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[WaccineChinawatiiRaporn]

Oh yeah, that one has it all!

Is there any particular yeast to use? I see a blue, red, green & yellow pack of Red Star brand and 2 types of Lalvin

[Faraday]

 

Pineapple Wine 

2.5kgs Pineapple

5 L Water 

1kg Sugar 

QA 23 Yeast 

Brix 16

OG 1070

 

I've only put in 1 kg of Sugar, as I will measure the Gravity in 48 hours, & add more. This is trying to achieve a higher alcohol content.

Your input as always is appreciated @stuhan

 

 

 

 

 

[stuhan]

47 minutes ago, Faraday said:

Pineapple Wine 

2.5kgs Pineapple

5 L Water 

1kg Sugar 

QA 23 Yeast 

Brix 16

OG 1070

I've only put in 1 kg of Sugar, as I will measure the Gravity in 48 hours, & add more. This is trying to achieve a higher alcohol content.

Your input as always is appreciated @stuhan

Pineapple is well known for producing a lively fermentation & high abv if desired. QA23 16% tolerance,ferments at 15c-32c & fast fermenting good for whites and light fruits, should be good with pineapple. O.G 1.070 so if your looking for 16% it should require appx 630g of sugar assuming you ferment to dry 995.What was the reading before you added the sugar (just the juice/must)

Edited August 17, 2021 by stuhan

[Faraday]

12 minutes ago, stuhan said:

What was the reading before you added the sugar (just the juice/must)

Oh... didn't measure it, am I supposed to?

 

[stuhan]

Another handy chart.

 

[stuhan]

5 minutes ago, Faraday said:

Oh... didn't measure it, am I supposed to?

In order to work out the correct amount of sugar you would need to get lets say 16% yes you need to take a reading of the sugar that's already in the fruit/water juice.

[Faraday]

5 minutes ago, stuhan said:

In order to work out the correct amount of sugar you would need to get lets say 16% yes you need to take a reading of the sugar that's already in the fruit/water juice.

Dear gawd ..I'm a slow learner...

From my Pineapple post, I added the sugar & fruit, then got an OG of 1070.

Am I doing this proper, like ..?

[stuhan]

Just now, stuhan said:

In order to work out the correct amount of sugar you would need to get lets say 16% yes you need to take a reading of the sugar that's already in the fruit/water juice.

I will make a guess lets say 1.003 so total sugar for 6L  for 16% abv would be appx = 1682g now if your O.G was 1.070 with 1000g [1kg]  of sugar then you would require a gravity of 1.110 for 16% that = 633g extra of sugar based on finishing gravity of 995.Taking a hydrometer reading won't really tell you much only how much it has fermented so far in 48hrs example  1.070 -48hrs = 1.050.

 

stu

[stuhan]

19 minutes ago, Faraday said:

Dear gawd ..I'm a slow learner...

From my Pineapple post, I added the sugar & fruit, then got an OG of 1070.

Am I doing this proper, like ..?

Yes that's ok if you are adding all the sugar from the start,but for step feeding you first need to know how much sugar in total you require first.Now guessing, i would add 600g more sugar just to safe in 48hrs should be fine.Don't worry you will get the hang of it,took me a while to get my head round it.

Edited August 17, 2021 by stuhan

[stuhan]

33 minutes ago, stuhan said:

Another handy chart.

Sorry it's sugars per 100g in fruits

[stuhan]

RED STAR WINE YEAST CHART GOOD INFO FOR CHOOSING YEASTS

[WaccineChinawatiiRaporn]

Simple 3 ingredient store bought fruit juice redneck style wine for the cheap Charlie's or folks who just don't want to go through much trouble, have limited space, whatever. It should make a liter of wine for about 50-60 THB. Same price as a big Singha! I'll start it tomorrow & report back in a few weeks.
 

 

[stuhan]

11 hours ago, WaccineChinawatiiRaporn said:

Simple 3 ingredient store bought fruit juice redneck style wine for the cheap Charlie's or folks who just don't want to go through much trouble, have limited space, whatever. It should make a liter of wine for about 50-60 THB. Same price as a big Singha! I'll start it tomorrow & report back in a few weeks.
 

Yep i watched many of Paw Paws videos ,great for very basic winemaking without any equipment.

[stuhan]

18 hours ago, Faraday said:

Dear gawd ..I'm a slow learner...

From my Pineapple post, I added the sugar & fruit, then got an OG of 1070.

Am I doing this proper, like ..?

How's that Raspberry wine doing now.

