Ribena Wine

[lockwood1956]

Forgot to add.....


if you dont already own a hydrometer, then make it your next winemaking purchase

your Hydrometer is your friend!

[Morty]

i believe i own one, will look how to use it later. i can see all the yeast granuals on the bottom of the demijohn, would giving it a stir help at all?

[lockwood1956]

would giving it a stir help at all?

It wont hurt...

for two reasons...

one) it will introduce some oxygen

two) You will feel like you have "done" something

[lockwood1956]

You didn't say what sort of yeast you used...


could you tell us how much sugar you used also?

cheers
Bob

[hedgerow]

i have done ribena wine many times whats the best bit has to be making it with high alc yeast as people still think its squash untill thier legs fall off, lol.

I did forget to say get the hydrometer on the go, its a good job Bob is on watch to pick it up.

ribena is only the start there is so much you can ferment in the squash and soft drinks isles, and then theres the fruit juice isles as well. loads of fun

[Morty]

ok gave it a shake, could not find anything that would fit in the demijohn to stir it with

The yeast i am using is "youngs brew super wine yeast compound" got it from wilkinsons, reviews say it can go up to 24% so it will be a strong one,

i didnt have a look what the hydromiter said when i first made up the must but the recipe was 400 ml of ribena, 1.5Kg of sugar. pretty much the same as is on the original post of this thread.

(i looked through the little wine book i got from my dad and it was printed in 1978 so i think i better get a more up to date one as it is older than me!)

[lockwood1956]

ok gave it a shake, could not find anything that would fit in the demijohn to stir it with

the long handle of a plastic or stainless steel spoon will do nicely

The yeast i am using is "youngs brew super wine yeast compound" got it from wilkinsons, reviews say it can go up to 24% so it will be a strong one,

that yeast wont go anywhere near 24%
it will likely peter out around 14 to 15% which will leave you with a bit of residual sugar that most certainly wont harm it

didnt have a look what the hydromiter said when i first made up the must but the recipe was 400 ml of ribena, 1.5Kg of sugar. pretty much the same as is on the original post of this thread.

The likely reason for the ferment being sluggish sto start is the amount of sugar present, fear not though, it will start, it will just be a little sluggish. Be sure and use the hydrometer to check the progress of the fermentation though.

see here for how to

http://www.winesathome.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=885

regards
Bob

[Morty]

14 or 15% is still damn good, i must admit if it comes out drinkable i will probably invest in more demijohns or a larger brewing bucket. what kinds of yeasts would you recomend an where can i get them (online?) for wines made from these types of squash and fruit juice? got my eyes on an elderflower one and a pomegranet one! also what yeast for mead? as i will deffo be making some?

[lockwood1956]

I am a fan of the Lalvin Range, but I also like Gervin too

for big reds use Lalvin RC-212 or Gervin No2

For quality whites use Lalvin D47 or Gervin No5

For meads I would use Lalvin 71B-1122 or Gervin Varietal D

a good all round performer is Lalvin K1V-1116

see here though for more information

http://www.winesathome.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=945

online purchase?

se our good friend Karl (duffbeer) at http://www.hobbywinesupplies.co.uk/i...hp?cPath=26_33 (you get a discount for being a forum member too )

regards
bob

[Morty]

36 hours and no sign of fermentation

opk, so we are past the 36 hour mark and i have not seen any signs of fermentation. is there anything i can do at this point to kick start it (add more yeast and nuetrients?) or is it a matter of leave it alone for another 48 hours and hope? then if no sign wash out and make again?

[David]

The likely reason for the ferment being sluggish sto start is the amount of sugar present, fear not though, it will start, it will just be a little sluggish. Be sure and use the hydrometer to check the progress of the fermentation though.

That must has 3lb 12ozs of sugar per gall if made up to one gallon, and even more if the DJ is only filled to the shoulder, and also has residual preservatives in it.

The Youngs GP yeast has been added without first making a 'starter' and could well be sitting in a layer of heavy, de-oxygenated syrup at the bottom of the DJ (that would need more agitation than from a spoon end).

Are you sure this is going to start?

I would suggest holding it up to the light and checking if there's a darker layer at the bottom, indicating a layer of syrup in which your yeast is sitting, and if so giving it a bit more of a mix.

[Morty]

I would suggest holding it up to the light and checking if there's a darker layer at the bottom in which your yeast is sitting, and if so giving it a bit more of a mix.

there was a fair bit just sat on the bottom, I stirred it up an will keep on stiring it every few hours to make sure it does not settle again and hopefully this will get it going. If not would it be possible/advisable to take some of the must out of the top of the demijohn and see if I can make a starter up from it? or is it to late as there is allready some yeast in there?

[Morty]

Ignor last post. Stirred it several times over the course of last night and when i got up this mornign its bubbling away like mad!

Thanks for all your advice, will let you know how it turns out in a few months!

[lockwood1956]

If not would it be possible/advisable to take some of the must out of the top of the demijohn and see if I can make a starter up from it? or is it to late as there is already some yeast in there?

it wouldn't be advisable to use some of the current must.

main reasoning is that it is a stuck must and so using it may lead to the starter sticking for the same reasons it is currently stuck.

best always to make a starter and get it going properly before pitching it. This serves two purposes, firstly to ensure that your yeast is viable, and secondly it means the yeast fires up straight away in the must as it has already completed most (if not all) of the lag phase, where it builds up its numbers by budding.

As a newbie, you should get good mileage and build technique as you go along by doing the wines 1-4 in the new winemakers series. They are designed to help you build technique whilst making wines that are ready fairly quickly and are early drinkers (wine No1 is designed to be drunk as soon as it is clear, it does however improve a tad with a little ageing)

see here

http://www.winesathome.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=62

Difficult to tell, if this wine would have started on its own or if the stirring roused it into life, but the strirring at this stage wouldn't have hurt

good catch on the stratification David

regards
Bob

[Morty]

It's been fermenting for close to a month now. And the bubbling through the airlock has slowed to about 1 per minute.

Those who have made this wine before, can you advise me if I should be preparing to bottle now or rack and leave for another month? I'm going to take a sample an test with my hydrometer to see what the sugar/alcohol level is later today and will update this post when I have the numbers

The specific gravity is 1.080
Potential alcohol 13%