2 day ferment??

[pith-head]

Hi all, I have just checked my blackberry and apple wine, i kicked it off just two days ago, there are two gallons in one bucket plus all the fruit. It appears to have fermented out in just two days, I have tested it with the hydrometer and it is right down to the black mark is that all right?

The other thing is that the apple and blackberries are all floating on the top of the wine, is that how it should be? This is my first attempt at wine so i am a little unsure of how it should be. Thanks for any replies.

 

[simon12]

It depends what yeast you used and what the temp was but I don't think its unknown. My all grain beer is 90%+ done in a few days but is still fermenting slightly for at least another week. I did a plum wine a few weeks ago and that has been fermenting slower than anything I have ever made. My plum wine all the friut floated so I drained it from the tap after a week into a clean fermenter at which point I added sugar and its still fermenting now nearly 2 weeks since adding sugar.

 

[pith-head]

I used a general purpose yeast for red wine, so it is probably ok then.

Thanks Simon.

 

[brewpirate]

How did you make the wine and what was the starting gravity as well what temperature it fermented at. At higher temps yeast will work amazingly fast however it may be very hot.

 

[pith-head]

Thanks for the reply bp, The fermentation started at near enough 50, unless i misread it, but i am pretty sure it was 50. The temperature is kind of hard to say, it was 64 when i popped the yeast in but after one day, i could see no froth on the top, only floating fruit, so then i wrapped it in a quilt. so it would obviously be above 64. Thinking about now, it could have going 3 days if the fermentation started on the first day.

I peeled and chopped the apples in to small pieces added the other stuff, mashed it all up then the day after i popped in the ingredients listed below. Thanks again.

When tasted at the end of the first day, it tasted absolutely beautiful, really sweet and fruity, but now all of the sweetness has gone and does not taste as nice, i have just racked off and got rid of all the thick chunky stuff, but i will rack it off again in a couple of days or so, because a bit of the chunky stuff dropped back in accidentally.

5 1/2 ,lb of fresh cooking apples
15lb of blackberries aprox
Juice of 4 lemons
3 ounce of raisins
2 ounce of ginger
2 tsp of dried ginger
General purpose red whine yeast.

 

[simon12]

The reading must be 1.05 meaning its now about 8% ABV if you want it sweeter you should add stabiliser (to stop it fermenting again) then add sugar until its as sweet as you want.

 

[pith-head]

The reading must be 1.05 meaning its now about 8% ABV if you want it sweeter you should add stabilizer (to stop it fermenting again) then add sugar until its as sweet as you want.

Thanks Simon, the stabilizer, would that be a Campden tablet? And if so, is it one tablet per gallon?

 

[simon12]

No campden do not stabilise its Potassium Sorbate or something that says stabiliser you want dose as per instructions it comes with.

 

[pith-head]

Thanks Simon, your advice is truly appreciated.