[stuhan]

 SOME YEAST INFO

 WINE YEASTS

1:  1. Lalvin 71B Wine Yeast - Best for Sweet Wines
Lalvin 71B Wine Yeast
 Pros    
Ideal for whites, reds, nouveau, and roses
Helps in malolactic fermentation
59 - 86°F fermentation temperature range
Up to 14% alcohol tolerance
Cons
Short lag phase
Some packets contain dead yeast
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Red Star Premier Classique Wine Yeast - Best for Colored Wines Red Star Premier Classique Wine Yeast
 Pros    
Preserves tannins and color
59- 95°F fermentation temperature range
Up to 15% alcohol tolerance
Quick-starting fermentation
All-purpose
Cons
Not for making quick batches of wine
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Lalvin QA23 Wine Yeast - Best for Whites
Lalvin QA23 Wine Yeast
 Pros    
Gives focus to fruit elements
Low foaming
59 - 90°F fermentation temperature range
Up to 16% alcohol tolerance
Settle quickly
Cons
Does not provide structure to wine
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Red Star Premier Cuvee Wine Yeast - Best for Sparkling Wines
Red Star Premier Cuvee Wine Yeast
 Pros    
Starts fast
Clean and neutral
46 - 95°F fermentation temperature range
Up to 18% alcohol tolerance
It can be used for oak barrel fermentation
Cons
Doesn’t stay active for a long time
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Lalvin Wine Yeast BM 4x4 - Best for Difficult Conditions
Lalvin Wine Yeast BM 4x4
 Pros    
Enhances qualities of red and white wines
Facilitates malolactic fermentation
61 - 82°F fermentation temperature range
Up to 16% alcohol tolerance
Improves color stability
Cons
Some reports of having a sulfur smell
----------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Mangrove Jack's CY17 Wine Yeast - Best for Sweet Dessert Wines
Mangrove Jack's CY17 Wine Yeast
 Pros    
Encourages strong floral aromas
Promotes body and structure to the wine
61 - 75°F fermentation temperature range
Up to 14% alcohol tolerance
Slow fermenting for more desirable characteristics
Cons
Delicate strain to use
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Red Star Premier Rouge Wine Yeast - Best for Reds
Red Star Premier Rouge Wine Yeast
 Pros    
Rarely causes stuck fermentation
Promotes robust flavors
63 - 86°F fermentation temperature range
Up to 15% alcohol tolerance
Moderate fermentation speed
Cons
May cause a rotten egg smell
Some reports of dead yeast
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Lalvin Bourgovin RC-212 Wine Yeast - Best for Adding Spice
 Pros    
GMO and gluten-free
Low-foaming
68 - 86°F fermentation temperature range
Up to 16% alcohol tolerance
Moderate speed fermentation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Red Star Côte des Blancs Wine Yeast - Best for Light Wines
 Pros    
Excellent choice for fruit wines
Produces low alcohol
54 - 75°F fermentation temperature range
Up to 14% alcohol tolerance
Cons
Needs close temperature monitoring
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Lalvin ICV-D47 Wine Yeast - Best for Floral Notes
 Pros    
Creates silky texture and smooth mouthfeel
Low foam formation
59 - 82°F fermentation temperature range
Up to 14% alcohol tolerance
Moderate fermentation rate
Cons
Needs close monitoring
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. Red Star Premier Blanc Champagne Yeast - Most Versatile
 Pros    
Best for restarting stuck fermentations
Sulfite-tolerant
50 - 95°F fermentation temperature range
Up to 18% alcohol tolerance
Neutral flavor profile
Cons
Doesn’t activate sometimes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Lalvin EC-1118 Wine Yeast - Best Neutral
 Pros    
Doesn’t need grape nutrients
Consistent strong fermentation
45 - 86°F fermentation temperature range
Up to 18% alcohol tolerance
Produces low foam
Cons
Some reports of dead yeast
------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[JamesE]

#9 has been my go-to for fruit wines and cider. You can ferment bone-dry but the fruitiness of the source is preserved unlike, say, champagne yeast which seems to devour everything.

[Ttalk]

Great thread, thanks Stu.

[stuhan]

41 minutes ago, Ttalk said:

Great thread, thanks Stu.

Thanks, all helps

[stuhan]

23 hours ago, WaccineChinawatiiRaporn said:

Oh yeah, that one has it all!

Is there any particular yeast to use? I see a blue, red, green & yellow pack of Red Star brand and 2 types of Lalvin

Most use red star cuvee or E1118, they are my most used yeasts and you won't go far wrong.

[stuhan]

 

Adding Sugar to Reach a High Alcohol Percentage

1. Getting the Right Yeast Strain

It will be important to keep in mind that each yeast strain will have a max amount of alcohol it tolerates. When making wine, you’ll need to ensure your chosen yeast can handle the alcohol percentage/level you’re looking to achieve.

Do some research to get your hands on the best winemaking yeast you can find, so that during every step of the way you avoid throwing out an entire batch of wine - and all your hard work.

If you’re looking to achieve a 16-18% of alcohol percentage your yeast selection is critical.

Also, don’t forget that chaptalizing wine will not make your wine sweeter. Sugar will only add to its alcohol content. If you’re looking to finish your wine on a sweet note, you have two options:

Stop the fermentation process. Which is a fairly difficult process of a home winemaker, although not completely possible. This will be done at your own risk.

Sweet the wine after the fermentation process ends. This is the preferred method if you’re still an amateur winemaker.

2. Feeding Sugar Throughout the Fermentation Process

If you’re interested in boosting the alcohol level and have found a yeast that can tolerate this, you can feed the sugar throughout the fermentation process as a means of not overwhelming the yeast.

For instance, you can add just enough sugar during the beginning to get fermentation started.

