First Ever Wine Brew Question

[WarryM]

Hi all,

I'm having a go at my first ever wine kit (Beaverdale Sauv Blanc). The instructions seem straightforwards and I've followed them closely.

Possibly my question will be related to the size of the FV - 5 gallon - as I'm only making a 6 bottle kit as I thought best for the first attempt.

The FV is one with a screw down 4 inch cap which i've vaselined the thread and sealing ring on. 48 hours into the brew at a near enough constant 20c I've not had a peep out of the airlock. Should I expect to, or does all the head room in the FV (4 gallons plus) mean that not too much should bubble through? I'm reluctant to unscrew the lid to see if fermentation has kicked off at this early stage for fear of unnecessary infection.

Cheers,
Warren

 

[IainM]

I'd give it another day or two before worrying. This time of year there really isn't much nasty stuff floating around in the air, especially indoors, and the type of fv you described is good at keeping stuff out even when the lid is removed, so a quick peek is very unlikely to do any harm. And yes, the head room will delay the time until you start to see airlock activity. Once it gets started though it will produce hundreds of liters of CO2.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Down worry about lack of airlock activity its a common question asked in the forum and you would be surprised at the amount of FV's that are not airtight.

Did you take a hydrometer reading?

If you didn't and don't want to open the FV you can put your ear to the side close to the top, after 48 hours you should be able to hear something if not do not worry it will be fine.

Edit to add -

I cross posted with Ian above and he makes a good point about the head space.

 

[WarryM]

Iain, Chippy,

Thanks for your fast responses and great tip about listening to it - popping away nicely like a bowl of Rice Krispies...

Never had a single bubble out of the FV with a snap down lid that i use for beer but had hoped this screw down one that the wine is in would be airtight especially as I slathered vaseline on the ring and thread. I'll not worry about then especially as it hasn't been a problem for the beers.

Will sit back and let nature take its course.

I've got an old demi-john at the back of the shed - do you think I would have been better off using that for this small amount? Although I won't shift the current lot from its home, it'd be useful to know for future small batches.

Thanks again,
Warren

 

[cheapbrew]

It doesn't really matter what size the fermenting vessel is as long as it holds the amount you are making, I've done 1 gallon in a 5 gal FV when there were no spare DJ's, but DJ's are easier to handle for smaller batches.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

For 6 bottle kits I use a DJ for 30 bottle kits I use a FV,.

 

[GDog]

For 6 bottle kits I use a DJ for 30 bottle kits I use a FV,.

how easy is it to make a 30 bottle kit using just a FV? I've been trawling ebay for a glass carboy to come up locally, to no avail, but I do have a 25 L bucket (lid doesnt have an airlock but I could easily adapt it

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Making wine in a FV is no more difficult than making it in a DJ until it comes to degassing as you cannot shake an FV, glass carboys are heavy and i would not fancy trying to move a full one, having no airlock is not a problem just snap the lid shut but leave a small section open so CO2 can escape but not open enough to let fruit flies etc in.

How to make a degassing wand - http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=48971

 

[Razor]

Making wine in a FV is no more difficult than making it in a DJ until it comes to degassing as you cannot shake an FV, glass carboys are heavy and i would not fancy trying to move a full one, having no airlock is not a problem just snap the lid shut but leave a small section open so CO2 can escape but not open enough so nasties can get inside.

Isn't that what the degassing wand/paddle thingy is for?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Isn't that what the degassing wand/paddle thingy is for?


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I edited the OP shortly after with a how to make a degassing wand link.:wink: