Is it safe to add calcium carbonate after the fermentation has been going a
while and has become stuck? I added some energizer yesterday, with little
effect.

I'm doing a cranberry wine that never really took off. Starting SG was
1.08 and after a month it is only 1.04. So I am assuming that acidity
is high (I don't have a test kit). I was going to add the least amount
recomended to lower acidity 15% and see if that helps, but it says to
add before fermentation. My original question is is it safe to do so
after fermentation has already been going awhile? I've already tried
your suggestion with some champagne yeast a couple of weeks ago and it
had no affect. I slowly added must to the starter over a period of 24
hrs and the starter got going good, but when i added it to the batch it
just stalled again.



"Droopy" wrote in
oups.com:


Calcium carbonate will not reactivate a stuck fermentation. It may
help a fermentation that never got started though (due to pH
inhibition of yeast activity) and that is really only seen in fruit
wines that use fairly acidic fruits (it happens to me with rhubarb at
6 lbs a gallon and sour cherries).

I would get a similar must going, add fresh yeast. When it is going
really strongly take some of your stuck wine add it to the new starter
to temper it a bit. Let that go for a few hours at least then add the
fresh yeast back to the stuck batch. That might get it going again
enough to finish.

It will not hurt the fermentation, as long as you do not bring the pH
up above 4 or so.

You really should invest the time and material in a test kit. Below pH
3.2 or so is when yeast start to have a problem with the pH. If you
are not below that there is no point in adding calcium carbonate, esp
since there is little or no tartaric acid in cranberries to precipitate
out. (calcium salts of citric acid are still sour tasting, so using
carbonate to treat that will really not help)

Cranbetties do have a bit of sorbate in them, that can inhibit
fermentation as well. I would draw off a quart or so of the wine and
do a bench trial with the calcium carbonate. Wait for 1-2 days, if it
was going to help it would happen in that time span.


Dumpster wrote:
I'm doing a cranberry wine that never really took off. Starting SG was
1.08 and after a month it is only 1.04. So I am assuming that acidity
is high (I don't have a test kit). I was going to add the least amount
recomended to lower acidity 15% and see if that helps, but it says to
add before fermentation. My original question is is it safe to do so
after fermentation has already been going awhile? I've already tried
your suggestion with some champagne yeast a couple of weeks ago and it
had no affect. I slowly added must to the starter over a period of 24
hrs and the starter got going good, but when i added it to the batch it
just stalled again.



"Droopy" wrote in
oups.com:


Calcium carbonate will not reactivate a stuck fermentation. It may
help a fermentation that never got started though (due to pH
inhibition of yeast activity) and that is really only seen in fruit
wines that use fairly acidic fruits (it happens to me with rhubarb at
6 lbs a gallon and sour cherries).

I would get a similar must going, add fresh yeast. When it is going
really strongly take some of your stuck wine add it to the new starter
to temper it a bit. Let that go for a few hours at least then add the
fresh yeast back to the stuck batch. That might get it going again
enough to finish.

Thx Droopy, I'll give it a shot.

Dumpster ,

Cranberries, like blueberries & some other berries, contain benzoic
acid, which is a natural preservative. This often causes slow or stuck
fermentations.

Try this: Make a new starter with fresh yeast. When its going strong,
add half its volume of your must, and wait 'til its going strong again.
Then increase the next must addition to half the current fermenting
volume, wait, etc. Add progressively larger volumes this way 'til all of
your original must is in the fermenter. It's a little tedious, but it
nearly always works.


--
Mike MTM, Cokesbury, NJ, USA

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