StillSmart

4 x 25 litre buckets of frozen grapes, defrosted and pitched yesterday.

The small bucket is a rhubarb and apple melomel/cyser/mead, that is proving that either all my yeast stash is buggered or for reasons I don't get, being stubborn as hell in starting it's ferment.

The grapes all started nicely bubbling away, within about 12 hours of pitching.....

I missed your post P..this was the time when the site was having a wobbly...

What's the state of play with the buckets???....I've still got about 60kgs of this year grapes in the freezer, I've got to get them sorted before the next harvest.

How's the Rhubarb what'sit doing??

The grapes are all finished fermenting. Messy bit (pressing) done. All settled to rack off the yeast and mostly aging now. Got some oak chips but still thinking about that.

The rhubarb apple whatever juice is stubbornly refusing to ferment. Not sure why, because it's pH is fine, it's not ridulously high gravity. It's had a little nutrient etc. I'm gonna have to make a yeast starter (presuming the other yeast was knackered).......

I would think a starter is the best bet....maybe a strong one???..there's no reason for it not to ferment....here's to a good finish......

There must be a song in there somewhere,but I find a sugar rich wash of flavoursome juice,that doesn't go fizzy with the addition of yeast quite sad.
Re-starts just don't feel the same,maybe that is the trapped poet within me.
Hah!
"I wandered lonely as a ......Hedgehog through a travellers camp,"Ooh,agh,lay off with the muckle sticks......"
I hold up my hands to being a failed poet.
And not very good at re-starting a wash whose yeasties committed suicide.
Best of luck with yours.
Robert.

Phantom wrote:The rhubarb apple whatever juice is stubbornly refusing to ferment. Not sure why, because it's pH is fine, it's not ridulously high gravity. It's had a little nutrient etc. I'm gonna have to make a yeast starter (presuming the other yeast was knackered).......

D'you get any result with this P?

AMY

No Aidan. I have no idea what's occurred. Gravity ok, pH ok, had GoFerm, 3 different yeasts and zilch, nada, nowt........

When I checked after this last weekend, it smells like it oxidized/oxidizing so will likely end up down the drain........

How I hate.to waste good fermentables............

Been a while scince I made any wine, but just wondering..

Did you add any pectolayse when you steeped the rhubarb? Not sure if rhubarb is high in pectin but it could be the pectin has bonded with some sugars making them un-fermentible.

Anavrin wrote:Been a while scince I made any wine, but just wondering..

Did you add any pectolayse when you steeped the rhubarb? Not sure if rhubarb is high in pectin but it could be the pectin has bonded with some sugars making them un-fermentible.

No I routinely use it, as it has no downside i.e. it helps with pectins, but also helps with colour and flavour extraction too. If it's not needed, it has no effect on flavour etc........

Hell, even the 3 buckets from this year's grape harvest have both, the newly renamed stuff as well as what I had left - and they're going fine.

It'll be something stupid I've overlooked. First time I've tried rhubarb, so next year it'll be straight rhubarb and ginger in secondary.

Phantom wrote:
When I checked after this last weekend, it smells like it oxidized/oxidizing so will likely end up down the drain........

How I hate.to waste good fermentables............

Sorry to hear that mate...real shit when it happens...I've got a gall of whitecurrant that I think I've lost...

Icefever wrote:Sorry to hear that mate...real shit when it happens...I've got a gall of whitecurrant that I think I've lost...

I should have paid more attention to it. But as I was more focused on my grape ferments, it got the "later on" treatment.........

The only downside being that it was seasonal fruit so I'll have to wait to try again.........

Phantom wrote:I should have paid more attention to it. But as I was more focused on my grape ferments, it got the "later on" treatment.........

Oh you also suffer from "Later on" I know the feeling well mate, I still have around 65/70 Kgs of this years grapes in the freezer, I hope their all right... and the vine is loaded for this year.

Since this CPC has kicked in our lot think we can now work 25 hour days. Roll on 2015.

Catch ya Later on.... sorry