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James
 
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(Greg) wrote in message . com>...
>
(Greg) wrote in message . com>...
> > I'm a rookie wine-maker, but it is a lot of fun so far. I currently
> > have an Elderberry, Banana, and a Watermelon/Peach in secondaries
> > doing great. I put a muscadine in the primary two days ago, and
> > pitched the yeast yesterday. Before pitching the yeast, I strained all
> > the juice from the pulp bag and removed the bag. (There are no skins
> > or pulp in the primary. I know some leave all that in there, while
> > some don't even use a strain bag.)
> >
> > Today, there is a light tan foam on top. I didn't experience any foam
> > with the other three brews. The muscadine must smells wonderful. Is
> > this foam normal? Should I stir it into the must each day? I'm
> > assuming that if this foam is there when it's time to rack, that it
> > should stay out of the secondary, correct? Thanks for your help.

>
> Allow me to add to my comments. This is more of a layer of foamy air
> completely covered by a thin layer of brownish-greenish sinus looking
> stuff. All this can be stirred into th musk, but the slime stuff seems
> to float back to the top in small pieces.


Greg, It's common to have some foam coming to the top of your
Muscadine Wine, some yeast just foam more than others. The slime stuff
sound like some of the Muscadine Meat might have gotten out of the
strainer bag. I would keep stiring it twice daily and strain out the
slime stuff when the fermentaion is complete.

I make lots of Muscadine Wine and this is what I do.
* I crush my berries and put in a large stainless steel container, add
all of the necessary ingredients for wine making. I do not use a
strainer bag.
* I stir the must twice daily.
* When the SG reaches 1.01, I remove the pulp by squeezing it through
a cone strainer (like the restaurants use) into five gallon pail with
two fine nylon strainer bags(I buy these at Home Depot Paint
Department, they are used to strain 5 gallons of Paint).
* I then drain the juice through the strainer bags and into my carboy,
using another fine strainer bag. This will remove almost all of the
fine pulp.
* Place a air lock and let it continue to ferment.
* After about 5 days I rack the wine into a clean carboy, there will
be about a inch of settlement in the bottom, which I discard.
* I will rack the wine again in about three months and continue to
rack as needed.

Hope this helps: James