I've been perusing the yeast selection at my local homebrew store
and have noticed at least one yeast that purports to survive up to
18% alc level.

it can't be as easy as simply sugaring up to a potential alcohol
level of 18% (checking with ye hydrometer) and being relatively
sterile about it.... is it?

my first and only batch successfully completed so far is 12.5%, and
i consider that to be divine intervention. does anyone have any
specific tips to achieve that higher alcohol percentage (is it really
just being sterile and adding more sugar?), or links, or is it
really worth it? does it take away from the flavor too much?

finally, anyone want to brag a little about the highest alcohol
concentration ever achieved ?



Saul Sabia

Hi Saul,
It's not hard at all, I used to do it in my first days (back when I knew
nothing) of wine making all the time. I used plain old Lalvin 1118 champagne
yeast and it went to 18% in no time at all. Tasted horrible but it packed a
punch! It was raspberry mead, blueberry mead, and strawberry mead.
I know better now so I keep it under 13%, test PH and all that other stuff
and mostly my wines are great! Unless I make mock ice wines and mock ice
ciders, then I bring it up to 15% and you can hardly notice the higher
alcohol.
Louise)

"Saul_Sabia" > wrote in message
om...
> I've been perusing the yeast selection at my local homebrew store
> and have noticed at least one yeast that purports to survive up to
> 18% alc level.
>
> it can't be as easy as simply sugaring up to a potential alcohol
> level of 18% (checking with ye hydrometer) and being relatively
> sterile about it.... is it?
>
> my first and only batch successfully completed so far is 12.5%, and
> i consider that to be divine intervention. does anyone have any
> specific tips to achieve that higher alcohol percentage (is it really
> just being sterile and adding more sugar?), or links, or is it
> really worth it? does it take away from the flavor too much?
>
> finally, anyone want to brag a little about the highest alcohol
> concentration ever achieved ?
>
>
>
> Saul Sabia
>

In message >, Saul_Sabia
> writes
>it can't be as easy as simply sugaring up to a potential alcohol level of
>18% (checking with ye hydrometer) and being relatively sterile about
>it.... is it?

Yup, it can be...

>
>my first and only batch successfully completed so far is 12.5%, and i
>consider that to be divine intervention. does anyone have any specific
>tips to achieve that higher alcohol percentage (is it really just being
>sterile and adding more sugar?),

Choose yourself a yeast that's tolerant of high alcohol concentrations
to start with (another poster will surely be along in a few minutes with
the specifics). Start off with sufficient sugar to get you up to about
16% PA; make sure the brew is at a sufficient temperature, and with
enough nutrients and vitamins to maintain a strong fermentation. When
the S.G. gets down to about 1000, draw off enough of the must to
dissolve sugar in, add 2-3 ounces of sugar per gallon, make sure it's
dissolved, and throw it back in to the ferment. Stir it.

That amount of sugar/gallon will probably raise the SG to 1005 or 1010.
Keep an eye on it over the next day or so; when it gets down to 1000
again, repeat the process, and keep repeating it until you get bored, or
the whole thing grinds to a halt.

<irony> Shortly before it does </irony>, rack it in to the secondaries,
and fit airlocks.

Adding only a small amount of sugar each time helps reduce the chances
of a stuck and over-sweet batch of wine.

Though I'm not entirely certain (vide the other threads about the
difficulties of calculating % alcohol, for starters), I did a batch of
crab apple last autumn, which I think got up to about 22%

>or is it really worth it? does it take away from the flavor too much?

Now that is a far more pertinent question! The times when I just wish to
have a pleasant glass of wine far outnumber the times when I wish to get
completely hammered as rapidly as possible. But it's still nice to have
the option.

cheers,
robin
--
www.newforestartgallery.co.uk
www.badminston.demon.co.uk www.robinsomes.co.uk
www.amazonian-fish.co.uk www.pisces-conservation.com
www.irchouse.demon.co.uk www.blackwell-science.com/southwood
Trust me, I'm a webmaster...

"Weez" > wrote in message >...

> It's not hard at all, I used to do it in my first days (back when I knew
> nothing) of wine making all the time. I used plain old Lalvin 1118 champagne
> yeast and it went to 18% in no time at all. Tasted horrible but it packed a
> punch! It was raspberry mead, blueberry mead, and strawberry mead.

