Tannin

[medpretzel]

E.g. Lemon juice instead of citric acid, Tea instead of tannin, etc etc.

I can't believe you forgot "Use a slice of bread instead of nutrient"


For shame....

[lockwood1956]

Great idea on the "alternatives" thing though, I'll look into that

cheers John

regards
Bob

[Cariad66]

Now you will probably laugh me out of the forum if i say this! .. I kinda felt that adding what i presumed was chemicals would make my wine sorta less organic! Tannin Tannin! **** to tannin i shouted! Thought my hangovers would be more organic without them.
So Bob these old recipes that i have been following dont ask for any so they must have had natural ingredients and so somewhere along the line i did produce reasonable wine, along with the fart in a glass wine.
I did once make a mean wine out of tinned pears. 1 bottle between 3 of us and we coudn't get our foreheads off the floor.
Nia xxx

[lockwood1956]

stick around Nia and we will have you producing great wine in no time at all

[Cariad66]

Well the wine is working very hard and i did the 1st rack today. Its at 1.020 but being as i didn't measure when i started it
Fingers crossed then that it works out to be a dry wine.

Tasted nice too!

Nia xx

[fatbloke]

Well the wine is working very hard and i did the 1st rack today. Its at 1.020 but being as i didn't measure when i started it
Fingers crossed then that it works out to be a dry wine.

Tasted nice too!

Nia xx

Well I'd have thought that it's currently a bit on the sweet side is the gravity is 1.020 - but thats me guessing again, from what I've read .

If it's still doing the bubbly/fermenting thing then thats gotta be OK hasn't it!

My "winter mead" was between 1.010 and 1.020 - and I couldn't restart it for the life of me, but on thinking back, I probably used 71B-1122 yeast which does leave some residual sweetness anyway!

regards

JtFB

[lockwood1956]

My "winter mead" was between 1.010 and 1.020 - and I couldn't restart it for the life of me, but on thinking back, I probably used 71B-1122 yeast which does leave some residual sweetness anyway!

regards

JtFB

John...

Lalvin 71B-1122 does NOT leave residual sugar!!

residual sugar is left because either the yeast could not ferment all of the sugar present in the must, because it has reached its alcohol tolerance. (Lalvin quote 14%)

So the only way residual sugar will be left is by there either being too much sugar to begin with, or an unsound ferment that wouldn't complete. The yeast isnt what causes it.


Please be sure that the information you are posting is accurate!

[lockwood1956]

Well the wine is working very hard and i did the 1st rack today. Its at 1.020 but being as i didn't measure when i started it
Fingers crossed then that it works out to be a dry wine.

Tasted nice too!

Nia xx

Well you didnt check when you started, naughty you!

But you have seen the error of your ways and have learned from it, so well done to you

Your hydrometer should be your friend, and if it is, the days of stuck ferments and unsound fermentations are truly behind you.

[Mamgiowl]

I think there is some confusion here about the term 'residual sugar', which simply means the amount of sugar the yeast - any yeast - has been unable to convert to alcohol.

No yeast, whatever it's number or name will be able to convert all the sugar if you've used too much in the first place.

It is therefore not a yeast problem but a sugar problem if a wine stops fermenting earlier (sweeter) than you would wish.

To avoid this, when adding sugar always use your hydrometer to check the SG which should be1080-1090max. If additional sugar is called for it can always be added in small doses during fermentation.

Hope this helps

[Hippie]

I concur with this reasoning.

[Simon_]

To avoid this, when adding sugar always use your hydrometer to check the SG which should be1080-1090max. If additional sugar is called for it can always be added in small doses during fermentation.

Question - how do you work out the "initial" SG if ingredients & sugar are added at different times?

I frequently make cider using supermarket apple juice added a litre at a time over the course of a few days. I'm often asked what the alcohol content is and short of a lab test have no idea how to measure it or reply other than guessing using a spreadsheet available on "YoBrew", which I use to balance the ingredients (when making wine) to reach a starting OG around 1080

[lockwood1956]

You measure the initial SG

then when you add more sugars/juice you measure beforeadditions, and then afterwards and note the SG raise

when you finish the ferment, you note the total SG drop and then use the alcohol calc chart in the resources area to work it out.


for example....
ferment starts at 1.090.....drops to 1.050 (drop of 40) you then add juice to take must to 1.070, and it then ferments to 0.990 (drop of 80)

add two drops together, gives you an ~SG drop of 120..use this to calc total alc....


make sense?

[Hippie]

Yes, but if you are feeding a wine with sugar or juice or any sugar source that increases SG, while making a strong wine or a base for a Port, you must use the hydrometer before and after each addition and do the math, like Bob suggests above. One really never knows the alcohol content until the wine is finally finished (before sweetening) and the SG reading is taken and the math done.

Was that rhetorical?

[Mamgiowl]

No, it was, as ever, correct.

By using the hydrometer both sides of adding sugar there is no 'guesswork' involved. You will know exactly what the alcohol level is at the end of fermentation.

[Simon_]

make sense?

Absolutely

Madingly simple really