My wine has stopped fermenting after only a few days, HELP?!
I began putting my mushed up cooking apples along with yeast, yeast nutrient and Pectolase in a fermentation bucket with an airlock fitted to the lid. This started fermenting vigourously but then stopped after 3 days. In the hope of getting it to start up again I added the sugar, some citric acid and some more yeast and nutrient. This got it fermenting like crazy for another 4 days before stopping again, which just happens to be the day it's due for it's first racking. I proceeded to strain the wine through muslin, as instructed, and put it into a demijohn. I used an airlock on it and hoped it would show some signs of life... but nothing. So I hastily added more sugar, citric acid and yeast (like before), stirred it like crazy and still nothing.
I now believe I have added too much sugar (the sugar sediment at the bottom of the jar is a bit of a giveaway) and I am completely at a loss as to why the fermentation process keeps stopping and what I can do to salvage this wine (if anything).
A couple of people have suggested that I have used up all the glycol and this is the reason fermentation has stopped. I have not seen anything about glycol in my books and if this is the reason for problem I am experiencing how did it happen, how do I stop it from happening in future and can my current batch be salvaged (and how)?
Any help is much appreciated.
Answers:
All fermentation goes through TWO stages. The first is a vigorous, frothy one - this is where the oxygen in the liquid (the must) is being used. Technically it is an aerobic fermentation.
Once the oxygen is all used up the yeast goes into a sloooooow steady fermentation - this is the second phase. Its called an anaerobic fermentation. You can look these terms up for more details if you like.
The first results in lots of yeast but virtually no alcohol, just lots of CO2 (hence the froth). The second is where all alcohol comes from.
Don't keep adding sugar and other stuff because otherwise you will increase the osmotic pressure too much and the yeast will go into hibernation as it were.
The best thing you can do now is to leave it to its own devices and get on making alcohol!
Good luck!!
Are you keeping it in a warm place, like an airing cupboard. It needs the warmth to ferment. Although if it is too hot, that isn't good for it. Probably go much too fast.
C.
Mm... I found this for you. http://inhut.info/50367/citric-acid
http://inhut.info/50367/citric-acid
LMFAO i thought that said wife not wine
If I'm interpreting "mushed up apples" correctly, it might be your problem.
You should be fermenting the pressed juice from the apples, not the apples themselves. If they are not pressed, much of the sugar will remain in the fruit, making it harder for the yeast to act. It seems the yeast is using up what little sugar it can get to, and then re-activating when you add more sugar.
Maybe it's restarted now because the apple solids are dissolving, and the yeast can now get at them.