Quick fermenting Beaverdales!

[Vinotinto]

Has anybody noticed the Beaverdale red kits fermenting really quickly. I appreciate temperatures etc effect this but the last week or so, although by no means cold has also not been particularly summery either!

Put a Pinot Noir on on 31st July. Racked on the 6th August at SG 0.998 having missed the 1.010 opportunity!. No signs of life for the last couple of days. Just taken an SG today at 0.994 which is within the parameters of being 'done'. That said I normally get these to 0.992. How quick is this? Put another on on 7th August and it going like the clappers. Will try and keep a closer eye on this one to rack at 1.010 if possible.

 

[engineer]

This time of the year most of the kits i do ferment out in a week. Just finished a Beaverdale Sauvignon blanc and a Kenridge Nebbiolo both started on Saturday 5th and down to 0.992 today. I will leave them until Saturday then rack and stabilise and allow to clear.

 

[Vinotinto]

This time of the year most of the kits i do ferment out in a week. Just finished a Beaverdale Sauvignon blanc and a Kenridge Nebbiolo both started on Saturday 5th and down to 0.992 today. I will leave them until Saturday then rack and stabilise and allow to clear.

Thank you for that. Not just me then? :) and hell...... down to 0.992 in 5 days? 7 days in to stabilise and rack pre fining?

 

[engineer]

The speed has to be due to the temperature. I use a standard plastic FV and cover it with a blanket partly to maintain temps and partly to keep fruit flies at bay. I monitor the temps in the FV, when ambient temp is around 19 to 20c during fermentation i am measuring up to 28c in the FV over a three day period.

Note also that i dont control the must temp at start up, (just plain lazy) i simply fill the FV with tap water and put it on the heat matt which is set to 21c. I then bung in the yeast immediately (whatever the tap water temp) so all the more remarkable they ferment out that quick.

Sometimes i don't use finings i just let it sit for a month or so and rack again to clear, depends on stock levels obviously :whistle:
I would also say that i used to follow the instructions to the letter with these kits and drifted into my own lazy throw it together method over time and in all honesty i cant taste any difference in the end result.

 

[Vinotinto]

The speed has to be due to the temperature. I use a standard plastic FV and cover it with a blanket partly to maintain temps and partly to keep fruit flies at bay. I monitor the temps in the FV, when ambient temp is around 19 to 20c during fermentation i am measuring up to 28c in the FV over a three day period.

Note also that i dont control the must temp at start up, (just plain lazy) i simply fill the FV with tap water and put it on the heat matt which is set to 21c. I then bung in the yeast immediately (whatever the tap water temp) so all the more remarkable they ferment out that quick.

Sometimes i don't use finings i just let it sit for a month or so and rack again to clear, depends on stock levels obviously :whistle:
I would also say that i used to follow the instructions to the letter with these kits and drifted into my own lazy throw it together method over time and in all honesty i cant taste any difference in the end result.

So I assume you also 'miss'
the manufacturer's recommended 1.010 racking?

 

[engineer]

So I assume you also 'miss'
the manufacturer's recommended 1.010 racking?

Apart from the one time i actually did it yes.......

 

[GDog]

I've also given up on the 1010 racking stage on my last few beaverdales, can't tell the difference.

 

[Vinotinto]

Thanks guys.

Whilst on the subject I have got into the habit, despite the instructions of, when happy ferment has finished ( or has it, see below ) -
racking
adding stabiliser
give it a good wand/drill degassing
adding kieselsol

ALL ON THE SAME DAY! All in the space of an hour or so in fact.

Add chitosan the next day and good to go. Clear in a couple of days.

So far had no problems with clearing etc. On rare occasions get a very slight hiss when opening a bottle but not noticed fizz in the wine or had any blow.

I know patience is a virtue but I have been a bit lax in getting another on the go in good time for it to be well bottled before the previous batch runs out. :)

 

[LED_ZEP]

What yeast comes with the Beaverdales? I keep my FV at a constant 23 - 24c and normally make up a starter and add nutrient but don't think I've ever had anything finish in less than 12 - 14 days. I usually use E1118 but also used GV4 and even Wilco yeast compound (this has been good to restart/speed up stuck ferments).

My concern with a 5 day ferment would be flavours being blown off.