Then, as fermentation slows down, you can feed your wine more sugar until all the sugar your recipe calls for has been added. As another option, you can add sugar to the fermentation until the yeast has reached the limit.

3. Using a Wine Hydrometer

If opting to feed sugar to the fermentation, you might need a handy wine hydrometer to keep track of things. Once the Potential Alcohol reading is nearing zero, this is an indication to add more sugar to the fermentation. 

Once added, the sugar will raise the reading and the fermentation will ferment until towards zero in the reading once again.

This entire process can go on for a few rounds depending on how much sugar you want to add and once the yeast quits. Keep in mind that without a wine hydrometer, this entire process of feeding sugar throughout fermentation can be quite risky.

Without it, you may end up adding sugar to a wine that has simply had enough and fermentation has slowed due to the yeast giving up. This will result in a sweeter wine than you might have expected.

The easiest way is to know how much sugar your recipe requires for a 16-18% wine from the start by using a chaptalization calculator. Then add half the sugar at the start of the fermentation. Then use a hydrometer to check when the must/wine has dropped to around 1.010 then add the other half of your sugar, that way you don't stress out the yeast and it will do a better job.

 

[Faraday]

On 8/18/2021 at 7:58 AM, stuhan said:

How's that Raspberry wine doing now.

Lovely colour & smells...of Raspberries!

Brix 11

SG 1020

Using an online ABV calculator, it seems that the current alcohol is 10.4%.

On the 14th the OG was 1100, Brix 22

 

Is this correct, Stu?

 

 

 

[stuhan]

18 minutes ago, Faraday said:

Lovely colour & smells...of Raspberries!

Brix 11

SG 1020

Using an online ABV calculator, it seems that the current alcohol is 10.4%.

On the 14th the OG was 1100, Brix 22

Is this correct, Stu?

That's looking great, when that finishes it will be great, yes 10.4% is correct. I will definitely have a go at that. My lime is still fermenting strong after 4 days, I will check the O. G on Saturday. 

Stu

[stuhan]

 

The Difference Between Primary and Secondary Fermentation

Primary Fermentation

Before we talk about secondary fermentation lets start at the beginning with primary fermentation. This stage starts as soon as you add your yeast to the must. During this stage the yeast population is growing rapidly.

You know you’re in the primary stage because there’s a lot of visible activity. There’s often a lot of foam on top of the must and your airlock will be bubbling like crazy.

Why? The yeast population growing really fast because of the huge supply of sugar, nutrients, and oxygen they lucked into. It’s like a party in there. Everyone is hopped up on sugar and bouncing off the walls.

This is the most active and productive phase of fermentation. In fact up to 70% of the total amount of alcohol is produced during this stage which only lasts about three to five days. After that we move into secondary fermentation.

Secondary Fermentation

After a while things start to slow down. The oxygen has been depleted and the bulk of the sugar has been used up. Because of this the yeast population is no longer expanding. In fact life is getting hard for the yeast.

Alcohol levels have risen to the point that it is affecting the yeasts ability to reproduce and even survive. Many cells are dying off and collecting at the bottom of the Fermenter. This is one of the reasons we have to rack the wine after primary fermentation is over. We don’t want to pick up any off flavors from the dead yeast.

Secondary fermentation lasts between a week to two weeks. Obviously this is a much slower stage in the process. Primary fermentation took three to five days and produced 70% of our alcohol while secondary fermentation takes up to two weeks just to get the last 30%.

The foam will disappear and you will see tiny bubbles breaking at the surface of your wine. Your airlock will now be bubbling every 30 seconds or so.

There is no identifying event that separates the primary stage from the secondary stage. When it happens depends on the fruit varietal, sugar content, yeast strain, fermentation temperature, etc. In other words you just have to watch your airlock or the level of activity at the surface.

Secondary Fermentation is not a Second Fermentation

This is where it gets confusing. A second fermentation is where excess sugar not previously consumed by the yeast restarts alcoholic fermentation. Commonly this happens when a wine is back sweetened before all the yeast have died.

Some people mistakenly refer to Malolactic fermentation as a second fermentation. I think it makes sense to differentiate between the two so that we’re speaking a common language. Malolactic fermentation is Malolactic fermentation.

Second fermentations usually happen by accident except when making sparkling wines. Sparkling wines are bottled before the yeast is dead and a little unfermented fruit must is added to give the yeast something to eat. In so doing the carbon dioxide produced is trapped in the bottle and we have bubbly. 

 

[Faraday]

Bought this, yesterday afternoon in Tesco's. It was 81baht, they didn't have the Red one.

I need to get hold of a one litre bottle or container, as I intend filling it with Blueberries, pouring the BC into it & leaving it for a few months.

I'll update the thread when I get a botten...

 

 

[Faraday]

Measured the Pineapple wine just now, the SG is at 1000,

down from 1070. ABV is 9.1%.

Smells great, & hasn't finished it's primary fermentation.

(see Stu's earlier post explaining this)

I would like to get the SG down a bit more, & will add 250g sugar today, & remeasure in 2 days.

Does that sound reasonable Stu?

What would you do?

@stuhan