3 replies to this topic

[toonces]

ok, so i used 10# of honey and blend of table grape, wine grape and wild grape juice, right at 3.6 gallons. came out at about 4.5 gallons at 1.127. lalvin 71b for yeast. never was a real vigorous ferment. but almost 2 weeks later, it's calmed down significantly. not clear, slightly hazy. nice ruby/maroon color.just measured it, 1.042 or abv 11.6% nice sweet, tart taste. a bit syrupy, though.questions: should i wait it out and see if it will ferment out more? should i add more yeast? should i bottle it?should i try to clear it? if so, with what? and how?

[dmtaylor]

Several things:1) Add some yeast nutrient or energizer. That should keep 'em moving.2) Do NOT add any clarifying agents yet -- it could prevent the yeast from finishing the job!3) Rouse the yeast to help keep them moving.4) Give it time! Two weeks is not enough. This big baby might take 6 weeks or more to finish fermenting.

[armagh]

I would not add any more yeast nutrients. You are beyond the fermentation midpoint and further additions could result in off flavors in the finished product. Ideally, all nutrients should be added before the sugar reaches 30% depletion, 50% in suboptimal situations - this is per Lallemand's website.

[fatbloke]

I would not add any more yeast nutrients. You are beyond the fermentation midpoint and further additions could result in off flavors in the finished product. Ideally, all nutrients should be added before the sugar reaches 30% depletion, 50% in suboptimal situations - this is per Lallemand's website.

Yes, that's spot on, but if the OP wants to ensure that it finishes, then me ?, I'd just boil up a couple of teaspoons of bread yeast in 4 or 5 floz of water, let it cool and then give the must a good stir and add the bread yeast once some of the CO2 has been knocked out of the must (to prevent an eruption when adding the boiled yeast).Or if available, yeast hulls.....Either way, I'd let it finish. The gravity measurement is about that of commercial meads available over here (though they're labelled as being 14% ABV), which I find just too syrupy/cloyingly sweet......regardsfatblokep.s. and yes, I do tend to ferment dry and then back sweeten to about 1.010, but no more than 1.020