Yeast choices (so many) - and my brews so far

[GDog]

Evening all,

For my Blackberry wine, my local brew shop recommended Vintners Harvest MA33, Premium Wine Yeast (which I used). I knacked it anyway, by adding too much sugar, so had to water it down to get starting SG to what the yeast could handle (1.115). I watered down again topping up after a racking disaster, I over squeezed the muslin bag and the sediment was about 3". It's very watery, so will bulk age and if its **** next Christmas, thats my mulled wine sorted :thumb:

For my Elderberry, I used Alcotec Aromatic Wine Yeast Complex, for country wines (i posted in error, thinking I'd used an alcotec turbo yeast, which this is not - it still finished VERY quickly though). Tastes good, strong, will age in DJ, and bottle next Christmas.

For my Asda 'Don Simon' Spanish RGJ WOW, the recipe recommended using Bergundy yeast, I used a youngs Bergundy sachet.. Seems to be going well x6 days in. It's calmed down, but still bubbling away so I've popped the FV lid down properly this evening, and put an airlock in for the next 7 days.

My question is, does yeast actually matter, in terms of the end product taste for a beginner?

I'd really like to just have one tub of yeast, and stop thinking about it

Thanks in advance, as always
Al

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I stuck with Young's super wine yeast compound because it works and I am lazy, the fun of this hobby is you can try different things or stick to the same trusted way and neither is wrong.

 

[GDog]

I've seen that mentioned on a few posts, it must be popular, and I presume contains the nutrient too so less **** on with ingredients.

I'll pick some up next week at my brew shop - wilko's don't sell it, (unless their own yeast compound one is just rebranded) and I hate paying postage.

Picked up a bottling stick thingy yesterday in town, with a little pressure tap on the bottom - had a test run last night filling bottles with water and it's pretty cool :thumb:

 

[Tau]

So what was the blackberry end sg using the MA33 yeast, I've looked at this yeast was put off by the 14%abv tolerance at 3.2 ph. May well be ok, how much did you waterdown by?

 

[GDog]

So what was the blackberry end sg using the MA33 yeast, I've looked at this yeast was put off by the 14%abv tolerance at 3.2 ph. May well be ok, how much did you waterdown by?

The recipe was x2 gallons water, 6lbs berries, and 6lbs sugar, but initial SG was crazy so unsure what i did wrong, or if the fruit was just very sweet (the BB's were beautiful and plump, picked quite late in the season, and tasted amazing)
I added another litre of water to get it down to 1.115, and it fermented out to 0.990 so over 16% ?
When I transferred to the x2 DJ's, I had loads left over,and I threw it away (Ive now go various smaller bottles for extra must)
The first racking, I lost so much, and topped up another pint of water in each DJ to back to the neck - it now looks like Rose, and tastes a bit bland. (reckon it will still be c13%, so I will age it and see what happens - I only made it in September)

Saying that, I've never tasted blackberry wine before.. :whistle:

Cheers,
Al

 

[Tau]

Blackberry is a light red usually and with the amount you used, a camden would lighten it more. Not sure if MA33 reduces the malic acid or just able to tolerate it at higher levels. It is striped the malic acid from the wine then that would be a little bland, anyway it will improve if there is malic acid in there and any sulphites used would have probably disapated (if still in the DJ) and malo/latic can take place in the bottle.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I've seen that mentioned on a few posts, it must be popular, and I presume contains the nutrient too so less **** on with ingredients.
:thumb:

It does but i always add a level teaspoon to give the yeast as much help as i can, i don't use a heat source and my kitchen gets down to 15c in winter, i have never had one fail.

 

[GDog]

Thanks Tau - all may not lost yet then - that's good news. If I'm honest, I don't understand how to check acidity, or the malic acid - that may be a bit advanced for me but I will do a search and a google.

Is aging in 1 gallon DJ's any better than bottling at this stage, is 'bulk' aging meant as the big 5 gallon bottles ? (which I dont have).

Chippy - if I can brew at 15 degrees, I could triple my production, rather than waiting for my smaller 13L FV to become free, its all that will fit in me airing cupboard - i thought that would be way too cold?

 

[Tau]

Harris packet yeast rated to 18% is rated to ferment at 10c :grin:

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Chippy - if I can brew at 15 degrees, I could triple my production, rather than waiting for my smaller 13L FV to become free, its all that will fit in me airing cupboard - i thought that would be way too cold?

It does take longer as you would expect i would say a couple of days longer.

Our heating is only on for a few hours in the morning and again in the evening so between these times it gets much lower, i think 15c was the lowest night time temperature last winter and i never had one not finish, give it a go and see how you rate it.