When to add yeast?

[Terand]

Hi. I'm currently making separate Apple(5 gallon), Blackberry, and Elderberry wines all from fresh fruit. I need help as to when to add the yeast and sugar. There seem to be two schools of thought after pouring boiling water on to the fruit in a bin:
1: stir for 1-2 days, add yeast, leave for a week before straining to FV adding sugar to complete fermentation.
2: stir for 4 days, strain to FV add yeast and sugar to complete fermentation. What is the preferred method used by members of this forum. As a beginner, it would be great to also learn why.

 

[peteplus1]

Also a beginner. Therefore might be wrong! But I add yeast 24 hrs after the pulp has been sat in the bucket and at the correct temperature. ...

 

[bryanandjudie]

Hi. I'm currently making separate Apple(5 gallon), Blackberry, and Elderberry wines all from fresh fruit. I need help as to when to add the yeast and sugar. There seem to be two schools of thought after pouring boiling water on to the fruit in a bin:
1: stir for 1-2 days, add yeast, leave for a week before straining to FV adding sugar to complete fermentation.
2: stir for 4 days, strain to FV add yeast and sugar to complete fermentation. What is the preferred method used by members of this forum. As a beginner, it would be great to also learn why.

personally I wouldn't add the yeast or the sugar until the fruit has been strained and the juice is in the fermenting vessel.

 

[Redcar]

I don't have the luxury of leaving my must more than 24 hours, as I work away in the week at the moment. So I use the method of simmering my chopped apples apples for 15 minutes before straining over the sugar and leaving it for 24 hours, then I throw in the yeast and nutrient.

But if just pouring boiling water over the apples and sugar, I would leave it for 48 hours before straining and then adding the yeast.

 

[oldbloke]

Fermenting on the pulp is normally done when the fruit (or whatever) is a pain to get the juice out of (flavour and or sugars). The yeast does half the work for you. Straining the resulting gunk isn't exactly fun though, so if you reckon you can get all the flavour and sugar out first, do that and then add the yeast

 

[Terand]

Thank you guys for your replies. My fruit is the type which I should be able to extract flavour and sugars out fairly easy, so I leave for another day before straining then adding yeast and sugar. My apple is soft but still the same as when I chopped them, but the elderberrys and black berry have softened and pulped nicely. Quite agree with you' Oldbloke' with regard to the gunk when straining- my first batch of blackberrys where I fermented on the pulp caused big blockage problems when staining. Andy

 

[graysalchemy]

I would always ferment on the pulp for wines but cider needs to be pressed and the juice fermented.

You get more flavour and colour out of the skins by fermenting on the pulp than you would from just the juice especially important with dark skinned fruits ir elderberries blackberries and damsons.

 

[Terand]

I would always ferment on the pulp for wines but cider needs to be pressed and the juice fermented.

You get more flavour and colour out of the skins by fermenting on the pulp than you would from just the juice especially important with dark skinned fruits ir elderberries blackberries and damsons.

Interesting, especially when flavour and colour is so important in wine. This thread is now starting to swing the other way to fermenting on pulp

 

[graysalchemy]

Fermenting on the pulp is the norm. :thumb:

 

[oldbloke]

Oh yes if the skins have stuff you want, always on the pulp

 

[hypnoticmonkey]

I'm not aware that I've ever done anything but ferment on the pulp with fruit wines. It's what vinyards do with 'real' red/rose wines, too.

 

[oldbloke]

Well, CJJB wrote (some time ago now) that modern juicing gear is so good now that, if you have it, it may be better than on-the-pulp. But of course, the stuff in the skins, if you need it, gets lost that way. And if you don't have good juicing gear, the old way's best.