Update:
I added 1 package of Pasteur Champagne yeast twice (Once hydrated and once
non-hydrated) to the batch and neither time did it further ferment. ;-( SG
still at 1.008 and tastes a bit sweet.

I did just recieve some Lalvin C-1118 yeast and added a hydrated packet of
that to the batch today. (We will see how that goes)

On a side note:

I was curious about the acid level of the wine as it seems to not taste as
tart as I would have expected with rhubarb. I tested the PH with a narrow
band PH strip and looks to be around 3.1.

I did add 1/4 tsp of citric blend to a 1 cup sample and that increased the
tart taste which seems to have countered the sweetness some.

I know PH strips are probably not the most accurate way to test total acid,
but what would be a common final PH for a fruit wine?

Thanks for any suggestions.





"Doug Miller" > wrote in message
...
> In article
> >,
> tycarnell > wrote:
>>On Aug 22, 11:31=A0am, (Doug Miller)
>>wrote:
>>> In article
>>> .=
>>com>, tycarnell > wrote:
>>>
>>> >I am making a 5 gallon batch of Rhubarb-Raspberry wine. My initial SG
>>> >was 1.10 after removing pulp bag and topping off. After fermentation
>>> >for 4 days the SG was down to 1.04 and I racked into a carboy.
>>>
>>> Sounds good so far.
>>>
>>> >After 10 days the bubbling slowed to one bubble every 2 minutes or so.
>>> >Then after 11 more days the bubbling was no existent. The SP at that
>>> >point was 1.008 with a Pot Alcohol of about 1%.
>>>
>>> How did you determine the alchohol level?
>>
>>That was the estimated amount on the "potential alcohol" scale on the
>>hydrometer.
>
> OK, so you have _at most_ one percentage point more alcohol left to go --
> but
> what was the potential alcohol shown at your original gravity of 1.10?
> Probably around 13%, right?
>>>
>>> > (It still tasted
>>> >pretty sweet). I racked again at that point.
>>> >I have since let it sit for another 10 days with no signs of
>>> >fermentation. I believe it stuck.
>>>
>>> I don't.
>>>
>>> I think it's finished.
>>>
>>> The difference between an initial gravity of 1.10 and a final gravity of
>>> 1.008
>>> corresponds to an alcohol content of about 13%. The Montrachet yeast
>>> which you
>>> used has an alcohol tolerance of about 13%. I think your fermentation is
>>> finished, and the yeast died because the alcohol level is too high for
>>> them to
>>> survive.
>>>
>>> There's an easy way to tell: drink a couple glasses of it, and see if
>>> you get
>>> a buzz.
>>
>>I did drink a glass of it and it definitely has alcohol.
>
> Well, then, I think your fermentation is finished.
>>>
>>> >My question is how can I restart the fermentation to get at least down
>>> >to 1.000 SG or lower?
>>>
>>> I doubt you can, unless you use yeast with a higher alcohol tolerance.
>>
>>I do have some Red Star Pasteur Champagne yeast that is supposed to be
>>tolerant to high alcohol levels. Could I hydrate a packet of that (5
>>gram) and add it to the must to ferment the rest of the sugar?
>
> You could do that to ferment *more* of the sugar. It may or may not
> ferment
> all the rest of it -- but it will certainly ferment more.
>>
>>I still think it is a little sweeter than I would like it at this
>>point.
>
> I think you may have miscalculated your sugar levels, and added too much.
> I
> did that once, with a batch of Concord grape wine -- using Lalvin EC-1118
> yeast, which is tolerant to about 18% alcohol. Wound up with some very
> sweet
> rocket fuel.
>>
>>Thanks very much for your help and suggestions.
>
> Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.