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Hoss
 
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Interesting, Ray.

I have been trying gallon batches of many different welch's
concentrates. To learn and to see what is worth the efforts of a
larger batch..

For example, I just bottled white grape raspberry, fermented down to
1.011, stabilized, and tastes marvelous. A Strawberry Raspberry,
ferment down to 1.02 and stopped, so I stabilized anyway, this is
rougher, going to let this sit in bottle a while longer.

A week later, I tried white grape (niagara frozen concentrate), white
grape peach (juice, not concentrate), and strawberry kiwi (juicy juice
brand, not concentrate). The straw-kiwi fermented out fast, down to
..995 in week and a half, that is bottled already and resting. The
niagara concentrate stuck at 1.045. It's clearing, but still high at
1.045. the white grape peach is even worse at 1.065. They all
started out at about1.090 and at most 1.100 s.g. I used Jack's recipe
and his method, sort of along the lines of the way Dar does it, as she
has quite a bit of experience doing one gallon batches. they are
still sitting there, but I'm using old carlo rossi bottles as primary
and secondary, so they are a little tough to stir.

In light of that, I just tried another batch of Welch's niagara, three
gallon this time, tripled jacks recipe, used lalvin 1118, and in 5
days it went from 1.092 down to 1.001. I stirred for the last time
tonight, and will rack to secondary tomorrow.

What I don't understand is that for this batch, it fermented strong
and continuous and I stirred twice daily. I also am using a large
plastic primary for this batch. The failed batch above was stirred to
the best of my ability, fermented more than strong, even vigorously
for 3 days, then stopped very quickly. Same with the WG-Peach.

I think my stucks are just losses and will try again later.

I also have a gallon batch of welches tropical passion (100% juice of
apple, grape, orange, passion, and pineapple) This started 5 days ago
high at 1.110, now is down to 1.020 and still going, will probably get
to rack in a day or two, still stirring twice daily.

I have recently got wild berry concentrate (apple, grape, cherry,
raspberry) and will try that when my primaries come available, one
gallon, more if I like.

I intend on making a 5 gal batch of the white grape rasp as soon as I
get the concentrate. This stuff was good.

I may have to pick up a few cans of concord, just to try of course,
and let you know how that goes.

Greg



On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 19:02:59 GMT, "Ray Calvert"
> wrote:

>Okay, a follow up to some posts I have made over the last few months.
>
>Back in February I started a 2.5 gal batch of Welch's Frozen Concord and a
>batch of the Niagra. I used the recipe on Jack's site for both. I started
>each at SG = 1.085. After 5 days I racked each. The Niagra continued fine.
>The Concord bubbled for a few days and stopped. I let it sit for a week or
>so and checked it . It was at 1.030, right where it was when I racked it.
>I repitched it. Nothing. I had a batch of mustang that needed racking into
>secondary so I added a pint of the lease and let it go for 3 weeks.
>Nothing.
>
>In the mean time I had started a batch of Welch's frozen Grape/Raspberry.
>It did the same thing and stuck at 1.030.
>
>The Niagara finished out fine, cleared and was a very nice wine.
>
>I needed to rack my cherry out of secondary to bulk age so I just racked
>both the two stuch lines onto the gal or so racked both of the two stuck
>wines onto the cherry sedement and stired them up good. After two weeks,
>nothing. The SG was down to about 1.020 thanks to adding all the dry
>finished lease.
>
>At this point I gave up. I racked it to a 5 gal carboy and set it asside to
>clear. I figured that I would just have some sweet, low alcohol wine. That
>was months ago. This weekend I figured I should rack off any sedement.
>When I checked it, I saw a bubble. I watched it and low and behold the
>airlock is bubbling at about 1 bubble a min. It is finally fermenting.
>
>I have no idea when it started, how long it has been going, or how much
>longer it will go. I did not even check the SG, just left it alone. I will
>check it in two weeks when I get back from vacation. In 25+ years of wine
>making this is the longest ferment I have ever had. One thing is for sure.
>If I like the results, I will never be able to duplicate it.
>
>In previous posts I have made some comments about the Welch's Concord
>sticking. Well, I am not sure now. Oh ... The Niagara is almost gone. A
>very nice white wine. Better than most of the Kit Whites I have made.
>
>Ray
>