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.
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%. (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.
My question is how can I restart the fermentation to get at least down
to 1.000 SG or lower?
I initially used 1 5 gram package of Montrachet yeast. (Not hydrated,
but sprinkled over the top of the juice)
Can I use another package (Possibly hydrated) to restart fermentation?
Could there be any negative affect of adding more yeast at this point?
Or could I possibly adding yeast nutrient to the must without adding
more yeast to try to kick start the existing yeast.
This is my first batch of this size with real fruit so any suggestions
would be appreciated.

In article >, 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?

> (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.

>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 initially used 1 5 gram package of Montrachet yeast. (Not hydrated,
>but sprinkled over the top of the juice)
>Can I use another package (Possibly hydrated) to restart fermentation?
>Could there be any negative affect of adding more yeast at this point?
>Or could I possibly adding yeast nutrient to the must without adding
>more yeast to try to kick start the existing yeast.
>This is my first batch of this size with real fruit so any suggestions
>would be appreciated.

On Aug 22, 11:31*am, (Doug Miller)
wrote:
> In article >, 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.
>
> > (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.
>
> >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?

I still think it is a little sweeter than I would like it at this
point.

Thanks very much for your help and suggestions.
>
>
>
>

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.

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.

Doug-
So here is my initial ingredients and process:

7-13 Put 12.5 lbs rhubarb (cubed and frozen),12.5 lbs sugar, and 1 lb of
raspberries in fermenter

7-14 Poured must into pulp bag (panty hose) in 2nd fermenter, Added 5
crushed capden tablets and 1.5 gal heated water. Stirred must. SG 1.12 -
16% Alcohol Potential (covered and put in pantry)

7-15 Add 1 pack of Montrachet yeast - sprinkled on top

7-16 Stirred must

7-17 Removed pulp bag and squeezed out juice - SG 1.12 before adding
water, 1.10 after topping off. Covered with lid - loose.



I followed this recipe I found on the Rhubarb Consortium Website.

(I did not add the the yeast nutrient or grape tannin and substituted
raspberries for the White Grape Concentrate)

12.50 lb Rhubarb (cubed)5.00 ga Water12.50 lb White granulated sugar5.00 ea
Campden tablets50.00 oz White grape concentrate (optional)5.00 pk Montrachet
wine yeast5.00 ts Yeast nutrient1.25 ts Grape tanninLet me know you
thoughts, if I missed something or if something may have been flawed in my
process.

I have enough rhubarb for 2 more batches, but I want to figure out the issue
before starting another batch.

(I am guessing too much sugar added initially)

"Doug Miller" > wrote in message
...
> On 9/14/2011 2:01 PM, Tycarnell wrote:
>> 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. ;-(
>
> Of course not. I told you a month ago that your fermentation is finished.
> The alcohol level is too high for even that yeast to survive.
>>
>> SG still at 1.008 and tastes a bit sweet.
>
> That isn't going to change, no matter how much more champagne yeast you
> add.
>>
>> 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)
>
> That might help: EC-1118 tolerates up to 18% alcohol, so you'll probably
> get some fermentation. Very doubtful that you'll get it down to 1.000,
> though.
>
> I still think you miscalculated your initial sugar levels, and added about
> twice as much as you should have.

On 9/15/2011 9:17 AM, Tycarnell wrote:
> Doug-
> So here is my initial ingredients and process:
>
> 7-13 Put 12.5 lbs rhubarb (cubed and frozen),12.5 lbs sugar

.... and that would be the problem right there. That's a LOT of sugar.

Fermenting one pound of sugar yields just over half a pound of alcohol.

If that 12.5 pounds of sugar had fermented completely, your five gallons
of wine would contain almost a gallon of alcohol.

And that doesn't even account for the natural sugars present in the
raspberries.

Bottom line is that the recipe you used is intended to produce either:
a) a wine with very high residual sugar (which is what you have now), or
b) rocket fuel (which is what you're going to have if you add EC-1118).

I think the best thing you can do at this point is to make another
batch, using about 1/3 as much sugar, blend them, and adjust the sugar
level to taste after blending.

>
> I think the best thing you can do at this point is to make another batch,
> using about 1/3 as much sugar, blend them, and adjust the sugar level to
> taste after blending.

I have started another batch with about half the sugar. Inital SG 1.054 to
produce about 7% alcohol.
It has fermented down to SG 0.992. I have just racked it into a glass
carboy and will let it continue to ferment and settle.

So at what point should I blend it with my first batch?
The first batch is now 3 months old and is just hanging out. I have not
added stablizer yet but it has been done fermenting for a couple of months
now. I have racked it a couple of times, last time being about 4 weeks ago.

On 10/19/2011 3:20 PM, Tycarnell wrote:
>>
>> I think the best thing you can do at this point is to make another batch,
>> using about 1/3 as much sugar, blend them, and adjust the sugar level to
>> taste after blending.
>
> I have started another batch with about half the sugar. Inital SG 1.054 to
> produce about 7% alcohol.
> It has fermented down to SG 0.992. I have just racked it into a glass
> carboy and will let it continue to ferment and settle.
>
> So at what point should I blend it with my first batch?

Whenever you like, after it finishes fermentation.

Blend it in a wineglass first, not in a carboy -- that way, if you don't
like the results, you've spoiled only one glass instead of ten gallons.

That also gives you the opportunity to blend in different proportions,
to see what best suits your taste.