gravity check

[jam]

How often should I check for gravity reading after fermentation is complete to find the right taste I want before stablising?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Once it doesn't move for two days its done, its not about taste its about the finished % ABV.

 

[Roddy]

If you're intending to stop fermentation before it's properly fermented out to get a sweeter taste (eg sg of 1.005 or so), then probably every couple of days once it's been on the go for a week ish, depends on your conditions how quickly it will ferment though

(think that's what you meant, could be wrong 😃)

 

[jam]

Yeah that's what I meant not taste the sweetnest of it lol.I've left it ferment out for at least 10 days on my last batch and extra week before stablising but it's tasted dry do I need to leave it the extra week after fermentation is complete before racking off or should I rack off sooner?

 

[Roddy]

you don't strictly speaking need to leave it another week after fermented out before racking

if you let it ferment out (to sg 0.990 or thereabouts) it will be quite dry. A couple of options are to a. sweeten with artificial sweetener (youngs wine sweetener etc.) or with a sugar solution

I've not tried the sugar solution method yet, but am going to shortly on my pomegranate WOW

According to my man in the local home brew shop, the idea is to:

1. Before stabilising
2. Rack into clean bucket/dj
3. Add sugar solution gradually to bring sg to 1.000-1.005 for a medium taste
4. Taste to see if it's sweet enough
5. Leave for 12 hrs
6. Stabilise etc as usual

Step 5 apparently lets the sugar 'invert' (not taste sugary any more', without kicking fermentation off again

nb like I say, I've not tried this yet, but maybe others have ?

 

[GB2014]

You may want to consider letting it fully ferment then sweetening it to have your cake and eat it.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I agree, i am not a fan of finishing wine early, rather let it do its thing then decide.

 

[jam]

How much sweetners to the gallon to back sweeten?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I used to put 2 teaspoons of sugar in a 2 litres bottle but its down to personal taste.

 

[jam]

So I could just add 4 teaspoons straight to dj then ?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I would pour 1 litre into a sterile measuring jug add a teaspoon of sugar taste it then add more until you like the taste, next time you back sweeten a full DJ times the amount you added to 1 litre by 4 and it'll be close enough.

 

[jam]

So if i back sweeten , when I rack off is it ok to degas and top up first then add sugar to taste leave for 22 hours then stablise and clear ?

 

[Roddy]

So if i back sweeten , when I rack off is it ok to degas and top up first then add sugar to taste leave for 22 hours then stablise and clear ?

oops I meant to put '12 hrs' ! (edited now)

otherwise your method sounds about right

 

[Chippy_Tea]

If you add the sugar before stabilising it'll ferment again.

 

[Roddy]

If you add the sugar before stabilising it'll ferment again.

according to the chap in my lhbs, 12 hours is enough time for the sugar to invert (not taste like sugar) but not to start fermenting again...

I should point out again that this is theoretical at the moment, I haven't tried it myself yet, but will be doing next weekend on my pomegranate concoction 😃

 

[jam]

With the youngs sweetner on amazon it says to add 5ml per bottle maybe that's better option as it would have been stablised and cleared .

 

[Roddy]

With the youngs sweetner on amazon it says to add 5ml per bottle maybe that's better option as it would have been stablised and cleared .

I was told that the Youngs sweetener can leave a bit of an artificial taste (by the shop that sells it), and to go for sugar - let me know what you do though !

I'm going to use sugar for the first time with my brew at the weekend, and have knocked up a quick calculator to work out how much sugar to add to raise the gravity from 0.990 to 1.000

This might help, if you're an excel fan https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9214IswqPyMTi1Mc3Y3bUxzczA

 

[jam]

To save messing about with jugs and stuff could I do all the stablising and clearing bit then back sweeten straight into the bottle when I come to bottle the wine?

 

[Roddy]

To save messing about with jugs and stuff could I do all the stablising and clearing bit then back sweeten straight into the bottle when I come to bottle the wine?

If you were going to use artificial sweetener, I guess so


I think the real sugar method has to be done before stabilisation though, but you could just make up a sugar solution based on the numbers above and add some until happy with the taste, then stabilise etc... that's my plan, when the damn thing hurries up and finishes

 

[jam]

Same here I'm still waiting for my tropical and rg, and rg and apple to finish been 18 days now and they still going .