> I know better now so I keep it under 13%, test PH and all that other stuff
> and mostly my wines are great! Unless I make mock ice wines and mock ice
> ciders, then I bring it up to 15% and you can hardly notice the higher
> alcohol.


hmm. i'm using cote-de-blanc on my first batch, and i think i'm using
1118 on my second and third. i _don't_ test for Ph (though once i realize
that it's important i'm sure i will =) but i was simply curious to see
what kind of potential there was for making a higher percentage wine.

normally, 12-15% is more than i need, unless it tastes great, which is
usually the most important thing. =)

but i've been tinkering with the idea of doing a batch meant spec. for
the still, on the sly.

the idea came from chatting with my buddy about my failed batch of coffee
wine, and saying that even after tasting the wine twice, it was "still
fodder". i realized i had a double meaning on my hands, and now am thinking
about the distilling process. but that's OT, and for elsewhere and later...


Saul Sabia

"Weez" > wrote in message >...

> It's not hard at all, I used to do it in my first days (back when I knew
> nothing) of wine making all the time. I used plain old Lalvin 1118 champagne
> yeast and it went to 18% in no time at all. Tasted horrible but it packed a
> punch! It was raspberry mead, blueberry mead, and strawberry mead.

> I know better now so I keep it under 13%, test PH and all that other stuff
> and mostly my wines are great! Unless I make mock ice wines and mock ice
> ciders, then I bring it up to 15% and you can hardly notice the higher
> alcohol.


hmm. i'm using cote-de-blanc on my first batch, and i think i'm using
1118 on my second and third. i _don't_ test for Ph (though once i realize
that it's important i'm sure i will =) but i was simply curious to see
what kind of potential there was for making a higher percentage wine.

normally, 12-15% is more than i need, unless it tastes great, which is
usually the most important thing. =)

but i've been tinkering with the idea of doing a batch meant spec. for
the still, on the sly.

the idea came from chatting with my buddy about my failed batch of coffee
wine, and saying that even after tasting the wine twice, it was "still
fodder". i realized i had a double meaning on my hands, and now am thinking
about the distilling process. but that's OT, and for elsewhere and later...


Saul Sabia

My apple wine (done in 60 gal barrels) is consistantly very good in
taste/flavor at 15%. A book I have indicates that using fermentation
with sugar & yeast, 22% is the max that can be achieved. Must agree
with the rest here, though, unless you drink for effect, higher
alcohol contents are conducive to getting drunk on one bottle as
opposed to enjoying your wine if its tamer (11-12%) In my early days I
always made stronger wine only to have my friends tell me how good it
was, drink alot in too little time, then fall down an hour later. Not
a desireable result, so I started leaving out some of the sugar to
tame it down to 12% and the flavor is better & the end result more
tolerable. Champagne yeast is what I used to use to achieve the higher
% as it is more tolerant of higher alcohol content. Good luck.

A system of sugar additions to a must so that a high alcohol content can be
achieved.

If all the Sugar / Honey is added at the start of fermentation, there is a
great danger that the sugar or honey will inhibit or kill the yeast. By
adding small amounts of the sugars each time the specific gravity falls to
1.005.

The yeast "LEARNS" to tolerate alcohol concentrations which normally would
kill it.

In this way, a slow , steady ferment is encouraged.

This aids quality by not causing the vaporisation of esters.



Note:- Cyser example....................

One can use either a combination ( cooking apples, Cider, crab apples, or
wind fall apples) or single parts to mix with honey or, a or combination of
sugar types, White granulated, Brown, Glucose white powder.

For Exponential feeding, the sugars if added don't require diluting in
water.

However the Honey may require purifying before use.



"Honey" is the basic ingredient of meads. It is the form in which bees store
foodstuff, obtained from pollens of flowers.

Since it is high in bacterial contamination, it is ESSENTIAL to ensure
sterility by boiling, or preferably, with sulphite.



When in liquid form after this process of sterilization the honey can be
added directly to the brew without diluting.

By adding grape juice concentrate 250 cl per gallon, and champagne style
yeast, this also will enhance the Alc



It's possible to have a potential alcohol (% by volume ) 25.5

Stephen SG



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"Saul_Sabia" > wrote in message
om...
| I've been perusing the yeast selection at my local homebrew store
| and have noticed at least one yeast that purports to survive up to
| 18% alc level.
|
| it can't be as easy as simply sugaring up to a potential alcohol
| level of 18% (checking with ye hydrometer) and being relatively
| sterile about it.... is it?
|
| my first and only batch successfully completed so far is 12.5%, and
| i consider that to be divine intervention. does anyone have any
| specific tips to achieve that higher alcohol percentage (is it really
| just being sterile and adding more sugar?), or links, or is it
| really worth it? does it take away from the flavor too much?
|
| finally, anyone want to brag a little about the highest alcohol
| concentration ever achieved ?
|
|
|
| Saul Sabia
|