 

[Vinotinto]

What yeast comes with the Beaverdales? .

er, packet just says 'red wine yeast'. :thumb::whistle:

Flavours? The Beaverdales are my favourite red kit.

 

[engineer]

Thanks guys.

Whilst on the subject I have got into the habit, despite the instructions of, when happy ferment has finished ( or has it, see below ) -
racking
adding stabiliser
give it a good wand/drill degassing
adding kieselsol

ALL ON THE SAME DAY! All in the space of an hour or so in fact.

Add chitosan the next day and good to go. Clear in a couple of days.

So far had no problems with clearing etc. On rare occasions get a very slight hiss when opening a bottle but not noticed fizz in the wine or had any blow.

I know patience is a virtue but I have been a bit lax in getting another on the go in good time for it to be well bottled before the previous batch runs out. :)

Me to;
I rack, add stabiliser and stir for a couple of mins.
Leave for an hour then add part 1 of the finings (if i am using it).
Leave for another couple of hours then add part 2 of the finings stirring again for a couple of mins. (thats the extent of any degassing i do).
Then cover and leave for a week then bag up and store.
Never had any issues.

Could be regarded as lazy, i prefer to call it a time optimised process :mrgreen:

 

[Vinotinto]

Stir? Or whizz?

Time optimised? Like it!

I do wonder though why these kits say leave 24 hours between 2 part fining process. Using Kwik clear for other wines it is add part one followed by part 2 30 mins later.

 

[LED_ZEP]

Stir? Or whizz?

Time optimised? Like it!

I do wonder though why these kits say leave 24 hours between 2 part fining process. Using Kwik clear for other wines it is add part one followed by part 2 30 mins later.

If you could make a kit any quicker it'd come already bottled.. lol

I'm working on a quick and easy (lazy) degassing peace of kit. I'll be trying it out in the next week, watch this space.

 

[Vinotinto]

If you could make a kit any quicker it'd come already bottled.. lol

I'm working on a quick and easy (lazy) degassing peace of kit. I'll be trying it out in the next week, watch this space.

This I will look out for. :thumb:

Wacking a decent whip tool ( not plastic wand or coat hanger ' although they will do ish ) into a high speed drill and 'giving it some' this way and that for a while is not exactly hard graft!

 

[Chippy_Tea]

To be honest by the time a juice wine has fermented to .995 these isn't a lot of CO2 left and a minute of degassing with a home made wand is all that is needed, the only time i didn't degas one enough caused the wine to take a little longer to clear it certainly never felt like a sparkling wine in the mouth in fact i bet if you didn't degas one at all and waited for it to clear naturally you would not know it had not been.

One forum member has one of these shop bought degassing wands and says its very good -

.

 

[engineer]

Stir? Or whizz?

Time optimised? Like it!

I do wonder though why these kits say leave 24 hours between 2 part fining process. Using Kwik clear for other wines it is add part one followed by part 2 30 mins later.

I stir it with a long handled plastic spoon - same length as the fermenting bin.
I bought it in the late 70's from boots it was for beer kits but the wine doesn't know that.

 

[Vinotinto]

To be honest by the time a juice wine has fermented to .995 these isn't a lot of CO2 left and a minute of degassing with a home made wand is all that is needed, the only time i didn't degas one enough caused the wine to take a little longer to clear it certainly never felt like a sparkling wine in the mouth in fact i bet if you didn't degas one at all and waited for it to clear naturally you would not know it had not been.

One forum member has one of these shop bought degassing wands and says its very good -

.

That is the same one I have Chippy. It is good. One end has come detached from the top and despite efforts to re attach, keeps coming lose but to no detriment to the end result I don' think. It is far , far better than the homemade hanger job.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I have seen people say they degas for several minutes and once saw a video of a guy who clamped a piece of wood across the top of the FV and fixed a drill to it and left it running for several minutes, my free coat hanger degassing wand has served me well for a couple of years and i never have any problem clearing the wine and i only do it for a minute even in my FV.

If you want the ultimate degassing set up try this -

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wdlt45LRBbY[/ame]

.

 

[LED_ZEP]

This I will look out for. :thumb:

Wacking a decent whip tool ( not plastic wand or coat hanger ' although they will do ish ) into a high speed drill and 'giving it some' this way and that for a while is not exactly hard graft!

And here it is, works on a vacuum http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=72951