Homemade wine question?!
Homemade wine question?
Hey people,what's happening?I have a question,about some homemade wine I'm currently making.I used welche's 100 percent concord grape juice concentrate,yeast,a gallon milk jug,and a balloon.The question is,after a few hours,the ballon inflated really big,and the liquid was bubbling profusley.Now,the ballon has deflated,and there are very little bubbles.Fermenting surely can't be done,because I started this project 3 days ago.Do I need to add more sugar,or perhaps more yeast,or is this normal for this to happen?Please help,asap,before it's too late.PEACE
Answers:
the yeast might not be surviving to its full life for some reason. did you add any sugar? welch's concentrate has no added sugar, so that would make fermentation difficult. fermentation is when sugar is converted to alcohol. more sugar = higher alcohol content. the yeast just gets the ball rolling for the sugar to turn to alcohol
another problem could be how you added yeast. if you just tossed in the dry yeast from the package, it wont work properly. you need to dump the dry yeast into a cup of lukewarm water and stir it and let it sit for 10 mins or so until its dissolved, and then dump it in your juice.
also, if you used bakers yeast, it doesn't work well and tastes a bit "yeasty". it also only tolerates up to 13% alcohol, whereas wine yeast will make a much better wine and can tolerate up to 18 or even 20% alcohol depending on the yeast. it will be even better if you go to a brewing store and get some yeast nutrient to help the yeast survive.
if this batch has totally stopped fermenting, try dumping in some sugar, which should work,and if you can, run to your nearest winemaking shop and get a pack of wine yeast, preferably Lalvin EC-118 and activate it properly and put it in your juice, and it should start the stuck fermentation.
good luck!
1st of all, get rid of the balloon. Get a thing called an "airlock" with a stopper that fits your bottle. The first 5 to 7 days the stuff bubbles like hell, then slows down to a very slow trickle. You should be able to find a store that sells the equippment you need. the airlock costs about a buck.
Once you start a wine, DONT MESS WITH IT!
Making wine is fun and easy, but honestly.....welchs grape juice? Do yourself a favor, and go buy a book (inexpensive paperback) by Terry Garey...The Joy of Home Winemaking.
She explains all the steps in easy to understand language and has a lot of easy recipes. Kiwi wine is my favorite...works every time!
You can use aluminum foil next time instead of a balloon. If you want more alcohol content add more sugar. Also, if you used bakers yeast it's going to taste like crap. Go to a local homebrew store and buy some good juice from wine grapes and some wine yeast. Then experiment some more.