 7 days and check gravity in 7 days

[Windy City]

Hey Slivovitz
It looks great
I have never done a fruit must/fermentation but would like to at some point. I read through the thread dut did not see anything about the pit. Do you just put the whole plums in without removing the pit and what is the difference in product between removing the pit or leaving it in (besides the ton of work to remove them)
Again looking great it is an inspiration

[Slivovitz]

We put the whole fruit into the barrel. They sit until they begin to ferment (rot and soften) the use a mortar mixer to mix into a liquid.

The stones remain inside the barrel to add flavor. Also, it is too much work to remove them.

When time to cook, we transfer only the pulp and leave the stones in the barrel.

I don't know anyone who removes the pit.

[Windy City]

We put the whole fruit into the barrel. They sit until they begin to ferment (rot and soften) the use a mortar mixer to mix into a liquid.

The stones remain inside the barrel to add flavor. Also, it is too much work to remove them.

When time to cook, we transfer only the pulp and leave the stones in the barrel.

I don't know anyone who removes the pit.

Thanks for the answer
I was just curious
That would be a total pia to remove pits I just wasn’t sure if that is what it took to make this
Hope it all comes out tasty for you

[The Baker]

If you want the almondy flavour of the kernels follow the method used by Slivovitz.
Then when it is all over dry out some stones then hit them with a hammer to get the kernels out.
Then you can use them. Maybe whole or cracked.
In a wash or, more likely, a maceration.

Geoff

[Slivovitz]

10 days into the fermentation specific gravity is definitely dropping. It is 1.055 to 1.050 down from 1.085.

The wild yeast fermented for 3 days and pectic enzyme was added on day 4. The k1-v1116 was added on the 5th day. The wild yeast cap was pushed down twice and stirred in when the k1-v1116 was added.

Smells good and women tastes good.

Hoping that in 7 more days or roughly day 18 this 45 gallon must has finished fermentation.

[CoogeeBoy]

Slivivitz,
I suggest you send a small sample over my way. I will give it a taste and let the broader community know what it tastes like.
This is an absolutely free service (that I have just begun advertising) and I am pleased to let you know that you are the first!

Just send over a gallon will you please?

[Slivovitz]

A tiny bit of lacto

The 2 small jugs equal 9 gallons total into the pot and after collecting to 10% got me 2.5 gallons at 30% mixed average.

I believe it was not fully fermented but the return was good. Nice smell and flavor but very little oil or cloudy liquid at the end.

The burner is big and I think too fast for brandy or slivovitz. On minimum flame it is a fast drip or slow trickle. Good for stripping runs.

Big problem with the 55 gallon barrel. VINEGAR!

[Slivovitz]

So the cap on the barrel was 3 inches thick. It was like wet bread dough or almost plumber putty consistency!

Again this year I trusted my friend to do the mixing and he should have stirred in the cap a few times because there was lots of Pulp that could have been converted in the cap but instead it's out on top and never fermented fully.

I sampled the wine and tasted good but a tiny bit sweet. Specific gravity was 1.035 and my vinometer sad approximately 7% alcohol. This barrel had k1-v1116 and 380 pounds of damson plums.

When I saw that the cap was so thick and obviously had fruit that had not been converted I started in very quickly with a special mixer added pectic enzyme probably more than I should have and pitched in three packets of the same k1-v1116 yeast. The must was about 80° and it should have been perfect conditions to get more fermentation going.

After five or six hours I pulled the top off and there was a thin watery cap forming but a very strong vinegar scent taking over. There was a very faint scent of vinegar in the morning but not enough to concern me. I think that by oxygenating the entire barrel and mixing in the cap and gave the vinegar bug super powers.

My wife came outside and found she could already smell the vinegar before I pulled off the barrel top.

I assumed that I could get the fermentation started again because there was still obviously sugar left in the barrel from the plums and specific gravity proved that. The problem is I don't think the yeast is going to act faster than the vinegar bugs.

I went slow running my first 10 gallons today so there was no way I could run 45 gallons before dark. I'm going to start on it early tomorrow but I am faced with a serious problem.

Do I let the yeast try and get going again to get another two or 3% alcohol by volume into the barrel or do I just run it knowing that vinegar could spoil the whole thing?

This is an incredible problem because this yeast is well-known for thriving in the temperature and conditions that I have. I suspect the entire problem is that the 15 pounds or more of Pulp in the cap is where the extra 3% likker was hidden.


What do you think?

[stillanoob]

I'd run it. The acetobacters are eating the alcohol while the yeast are trying to produce it. I wouldn't want to wait and see who won. A bird in the hand and all that.

[Ben]

Run it, take what distillate you can. You would then have sterile backset in the bottom of the still, I don't know how it would taste but you could certainly re inoculate it to finish out the ferment.

Or, use the still to pasteurize, sanitize your fermenter, cool and re inoculate.

[Slivovitz]

Ben you are confusing me


I'm gonna run all the likker and see what happens.

So far on first 9.5 gallon charge I've got 2 gallons likker. It's going to be a long day!

[Slivovitz]

15 pounds of plum seeds

Do any of you run your liquor on the stones? I've got a shit ton of plum seeds it's probably 15 lb of mixed with skins that is impossible to separate.

Will it just stick to the bottom.amd burn because the plum seeds are heavy? I butter the bottom but I'm afraid to do it.

Down to last 9 gallons of must and in have room for 5 pounds of this mess.

Mabe I put it in a bucket and save for tomorrow to mix with a gallon of water.

Any ideas?

[NZChris]

Plum seeds contain some cyanide and it's precursors. That isn't always a bad thing, but if you concentrate it, or do things that release the cyanide, it might be.

[Ben]

I didn't mean to confuse you.

If your wine is still 1.035 and you have an acetobacter infection going, so you are wanting to run it before the acetobacter goes to far. My suggestion was to distill which will kill all the organisms then add more yeast to what is left behind in the pot, or use the still to heat it but not distill, then cool it and add more yeast. You still have a lot of sugar left in there. If you do distill you will have to check and adjust the pH. I made this suggestion not realizing you had a 10 gallon still and barrels of liquid to deal with.

As for the stones, put them in a cloth sack and let them drain, or set them in a sieve and let them drain.

[jonnys_spirit]

Acetobacter requires oxygen or they won't proliferate so when you punch the cap down do it gently to prevent feeding them with O2.

Cheers!
-j

[CikCikCikPogodi]

20210926_190242.jpgDo any of you run your liquor on the stones? I've got a shit ton of plum seeds it's probably 15 lb of mixed with skins that is impossible to separate.

Will it just stick to the bottom.amd burn because the plum seeds are heavy? I butter the bottom but I'm afraid to do it.

Down to last 9 gallons of must and in have room for 5 pounds of this mess.

Mabe I put it in a bucket and save for tomorrow to mix with a gallon of water.

Any ideas?

For me it yields more liters of alcohol with seeds.

[Slivovitz]

12 hours of cooking to collect this!

I did not use the seeds because I believe it would sit on the bottom of the pot and burn.

When I put lots of skin and pulp in the pot the alcohol increased by 25% or more.

The juice with no pulp gave me much less.

From 50 gallons of 7% wine and collecting down to 10% I got 9 gallons total.

If I cooked the seeds I think I would have 10 gallons.

I would like to bottle 6 or 7 gallons at 45% alcohol. I will cook it again in 2 weeks.

I am very angry that this barrel did not got to 10% wine. Something slowed the k1-v1116 yeast.