Have I made apple juice?! And racking wine off question.

[potager]

Hi all

Thoroughly enjoying my first year of homebrewing but can't find the answer to a couple of questions....

Cider
Crushed and pressed a mixture of dessert and cooker apples back in september. Racked off the first time - quite a sour juice - then racked off again yesterday - lovely clear, dry, clean flavour BUT...... there wasn't loads of activity during fermentation and it didn't last long (I killed off the wild yeast and added yeast but no sugar). I forgot to take a OG reading before the first fermentation so have no idea what the alcohol content now is?! I took a reading at the 2nd racking and it was 1.000 but without an OG I have no idea what I've created...is there a way of finding out?

My second question is about fruit wine (which I also forgot to take an OG reading of!)
I've made blackberry wine. 7 days of stirring then racked off into an air-locked demijohn and into the airing cupboard. It won't stop bubbling! It has drastically reduced but still going after 2 months. I know I need to take it off the lees and I'm going away for 7 weeks...do I rack it while its still fermenting? :wha:

Any advice to these questions would be appreciated!

 

[HellFireMagic]

Your apple cider is probably OK. Fresh pressed apple juice has an OG of between 1.040 and 1.046, so that has probably fermented properly and has an ABV of around the 5% mark.
You can test the ABV of cider using a vinometer (designed for testing white wine) http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Vinometer.html - I dont work for them but at £3.36 it wont kill your bank account.

Your blackberry brew might be infected with either bacteria or wild yeast.
Both can cause a very long fermentation time as they eat not only all the sugar, but then start eating all the acohol and any trub. Best thing might be to taste it and it it tastes OK, then use Campden tablets to stop any further fermentation before racking.

 

[potager]

Thanks Hellfiremagic, good news about the ABV of the cider!!

Just tasted the wine and it is very sweet! Almost like cordial with a slight fizziness to it. Can I ask how long to give the campden tablet before racking? I head off tomorrow morning! The wine in the demijohn is still really cloudy but I have some extra in a wine bottle (topped with cotton wool and clingfilm) which is a lot clearer, does it matter if I add these together?

 

[potager]

Oh and today's hydrometer reading of the blackberry is 1.026 :-)

 

[Featherhat]

What yeast did you use and how much sugar did you add to the blackberry? 1026 after 2 months is surprisingly high. If it tastes ok, ie no off flavours I'd be tempted to leave it 'til you get back. My blackberry normally comes out around 990-996 and still retains some background sweetness when it matures. I leave it on the yeast till its fermented fully then rack into clean djs to mature and settle out some for about 2 months before bottling so in my opinion, if you were expecting an ABV of 14% or more I'd risk leaving it. If you weren't going away I'd say chuck some nutrient in dissolved in a little water or some of the must and see if that speeds it up a bit.

 

[potager]

Hi Featherhat, thanks for that. This is the recipe I used http://www.carllegge.com/2011/07/blackberry-wine-recipe/ and I used Muntons Gervin universal wine yeast. It did taste fine today, just very sweet almost like a cordial, and had a slight fizz to it but I just presumed that was because it was still fermenting. If its okay to leave that long then I much prefer to leave it to do its work alone!

 

[Featherhat]

That looks like a pretty sound recipe,pretty much how I do it. I must confess to being confused as to why it's taking so long in a warm environment but I've had similar experiences that have produced some fine brews so nil desperandum Potager.

 

[Featherhat]

Reading further I notice that Mr Legge uses Youngs super wine yeast compound, as do I. This is yeast mixed with nutrient and a fining agent(bentonite). Perhaps as I conjectured earlier your yeast is under-nourished. If your airing cupboard is not going to be warm while you're away I would consider adding nutrient. It won't hurt if it finishes in your absence. If'll give it chance to settle and clear.

 

[potager]

Thanks Featherhat!! There will be others in the house when I'm away so the airing cupboard should be the same temperature but do you think it would be worth adding the yeast nutrient as well?

 

[Featherhat]

It can't hurt. Ìt might be useful to leave instructions that if the airlock stops bubbling the dj should be moved somewhere cooler but otherwise go for it.

 

[potager]

Will do. Housemate is a bit good like that as I've left her in charge of the cider, sloe gin and blackberry vodka as well!! Thanks all for your homebrew wisdom. :thumb:

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Reading further I notice that Mr Legge uses Youngs super wine yeast compound, as do I. This is yeast mixed with nutrient and a fining agent(bentonite). Perhaps as I conjectured earlier your yeast is under-nourished. If your airing cupboard is not going to be warm while you're away I would consider adding nutrient. It won't hurt if it finishes in your absence. If'll give it chance to settle and clear.

I have used Young super wine yeast compound and nothing else from day one and have always added a teaspoon of nutrient, i have never had off smells associated with a lack of nutrient or a failed fermentation, at the price its worth adding to be on the safe side.

 

[potager]

Well, I'm back and a happy New Year to all! Yet.....my blackberry wine still seems to be bubbling, just very very slightly now (abut one bubble a minute). Is it worth adding more nutrient or just leave well enough alone? It's still very cloudy too. Thanks all. :wha:

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Take a reading with a hydrometer as it's the only way to know if it's finished fermenting.

 

[potager]

Hydrometer sank like a stone and reading is coming in at 1.042. It has a slightly bitterness and fizz about it.

The airlock had been slightly knocked to one side when I got home - although no obvious gaps showed. Could this be a case of air getting to it? Can anything be done...?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

The layer of CO2 above the wine will have protected it.
Without knowing what you used to make it and the SG it's difficult to say what the FG should be, check it occasionally and when it doesn't change in a two day period it's finished.
It will clear naturally but it'll take a while, use finings once it's finished if you want to drink it sooner.

 

[potager]

Thanks Chippy Tea. This is the mix http://www.carllegge.com/2011/07/blackberry-wine-recipe/ I followed although used Muntons Gervin universal wine yeast, I did add some yeast nutrient before I went away in November. But shouldn't the readings be reducing not increasing...?? My November reading was 1.024 and now it's 1.042. Shall I just leave in the airing cupboard and keep taking readings? Or do I need to add anything more? Thanks y'all.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Are you sure you are reading it right, i have never heard of a hydrometer reading getting higher during fermentation.

 

[potager]

No, Chippy, I'm a moron...... Not sure what I did earlier but just took another reading and it's coming out at 1.006. Still has a slight fizz about it though...

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Check again in another couple of days, once it reads the same over a two day period its finished.

A tip if you don't know it - spin the hydrometer once its in the liquid as this gets rid of any bubbles stuck to it that may give a false reading.