6 replies to this topic

[quirken]

I finished prepping my batch of pineapple wine Sunday night. It has been ~60 hours with no sign of any activity. I measured gravity and it is currently sitting at 1.126.I rehydrated the yeast properly, but it was getting late and I needed to start cleaning up, so I put in the yeast when the mix might have been too hot. It was drinkable, but hot, which puts it at below 140F but I have no way to know how much below. Unfortunately, this makes my OG somewhat useless, as I measured 1.113 and don't know how much to compensate for temperature (obviously, a lot. OG could have been up to 1.129).So, I may have killed my Montrachet yeast. My sugar content is a fair bit higher than intended, so I was thinking perhaps I should sprinkle in some Pasteur Champagne yeast, which can better handle that much sugar?My main concern is that if I wait too long, I'll get an infection.

[quirken]

I looked at a hydrometer correction tool, and with a measured 1.113 before and 1.126 now, that means the temperature was probably 130F when I added the yeast. Pretty sure I killed it =/

[MtnBrewer]

Even if the yeast survived, it may be very stressed and possibly even mutated. So I agree you should pitch new yeast with the quickness. As for what kind, I'm not really sure. Your potential alcohol is pushing 17.5% so some sort of champagne yeast (alc. tol. ~18%) would seem to be called for.Not being familiar with the process, why was the must that hot to begin with?

[quirken]

I'd been boiling other ingredients and was being pressured to get off the stove and clean up so dinner could be made, and it didn't cross my mind that it could be that hot, since it was drinkable. Otherwise I would have waited a few hours.Noob mistake =/

[MtnBrewer]

I'd been boiling other ingredients and was being pressured to get off the stove and clean up so dinner could be made, and it didn't cross my mind that it could be that hot, since it was drinkable. Otherwise I would have waited a few hours.Noob mistake =/

I guess I was wondering why any of it needed to be heated at all. {Excuse my ignorance. I've never made fruit wine other than melomels, which aren't heated.}

[quirken]

Well, it's not straight fruit wine, and my water isn't the best.

[MyaCullen]

Ok , next time you only need to warm the 1/2 thewater enough to dissolve the sugar, then add the fruit, crushed, in a nylon mesh bag, to the sugar solution and the remaining water, in a fermentor, then hit it with 1 tablet of Campden, per gallon, and let it set for 24 hours, then add your rehydrated yeast.