this yeast or that yeast

[ms67]

little update on this one:

about 10 days to 2 weeks ago i racked this off a very large wispy sediment which was annoying me as i'm not used to it. It was fermenting very slowly at this stage and it just looked untidy ... i know i know its not important and i must get over it! Not surprisingly it left a big airgap so rummaging about in the freezer i found some juice (elderberry, blackberry and grape juice) that i had removed from the fermenting bin of an earlier brew as the OG was too high. left it to defrost and diluted it about 50/50 with water, then topped up the DJ's with it. Usually there is a little burst of activity at this stage, but not this time, it's just carried on very slowly. So i waited and waited (or is that procrastinated?) and it is very slowly coming back to life.

and now the bit where i'd like some of your learned advice ...

I'm inclined to just leave it to slowly do it's stuff as i'm in no hurry, but would i be better off trying to speed it up? i've thought of adding some other yeast or a little more nutrient - treating it like a stuck ferment. But i really want the results of a GV2 wine so i guess using another yeast, even at this stage, would ruin that aim. is there any down side to a very long and slow end to secondary fermentation. My guess is that its mainly due to a small yeast population.

cheers folks

[NorthernWiner]

I'm inclined to just leave it to slowly do it's stuff as i'm in no hurry, but would i be better off trying to speed it up? i've thought of adding some other yeast or a little more nutrient - treating it like a stuck ferment. But i really want the results of a GV2 wine so i guess using another yeast, even at this stage, would ruin that aim. is there any down side to a very long and slow end to secondary fermentation. My guess is that its mainly due to a small yeast population.

Your first inclination is correct: leave it to slowly do its stuff.

You don't want to add nutrient late in the process. Any nutrient that's left after alcoholic fermentation is complete could be scavaged by unwanted spoilage organisms. Brettanomyces, for instance. Even worse, since yeast food contains nitrogen in the form of ammonia, you could also end up with off-flavors if there's a lot of it remaining.

[ms67]

thanks Northerwiner.

i have left it to get on with it, and it is still slowly doing so. i prefer to have a slow ferment rather than a fast one but this is breaking all my records by some time!

Thanks also for the additional info - the whys and wherefores ... i like to understand the reasons behind methods and this is good stuff!

[crh75]

Could the slow ferment be due to the drop in temperature we have had?

[ms67]

Could the slow ferment be due to the drop in temperature we have had?

yes, good observation, it definitely plays a part in my little brewery as i prefer to ferment slowly and so don't heat the room that i ferment in. however i have been brewing like this for some time and that is not the sole reason by a long shot as its very slow indeed. This brew was a venture into using a yeast variety that is new to me. It took me back to the familiar territory of novice brewing and so seeking reassurance that all was well.

To be honest unless the result is staggeringly good i'll revert to using my trusty sauternes yeast .... easy starting, low maintenance, little foam, little sediment, good results. i'm not averse to trying new stuff, and want to expand my selection of "tools" but i'll quickly revert to what i know works when new steps yield disappointing results.