Fermenting grapes for Brandy

[crazyk78]

It's too thick to use my alchometer

[NZChris]

You don't really need to know what the SG is, but it is interesting.

Squeeze some through a clean cloth, or use a refractometer.

[crazyk78]

Might not worry.

Now I've gotta figure out how I'm going to filter this stuff

[NZChris]

Might not worry.

Now I've gotta figure out how I'm going to filter this stuff

LOL. If you don't have a press, wait till it's finished then wring it out through the shirt you hate the most.

[crazyk78]

Haha yeah good idea

[crazyk78]

Had a bit of a look this morn and it's bubbling very very slow. Prob because of the low temps.

Managed to put an alchometer on it and it read like 1.12. Doesn't quite sound right to me but I tasted it and it's very very sweet.

[Jimbo]

Quit dorkin with it. Yeast know what to do.

[crazyk78]

Yea yea I know but just seemed odd considering I didn't add any sugar and even sugar washes don't come out that high for me.

All good though

[rad14701]

Are you sure it wasn't 1.012...??? An SG of 1.12 is way high...!!!

[crazyk78]

The alchometer was floating really high. The reading was below the 1.1 line.

These grapes must be on steroids

[Richard7]

Was that reading with the grapes in the ferment? Maybe a cleared sample would give a better reading.

[rad14701]

Yes, you want just juice, with a little solids as possible...

[Jimbo]

When you decide straining samples thru a coffee filter is a pain in the balls buy a refrac for 17 bucks.

[crazyk78]

Lol. I already know is! Filtering my limoncello is painful!

[crazyk78]

Yep very high sugar content. Even though you can see a lot of floaties the alchometer bobs up and down. When I push it down it come up to this level.

Judging by the scale it says 15% potential. I'm using EC1118 yeast. Gonna make a nice wine

[Jimbo]

Nope. Something is jacked. No grapes will make 15%. Except maybe some shriveled on the vine in late late fall for icewine.

[crazyk78]

Hmm got me stumped then. I tell you a cup of dissolved sugar is less sweet than this

[NZChris]

If that's a good wine grape, you should give it a couple more days then rack some off to a carboy, put some oak dominoes in with it and airlock it.

[crazyk78]

Well they are wine grapes that I bought

[crazyk78]

Here I racked off some clear liquid and it's sitting at 1.09 this morn

[T-Pee]

That looks a whole lot better. The question now is to still or not to still. The answer is the ferment.

tp

[crazyk78]

Lol. You think I should keep it for wine???? Na I'll still it

[T-Pee]

Mebbe keep a little bit of it back. Could be real tasty while the distill is aging.

I have the same dilemma on an apple ferment. Decision, decisions.

tp

[planethax]

Reading some other threads (BB Rum) may I suggest saving some back and using it to dilute a Boyle of Brady as a flavour.

[planethax]

Some of it to dilute a bottle of brandy

[crazyk78]

Oh that's interesting Plane. So keep a little back then add for flavour?

I'm going to look up Boyle of brandy

[crazyk78]

I have the same dilemma on an apple ferment. Decision, decisions.

tp

Yeah it's a tough decision for us impatient ones. Sometimes I wish it just smelt aweful to put us off till it did it's thing

My problem is that because it's quite cold here it's going to take a while to ferment out.

[NZChris]

LOL. Some of the early wines I made got dealt to severely after a couple of days fermenting. I'd go and get a quart jug full for dinner and before we knew it, I'd be out getting another. Drunk half a five gal fermenter of Riesling Sylvaner before it was ten days old.

[planethax]

Boyle was a typo bottle
Read buccaneer bobs rum thread in developing recipe

Suggesting to try as experiment but suspect it would turn out great.

[crazyk78]

Lol plane I was taking the piss